Tatiana Armstrong, a member of the ICDP Board, recently met with a group of experienced ICDP facilitators in Ukraine— Galyna and Nicolai Khomchenko, Svitlana Sichkar, and Tatiana Kudko—to discuss their work, the challenges of delivering the programme during wartime, and opportunities for future collaboration.
The meeting focused on learning more about each facilitator’s experience with ICDP and documenting their stories. The discussion also explored the resources facilitators need to strengthen their work, including whether grant funding could help expand the programme’s reach across Ukraine.
A key theme of the conversation was how ICDP has adapted to the realities of the ongoing conflict. The facilitators described the significant challenges of organising group sessions, with security concerns and wartime disruptions making in-person meetings increasingly difficult. As a result, much of their work has shifted towards online and individual support.
They also highlighted that caregivers now often require additional emotional preparation before they are ready to engage with the ICDP programme. Facilitators are spending more time helping participants regulate stress and build emotional readiness before beginning the parenting sessions.
One particularly encouraging development is a pilot programme supporting the families of military service personnel. The facilitators reported that ICDP has proven to be an effective approach for helping families prepare for and support the reintegration of service members into family life and the wider community.
The meeting concluded with three key priorities for future action:
Support the translation of ICDP materials into Ukrainian to improve accessibility.
Organise a national meeting of ICDP facilitators in Ukraine to strengthen collaboration and knowledge sharing.
Engage with the network of WeCare Centres and other Ukrainian NGOs to explore partnerships that could expand the delivery of ICDP through their existing community support networks.
The discussion reinforced the resilience and commitment of ICDP facilitators working in challenging circumstances and highlighted practical opportunities to strengthen the programme’s impact across Ukraine.