Germany: admission of unaccompanied minors
The project strengthens the arrival, support and integration systems for refugee children and adolescents who enter Germany without adult adults. The project goal is the advice, qualification and networking of actors involved in unaccompanied underage, so that they contribute to protection, to the well -being and the equal participation of children and adolescents.
Direct target group are colleagues from advice centers, specialists from authorities, judiciary and public and free youth welfare and volunteers, such as guardianships, which are dealt with with unaccompanied minors.
Project measures include the research to change legal areas, a needs analysis and continuous advisory practice. The focus is also on the transfer of knowledge, the networking and the qualification of honorary and full-time actors, according to the special needs of the unaccompanied children, adolescents and young adults. Finally, specialist dialogues take place in order to contribute to a cross -legally and networked cooperation of the systems dealing with unaccompanied minors.
Terre des Hommes ' project partner is the Federal Association of Unaccompanied Minor Refugees (BumF). The project builds on the experiences and positive approaches of its predecessor project ("From Welcome to Arrival") and consolidates them.
Project evaluation
The evaluation shows that young unaccompanied refugees in Germany find themselves in a volatile child and youth welfare system characterized by numerous challenges. Structural deficits, political and societal discourse, tightening of legislation, cost pressure, and a shortage of skilled workers negatively impact their situation and participation.
Social debates increasingly frame flight and migration as a problem, leading to mistrust of those seeking protection and exacerbating exclusion and discrimination. Practitioners report declining willingness to recognize child-centered needs and observe a growing lowering of standards in care structures – depending on the type of accommodation and the municipality. This leads to a patchwork of support services.
Complex issues and changes in asylum and residence law pose particular challenges for those working with young refugees. The need for training, particularly in legal, gender-specific, and anti-racism skills, is high. The professionals reached benefit greatly from the training, consultations, and networking offered by the project.
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