The Head of the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service Nataliia Aliushyna held a working meeting with representatives of the IREX / Ukraine Veterans Reintegration Programme. In particular, IREX Regional Director Joanna Rohozinska, IREX Technical Advisors Christi Anne Hofland and Kostiantyn Tatarkin, and IREX Senior Programme Manager Mariana Gulevych.

They discussed the issues of social adaptation of female and male war veterans and their preparation for public service.

"The adaptation of war veterans to civilian life is a complex and multifaceted problem that requires a comprehensive approach and cooperation between the government, the public, and veterans. Psychological rehabilitation, psychosocial support, and professional adaptation are the aspects that the NAUCS is working on to make the process of integrating veterans into public authorities as comfortable as possible for all parties," Nataliia Aliushyna said at the beginning of the meeting.

According to the Head of the NAUCS, more than four thousand civil servants are serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Thousands more veterans are potential candidates for public service positions. And we need to be ready for their return. 

The NAUCS experts developed a Guide on Adaptation and Organization of Work of Veterans in the Public Service, which will help HR services in state and local self-government bodies prepare for interaction with this category of employees, as well as provide advice on their adaptation in the workplace. The document will include advice for managers and HR professionals on how to interview a veteran candidate, the ethics of communication with veterans, how to adapt newly appointed veterans, how to prepare the team for the return/recruitment of veterans, how to resolve conflicts, etc. The guide will help to find a balance of interests between the needs of veterans and the needs of the state institution.

In 2023, the NAUCS approved the Methodological Recommendations on the Creation of Barrier-Free Workplace in Public Authorities. This includes a physical, digital, informational, organizational, and cultural barrier-free environment, which provides for the creation of appropriate working conditions for combatants and other persons who defended Ukraine during the war. 

They also discussed areas of cooperation in the preparation of training programmes for the reintegration of veterans in the public service. The NAUCS has developed a training programme "Communication and Interaction with Veterans in the Civil Service", which aims to teach civil servants to take care of mental health issues, to master the tools of peer-to-peer interaction, means of developing resilience, etc. 

In addition, the High School of Public Governance has developed several training courses to help veterans who will work in government. In particular, with the support of the Regional Fund "Reform of Public Administration in the Eastern Partnership Countries" (GIZ), a series of training "Support for Mental Health in War Time" is being conducted. In addition, a series of psycho-emotional support measures were implemented, and four professional development programs on psychosocial support, adaptation and development of psychological competence of public servants were developed and implemented. 

Special attention was paid to the organisation of internships for young people in the form of a start-up accelerator, the Policy Makers Lab. The conceptual idea of the Accelerator is to engage young people, including veterans, in online/offline training and gain practical experience to work in government institutions and to train motivated policymakers in relevant areas from among young people and students of Ukrainian higher education institutions. The accelerator is aimed at motivating young people, and war veterans to activate out-of-the-box thinking, make unconventional decisions and work in war conditions.