Therapeutic foster care for Unaccompanied Minor Refugees and their foster families

<< Background >>Europe is facing a destabilising asylum crisis. Not only adults and families are coming to Europe in search of a safe and better life, young people and even children are arriving here unaccompanied by adults. Increasingly, European countries are choosing to host unaccompanied minors in foster care. However, these children and young people have specific problems and needs. Many have had very traumatic experiences and suffer greatly from separation from their families and community. They often find it difficult to trust new persons, such as foster parents. This can seriously jeopardise their development so that they may also struggle to build balanced relationships later in life. Foster care workers need to receive more knowledge and support in order to support the foster families themselves.This led to the European Erasmus+ project ‘Therapeutic foster care for unaccompanied minors and their foster families’. Its aim is to develop a model of therapeutic foster care grounded in research and promising practices, with a specific focus on the exile- and trauma-related psychodynamics that shape the foster care experience of unaccompanied minor refugees (UMRs).<< Objectives >>In the context of our European FORM-project, our approach is to guide foster care workers to empower foster families caring for unaccompanied children and youngsters with a refugee background. In view of the long-term consequences of unmourned loss, the lingering effects of a traumatic breakdown of humanity, ultimately complicated by elements such as survivor's guilt, identity confusion and other difficulties not seldom experienced by unaccompanied minors, our project focuses on the psychodynamics within foster families as well as on the possibilities of guidance for foster care workers working with foster families.For the foster care professionals: a knowledge base on research and best practices in the field of foster care for UMR, a training in exile-specific preventive or therapeutic foster care for foster families taking care of UMR. For authorities and policy makers: better foster family- based care solutions for UMR (outside large institutions), empowering de- institutionalization strategy, more and better care in the foster care sector (professionalization, international learning networks, and, the setting up of evidence based care) and inclusion of UMR in society.<< Implementation >>The project was structured around seven work packages, each contributing to the overall development and implementation of a model for therapeutic foster care for unaccompanied minor refugees (UMR). The main activities were as follows:1. Project Management2. Literature and Practice Review3. Development of a Conceptual Model and Practical Guide on Therapeutic Foster Care for UMRActivities involved in-depth research into relevant literature, innovative practices, and tools, with particular attention to trauma-sensitive, culturally responsive, adolescent-focused, and (kinship-)family-oriented approaches. 4. Pilot Implementation of the Therapeutic Foster Care ModelThe trained professionals applied the model in at least 20 foster care situations across Cyprus, Italy, and Belgium. 5. Finalisation of the Model and GuideBased on the outcomes of the pilot phase and the collected feedback, the Conceptual Model and Practical Guide were revised and finalized.6. Policy and Implementation Recommendations7. DisseminationDissemination activities included the creation of a project website, publication of four newsletters, the organization of three national multiplier events, and the hosting of a final international conference<< Results >>The project produced four outputs to support the development of therapeutic foster care for unaccompanied minor refugees (UMRs):1. A comprehensive literature and practice review, synthesising existing knowledge (international existing literature and promising practices) on therapeutic foster care and identifying the specific needs and considerations for developing such care tailored to UMRs.2. A conceptual model for therapeutic foster care, grounded in theory and evidence, designed to support foster care workers in understanding and addressing the complex needs of UMRs.3. A practical guide for foster care workers, offering concrete tools for training, daily practice, intervision, and supervision. This guide is adaptable across different national contexts.4. Policy recommendations, based on project findings, aimed at improving local, national, and European policy frameworks related to foster care and the protection of UMRs.In addition to those outputs the following results has also been attained: (a) the training and support of 17 professionals; (b) 4 multiplier events,3 national, 1 international to share and upscale results; (c) support to 20 foster families; (d) professional engagement and outreach