From 17 to 19 September, the GUIDE project gathered participants from five partner countries (Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Poland, Slovakia) for a three-day hybrid training, held both in Brussels and online. The event aimed to prepare a core group of professionals, which comprised social workers, psychologists and lawyers, to deliver specific coaching to guardians working with unaccompanied children, particularly those with disabilities. 

Launched in April 2024, the GUIDE project responds to the growing need for guardianship support for unaccompanied and separated children arriving in the European Union from diverse countries and contexts. Its primary objectives are raising awareness of available resources and supporting professionals and guardians caring for vulnerable children. Additionally, the project aims to enhance national guardianship systems by building the capacity of trainers, providing them with specialised tools and methodologies to work with disadvantaged groups, and working with the authorities on improving national policies. 

In order to do so, the Brussels training prepared a core group of professionals to deliver tailored training to guardians working in the partner countries. Overall, the event contributed to: 

• Training the core group on essential tools for working with unaccompanied children (e.g. case management, active listening, trauma intervention, promoting the best interests of the child). 

• Fostering connections between participants and their respective organisations, to lay the foundations for future work.  

• Clarifying next steps, responsibilities, and the working plan to ensure all partners are aligned on future actions and the effective execution of the project.  

The immediate future steps, that participants agreed on during the last day of the training, include the finalisation of the Transnational Manual and preparation of the localised National Manuals that will support cascade training of the guardians in the participating countries.  

Through this training and the upcoming initiatives, the GUIDE project aims to create a sustainable guardianship network across the participating countries, as well as fostering collaboration and sharing best practices. 

Visit the project page to soon find the Transnational Training Manual to support guardians of unaccompanied children (especially those with disabilities) and learn more about the project.