Vladyslav
Ukraine.

Vladyslav Klieshchievnikov
September 23rd, 2024
Education: Biologist, previously worked at a school.
Currently works as a social worker at the children's space in Kharkiv city.

 

1. You changed your profession. Was it a long-prepared decision?
It was not a long-prepared decision; it was a situational one. I was a Biology & Chemistry teacher for nearly three years. Where I was teaching, it was dangerous. I had to leave my home because of the war. When I arrived in Kharkiv, I needed psychological and social support myself. I realized that this organization (Ukrainian Education Platform) is very professional. When I saw that they needed people, I applied for a job. I have now been working as a social worker for a little over a year. I mainly help parents get the necessary documents.

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2. How did you decide to become a social worker? What were the main factors that motivated you to do this?
People who lived in the war zone were not ready to leave their homes, their fathers, or their mothers. Many children suffer from PTSD and stress due to the trauma they have experienced. Many mothers and fathers also have psychological trauma. They don’t know who to talk to or where to seek help in a new and unfamiliar city. All these people may face mental health problems and general health issues in the future.

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3. Does your formal education align with social work, or did you have to undergo additional training?
The Ukrainian Education Platform is very concerned with our training. I have a teaching degree that provides knowledge of child psychology, but it does not cover the specifics of social work.
Right now, UEP, together with UNICEF, organizes many online and offline training sessions to support us.

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4. Are you satisfied with your current position? Does it meet your expectations?
My expectations were somewhat different. Many people in my country do not understand what a social worker does. They think a social worker is someone who will take their children away and send them to an orphanage. This is not true. Our task is to help families stay together and support them.
Currently, we don’t have a safe place because of the war, but despite that, we continue to offer our services and help families in difficult life situations.
Now I understand that being a social worker is not about danger but about help and safety. We send this message to people: you are not alone in this situation. However, people need to ask for help. We try to listen and identify those in need of assistance, but people must communicate with us. Only then can we provide them with the full and necessary help.

5. What do you think the sector could do to recruit more employees?
We need two things. First, we need to explain to people that a social worker is not a threat to them; it is about help and safety. Second, we need to show that being a social worker is cool. It is about patriotism, having a big heart, and strong internal principles. We (social workers) do not defend these principles in a warzone, but here, in this region, we help people who have experienced psychological, physical, or any other type of violence. We need more specialists to help these people.