The Well-U project trains social workers, social and medical workers, mediators and teachers, educators, professionals from local organizations who work every day with refugee children and adults from Ukraine.
The objective of Well-U is to create an integrated support system adapted to the needs of refugees. After the emergency, it is important that refugees receive not only medical and psychological assistance, but also support in the individual process of social and cultural integration.
Children and families forced to leave Ukraine have experienced traumatic events due to conflict and displacement, and this condition has consequences for their mental health.
Through Well-U we address this need, passing on community work methods of psychosocial support. The methods in which professionals are trained develop resilience, self-confidence, empathy and contribute to children's emotional well-being. For example, Problem Management Plus (PM+) is a low-intensity psychological intervention developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) for distressed adults (aged 16+) in communities exposed to adversity. During the PM+ session, people learn how to manage practical problems, reduce stress and anxiety, improve mood, and strengthen social support through evidence-based techniques.
ReachNow is a proactive case finding tool designed to facilitate the identification of children between the ages of 6 and 18 who are in need of mental health support or who are in need of protection. ReachNow consists of illustrated case stories that present culturally relevant examples of child psychological distress and family issues. The illustrations are paired with a simple decision chart to enable trained community members to identify children and families who need support and encourage them to seek additional support.
The Well-U project is coordinated by SOS Children's Villages Italy, in collaboration with the international organization SOS Children's Villages and the Terre des hommes representatives in Greece, Hungary and Romania and the War Child organization in the Netherlands.
It is implemented between 2022 and 2024 and is co-financed by the European Commission (Health and Digital Executive Agency).
Well-U este co-finanțat de Comisia Europeană (Health and Digital Executive Agency).
