More than three years into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, over six million Ukrainians live as refugees across Europe and nearly 3.7 million are displaced inside the country. In response, Caritas and its partners launched the Ukraine Refugee Response Learning Platform (URRLP)—a regional initiative spanning eight countries—to share knowledge, coordinate more effectively, and promote evidence-led solutions for protection, integration, and safe return.
Drawing on deep field experience, the URRLP’s latest report reviews support across five vital areas: case management; psychosocial support; livelihood and employment; education; and safe return. It highlights how Caritas teams deliver comprehensive, person-centered services—ranging from legal help, housing, and health care to mental health, vocational training, and schooling—to stabilize lives disrupted by war.
But the report also warns of systemic challenges. Despite the protection granted under the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive (TPD), many refugees still face fragmented institutional cooperation, uneven access to services, and limited long-term support for vulnerable groups like people with disabilities or older adults.
Underfunding is another major issue: rigid donor funding, shrinking referral networks, and burnout among case workers and frontline staff are making it hard for NGOs to sustain quality support.
On mental health, the demand for psychosocial services continues to skyrocket, yet national systems lag behind. In most host countries, these services rely heavily on NGOs—many of which struggle with scarce resources, limited staffing, and minimal state support.
Caritas has responded by deploying community centers, mobile teams, digital support, and online counselling, but long-term funding and staff protection remain fragile.
In the employment domain, URRLP praises the TPD for enabling legal access to work for refugees. But structural barriers persist—language challenges, slow recognition of diplomas, and underemployment hamper their full economic integration. Caritas helps through vocational training, job placement assistance, and employer engagement, but the report says more scalable efforts are needed.
When it comes to education, many refugee children struggle to adapt in new school systems because of trauma, language issues, and a lack of trauma-sensitive support. Caritas supports their integration through after-school programs, psychosocial care, and teacher training to create more inclusive environments.
One of the most critical concerns is the issue of “safe return.” The report emphasizes that many returns to Ukraine are driven by financial desperation rather than safety or choice—and warns that without a coordinated reintegration strategy, these returnees risk exploitation or instability.
To address these gaps, the URRLP calls on European institutions, national governments, NGOs, and civil society to act now. It urges them to plan for the end of temporary protection in 2027, to build stronger legal pathways for refugees, to secure flexible, long-term funding for support services, and to invest in coordination and capacity-building across sectors.
In short, Caritas’ learning platform doesn’t just document what is going right—it lays bare the cracks in the system and pushes for durable, people-centered solutions that empower refugees to build a stable, dignified future.
