Current regulatory legal framework of youth engagement into volunteering activities within social work

Considering the decentralisation reform and processes of institutionalisation of youth work in Ukraine, the issue regarding the regulation of youth engagement into volunteering activities within social work at the national and local levels remains unclear. The researching is aimed at analysing the current condition for regulating youth engagement into volunteering activities within social work in the context of legislative changes caused by the decentralisation and youth policy reforms. To conduct this study, scientific works, key researches, and the legislation of Ukraine were analysed. These Ukrainian Laws have been analysed: «On volunteering activities», «On social formation and development of youth», «On social work with families, children and youth», «On social services», «Оn uniting of territorial communities on an optional basis», Draft Law «On general principles of youth policy». We have also reviewed the changes in regulations of the social work with youth on the local level in accordance with the Decrees of the Cabinet of the Ministry of Ukraine № 177 (dated March 3, 2020), № 479 (dated June 1, 2020), № 1014 (dated December 20, 2017). We have determined that according to the modern legislation, the tasks devoted to the development and support of the volunteer movement in the field of social work with youth is one of the main directions of the state policy in the sphere of social work with youth. However, in the system of social work with youth at the local level, this direction is not regulated; it is not clearly assigned to any institution of social work either. Some tasks aimed at the development of the youth volunteer movement at the local level are fixed only in the activities of youth centres which are currently engaged exclusively in the implementation of the youth policy.