The event "Project-based Collaboration on Child Returnees - Consensus Conference: “Management of Child Returnees: Learning from Adjacent Fields”" is taking place on 14/04/2021 from 10:00 to 18:00 and 15/04/2021 from 10:00 to 16:30.
Participation is reserved to those who have received an invitation via DG HOME directly.
In June 2020 a Project Based Collaboration dedicated to the management of Child Returnees has started.
In three meetings, multiple aspects of the topic have been explored: policy frameworks and dedicated structures in place; training of practitioners; schooling; main challenges on the short and long term perspective. The meetings allowed to identify two of the main challenges in the management of child returnees:
1) Lack of consolidated knowledge and expertise on the work that needs to be done on a long-term perspective;
2) Difficulty to conduct an evaluation of dedicated strategies and measures in place in the EU MSs. Indeed, even though some MSs have welcome a significant number of child returnees, it is too early to draw conclusions on existing policies, and there is the need for a step back to further reflect on the work MSs are doing, even trying to broaden the discussion on child returnees.
For the reasons mentioned above, BE and FR (leading MSs of the Project) have proposed to explore others - but perhaps similar - experiences done in adjacent fields from which we could learn: management of children soldiers or coming back from war zones, child refugees, children separated from their parents in a flea route, children suffering from “toxic-stress”, children victims of (inter-generational) indoctrination.
Experiences coming from these similar fields, as well as the measures that proved to be successful, will be presented and discussed bringing together different experts in the framework of this Consensus Conference.
The organisation of such the conference, and the reflections on the outcomes of the discussions will conclude the PBC, and will become its main deliverable.