Research Terms of Reference – Local Implementation of Social Adaptation Services for IDP In Berestynska, Zhovtovodska and Voznesenska hromadas – UKR2614, Ukraine (October 2026, V1)

Please refer to the attached file. 2. Rationale 2. 2 Background Social adaptation is an established social service in Ukraine, included in the Classifier of Social Services under code 013. 0 and regulated by the State Standard adopted in 2015. The Standard defines social adaptation as a structured process based on assessment of individual needs, an individual plan, service provision and subsequent review. Although eligibility is framed broadly around people experiencing difficult life circumstances, the service model was developed primarily with older people, persons with disabilities, people with experience of specialised or residential institutions, and persons released after imprisonment in mind. The Classifier does not identify IDPs as a principal recipient group for social adaptation and instead lists them as recipients of social integration and reintegration. Nevertheless, preliminary consultations indicate that social adaptation is frequently provided to and recorded for IDPs in local practice. Support related to displacement is therefore being delivered through a service model that was not specifically designed around displacement experiences and adaptation within a host community. The regulatory framework is currently in transition. In November 2024, the Ministry of Social Policy reported that revisions to the State Standard had been developed based on experience from a pilot implemented in selected hromadas. The Government’s action plan subsequently scheduled adoption of the updated Standard for January to May 2025. Although no revised Standard or public draft had been identified by October 2026, consultations conducted during the assessment design indicate that the Ministry has continued the revision process despite the delay. According to consulted stakeholders, the text has been finalised and is being prepared for public consultation. At the same time, concerns were raised that the revised Standard may remain primarily focused on older IDPs and IDPs with disabilities, partly because its development drew on experience from the “Slava” and “Batkivshchyna” sanatoria, where social adaptation is provided to these groups alongside shelter and supported living. As the text is not yet publicly available, it remains unclear whether the revised Standard will reflect the adaptation needs of the wider IDP population. The uncertainty surrounding the revised Standard is compounded by limited evidence on how social adaptation is currently implemented for IDPs. A recent analysis of Ukraine’s social service system identified overlaps in both the content and intended recipients of services included in the Classifier, making related services difficult to distinguish in practice. It specifically noted the blurred boundary between social adaptation and social integration and reintegration, as well as the absence of a direct link between assessed needs and the services listed in the Classifier. For IDPs, it is therefore unclear which needs are addressed through each service and how needs assessments are translated into decisions on service provision and administrative records. A 2025 national study by Rokada further documented regulatory uncertainty, uneven provider capacity, fragmented public information and differing interpretations of regulatory changes. However, this evidence considers social services collectively and does not examine how social adaptation is operationalised specifically for IDPs. Preliminary consultations indicate that support recorded as social adaptation may range from a structured process based on needs assessment, individual planning and follow-up to information provision, referral or a single contact associated with IDP registration. These ambiguities leave considerable scope for service-provider discretion in determining who receives the service, what support it includes and how it is recorded. 2. 3 Intended impact The assessment will establish a qualitative implementation baseline for the provision of social adaptation to IDPs across three selected hromadas. It will examine how providers interpret the service, identify recipients, translate assessed needs into individual plans and support, and record the assistance provided. By comparing provider practices with IDPs’ experiences, the assessment will assess whether the reported variation reflects legitimate adaptation to individual circumstances or inconsistent classification and implementation of the service. The findings will clarify whether observed gaps arise from the design of the current Standard, unclear boundaries between related services, local capacity constraints or administrative recording practices. As the revised Standard enters public consultation, this evidence will help assess whether the proposed changes address the problems encountered in practice and the adaptation needs of the wider IDP population. It will also inform implementation guidance, provider training and future monitoring, while providing a reference point for assessing changes following adoption of the revised Standard.

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