Key points
- Children who have lost their parents due to the war, but are not yet officially orphans, can receive assistance under the “Child Not Alone” programme.
- Payments are provided to relatives or foster families where the child is temporarily placed.
- Children aged 14–18 can apply for assistance independently.
- Applications must be submitted to the Pension Fund of Ukraine.
- The amount of assistance depends on the child’s age and any disability, and payments last up to six months.
- The funds belong to the child and are intended for their care and maintenance.
Children who have lost parental care due to the war, but have not yet received official orphan status, can receive temporary state financial assistance under the “Child Not Alone” programme.
Previously, payments were only made after the child obtained official orphan status, which sometimes meant the child could end up in an orphanage, as families willing to take the child temporarily were not always able to provide proper care and living conditions.
Now, the assistance is provided for the period during which the child temporarily lives with relatives, acquaintances, or in a foster family. It can be received by the person or family with whom the child is placed, provided they permanently reside in Ukraine.
Children aged 14 to 18 can apply for assistance independently if they study full-time or in a dual form and have a registered place of residence separate from the adult with whom they live.
Payments are granted if the child’s parents have:
- died or been killed;
- gone missing;
- are on temporarily occupied territory or surrounded;
- are held in captivity, detained, or taken hostage by the aggressor state’s authorities.
Assistance also applies to children temporarily placed in a foster family or a family-type children’s home.
Applications for assistance must be submitted to the Pension Fund of Ukraine.
Required documents include:
- the child’s birth certificate;
- a copy of the order from the child services regarding temporary placement;
- a medical certificate if the child has a disability.
The assistance amounts to 2.5 subsistence minimums for children of the corresponding age:
- up to 6 years – 7,042.5 UAH;
- 6 to 18 years – 8,780 UAH.
For children with disabilities, the rate is 3.5 subsistence minimums:
- up to 6 years – 9,859.5 UAH;
- 6 to 18 years – 12,292 UAH.
Payments start from the first day of the month the application is submitted and are provided for no more than six months.
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