Cabinet resolution #546 of June 1, 2023 

Decision-maker: the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine 

Status: in effect since June 1, 2023 

Who is affected: children and persons in long-term care facilities (including elderly people requiring continuous care); oblast military administrations and Kyiv city military administration; founders of the establishments; the National Social Service; the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy. 

Summary of the resolution: 

  • approves the procedure for evacuation, placement, proper care, education, as well as the return to the place of permanent residence (in case of departure abroad — back to Ukraine) for children and persons in long-term care facilities of various types 
  • oblast military administrations and Kyiv city military administration are obliged to take measures for the temporary relocation (evacuation) of children and dependent persons according to the adopted procedure. In collaboration with the National Social Service, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, they are supposed to prepare a list of organizations, institutions, and establishments where children can be temporarily placed 
  • expenses on the temporary relocation (evacuation) and return of children and persons in long-term care facilities should be covered at the expense of the founders of these establishments 
  • while martial law is in effect, the evacuation of children and persons in long-term care facilities is mandatory if such facilities are situated within 2 kilometers from critical infrastructure enterprises and/or within 100 kilometers from the frontline or administrative border with the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine, or within 50 kilometers from the state border of Ukraine with the Russian Federation/Republic of Belarus 
  • while martial law is in effect, such facilities, provided that they have bomb shelters or dual-purpose structures suitable for sheltering children and dependent persons, can continue providing educational, social, medical, rehabilitation, and other services only without admitting children and dependent persons in round-the-clock care. 

What is right: the Cabinet granted permission to evacuate children and dependent persons from foster homes and long-term care facilities for safety reasons 

What is wrong: 

  • since evacuation is not funded by the government budget, establishments that are supposed to relocate children and dependent persons may fail to fulfill their obligations due to the lack of funding 
  • this resolution should have been passed a long time ago: evacuation of children and dependent persons should have started right after the beginning of the large-scale invasion. 

Alternative solution: the Cabinet should allocate state funding for the evacuation of children and dependent persons in long-term care facilities.