In Lviv, the executive committee has approved an updated procedure for providing compensation to one parent of a child with special educational needs, or to an authorised person, for performing the functions of a child assistant during the educational process. The updates are intended to simplify the procedure and make it more accessible for residents of the Lviv community.
The city already has a mechanism in place to reimburse the cost of social support services during inclusive education. This concerns children who require the help of an assistant, but whose parents or other authorised persons arrange this support independently. The amount of compensation remains unchanged and is 100% of the minimum wage at the hourly rate set as of 1 January of the relevant year, for one hour of the child assistant’s work.
The head of the Social Protection Department of the Lviv City Council, Tetyana Kolesnyk, stressed that the main aim of the changes is to reduce the bureaucratic burden on families raising children with special educational needs.
“Our task is to make inclusive education more accessible, and obtaining the necessary support for families as simple and clear as possible. We are reducing the number of documents that need to be submitted to apply for compensation. Parents of children with special educational needs should be able to devote their time first and foremost to supporting their children, not to overcoming bureaucratic obstacles,” said Tetyana Kolesnyk.
According to conclusions from inclusive resource centres, in the Lviv community the need for child assistants during inclusive education is significant: such support has been specified for 128 children. Part of the demand for support services is met by the municipal social services centre “Dzherelo”, which has 13 established posts for assistants. At the same time, one employee can support only one child.
The approved changes primarily relate to the list of documents required to receive compensation. Now parents or authorised persons only need to submit:
- an application for compensation;
- the applicant’s identity document;
- bank account details for the transfer of funds;
- a conclusion from an inclusive resource centre or a certificate from the educational institution confirming the organisation of inclusive education for the child.
The document package is accepted at social protection departments at the child’s place of registration. For additional information, residents are advised to call the city hotline on 16−20.