PROBLEMS OF SOCIAL PROTECTION OF CHILDREN AND YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES IN UKRAINE

Introduction. People with disabilities are one of the most vulnerable social groups, because they are limited in their ability to realize themselves as full-fledged members of society and need state support in this endeavor. The disability of children and young people is a particularly acute social problem today. Issues related to social protection, integration into society, «barrier-free» architectural, transport and social space, education and employment remain urgent for this category. They need not only medical and social rehabilitation, but also the creation of conditions for full self-realization in society. Purpose. The purpose of this study is a theoretical analysis of the problems of social and legal protection of children and youth with disabilities in Ukraine, followed by the formation of recommendations for improving the mechanism of social and legal protection of these categories of persons. Methods. In the course of the scientific work, a number of scientific methods were used, with the help of which a comprehensive and objective analysis of the domestic and foreign experience of social and legal provision of children and youth with disabilities was carried out. The method of scientific analysis and synthesis made it possible to analyze scientific works and normative legal acts on the issues under investigation. Summarize the obtained theoretical information. The statistical method made it possible to investigate and process statistical data for a comprehensive analysis of the problem. Results. The concept of «child with disabilities» is established by law. Thus, the domestic legislator has determined that a child with a disability is a person before reaching adulthood (up to 18 years of age) with a permanent restriction of life activity, who has been diagnosed with a disability in accordance with the procedure defined by the law. The main features of this social category, according to the given definition, are the failure of the person to reach the age limit of 18 years and the presence of persistent violations of life activity in the person. There is no definition of a young person with a disability in the Law, however, based on the analysis of the concepts of «youth» and «person with a disability» enshrined in the Law, we believe that a young person with a disability is a person between the ages of 18 and 35 with a permanent restriction of life, who according to the procedure established by law, disability is established. The given definition also reflects the two main features of the category, namely the age of a person from 18 to 35 years and the presence of permanent restrictions on life activities, established in accordance with the procedure established by law.Conclusion. Ensuring the social security of children and youth is a state task aimed at conscious purposeful interaction of state and public institutions, as well as citizens themselves, with the aim of increasing the level of social security of children and youth, solving numerous problems of the young generation, and improving their situation. In order to increase the effectiveness of the process of social protection of children and youth, the state needs to bring the activities of all institutions to a common denominator to develop the main directions for improving work with the new generation.