Sustaining social work education in Ukraine: The second phase

Abstract

A decade has passed since the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the end of communism. In partnership with countries from the west, many countries in eastern Europe, including Ukraine, have developed social work education courses as part of the process of establishing social democratic principles. This article has as its focus an innovative project being funded by the UK Department for International Development and managed by Hamlet Trust, a charitable body at the Kyiv Mohyla Academy, Ukraine. The project has been designed to develop and sustain earlier attempts to introduce social work into the country. Additionally, the intention is to extend training opportunities, and thereby to develop a new skills base in the workforce outside the capital city, Kyiv. Two new training courses are described and analysed, their unique features being on-site supervision and coaching of a group of experienced teachers and agency managers to take over teaching and training previously delivered by western consultants. Although the project does not end until 2002, it is possible to share some of the learning from this innovative approach with other eastern European countries in transition.