INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO SOCIAL WORK WITH COMBAT VETERANS IN LOCAL COMMUNITIES

Abstract

Introduction. In the challenging conditions of ongoing military operations, the implementation of innovative approaches in social work with combatants and veterans at the level of territorial communities is driven by contemporary social challenges associated with the consequences of war, the increasing number of combatants and veterans, and the growing complexity of their needs. The transition to civilian life is accompanied not only by physical and psychological difficulties but also by challenges related to social readaptation and resocialization, employment, restoration of social ties, and the re-establishment of life orientations. Under such circumstances, traditional approaches to social support and assistance prove to be insufficient, as they are often fragmented and fail to address the comprehensive nature of veterans’ needs. Therefore, there is a pressing need to introduce innovative models of social work that ensure an integrated, interdisciplinary, and client-centered approach to the provision of social support and services. Particular importance is attached to the role of territorial communities as the primary level for organizing social support and assistance, where direct interaction between combatants, veterans, and the social environment takes place. It is at the community level that a conducive space for reintegration, social participation, and the restoration of an active life position is formed. Purpose and objectives of the article. The purpose of this study is to provide an in-depth analysis and scientific substantiation of innovative directions in social work with combatants and veterans within territorial communities, as well as to determine their functional significance for enhancing the effectiveness of professional social work practice. Scientific novelty. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the comprehensive conceptualization of innovative directions of social work with combatants and veterans in territorial communities as an integrated system of interrelated approaches. For the first time, the study systematizes intervention-psychosocial, community-oriented, social entrepreneurship-based, reintegrationorganizational, personalized (case management), and intersectoral approaches as key components of an innovative model of social support for combatants and veterans. The content and functional characteristics of these approaches have been further specified in the context of territorial community practice. In addition, the study advances the understanding of social entrepreneurship as a tool for economic self-realization and social reintegration of veterans. It also substantiates the feasibility of case management as a mechanism for individualizing social support and demonstrates the importance of intersectoral cooperation as a prerequisite for ensuring the comprehensiveness and continuity of social assistance. Overall, the findings expand the theoretical and methodological foundations of social work with combatants and provide a basis for the implementation of an innovative model of social support in territorial communities. Results. It has been established that the implementation of innovative directions in social work with combatants and veterans, including intervention-psychosocial, community-oriented, social entrepreneurship-based, reintegration-organizational, personalized, and intersectoral approaches, into the practice of support and case management creates the conditions for developing a coherent and effective system of assistance. These approaches ensure the transition to a more flexible, adaptive, and person-centered model of support that takes into account the individual needs of veterans and facilitates their full reintegration into society.