Development of advocacy capacity of the Ukrainian Child Rights Network

The project “Development of Advocacy Capacity of the Ukrainian Child Rights Network” focuses on ensuring that decisions regarding children in Ukraine are made on the basis of clear criteria and meet international standards in the field of children’s rights.

Today, despite international obligations, child protection often lacks a unified approach to determining the best interests of the child. In many cases, decisions are made in a fragmented and “manual” manner – during the return of children from the temporarily occupied territories and after deportation, in family conflicts, or when providing social support. This creates risks to children’s safety and complicates systemic change.

As part of the project, the Ukrainian Child Rights Network will develop an algorithm for assessing the best interests of the child, based on UN, EU and UNICEF standards. Standardized procedures (SOPs) will also be created for two key situations:

– determining the best interests of the child during and after return from occupation or deportation;

– determining the best interests of the child in cases of family conflicts.

A separate area of the project is the systematic monitoring of changes in legislation and the preparation of analytical materials and recommendations for authorities and professionals. An online resource will be created for the experts of the Ukrainian Child Rights Network to help them exchange information and form a common position on key decisions in the field of children’s rights.

The project will help civil society organizations to have a stronger influence on public policy making, and to make decisions about children more consistent, transparent, and focused on their real needs.

Project duration: February 2026 – October 2026.

The material was created by the Ukrainian Child Rights Network within the framework of the project “Advocacy Capacity Development of the Ukrainian Child Rights Network” with the support of the Askold & Dir Foundation, administered by ISAR Ednannia within the project “Strong Civil Society in Ukraine – Driving Reforms and Democracy” with funding from Norway and Sweden. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the Ukrainian Child Rights Network and does not reflect the views of the governments of Norway, Sweden or ISAR Ednannia.