The three national training sessions for legal representatives under the GUIDE project “Support for legal representatives of unaccompanied children”, aimed at legal representatives and professionals working with unaccompanied migrant children, took place from February to March 2025.
26 – 28 February – Sofia, Bulgaria. Sofia
18 – 20 March – Sofia 26 – 28 March – Stara Zagora Ruse
The National Network for Children is a partner in the international project “GUIDE – Supporting Guardians of Unaccompanied Children”, in cooperation with organizations from Slovakia, Poland, Greece, Italy, and Belgium, led by the European Association of Social Service Providers for People with Disabilities (EASPD). The project is funded by AMIF, the EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund. It aims to develop measures to strengthen the capacity of national guardianship systems and to support the competence building of legal representatives and professionals caring for unaccompanied and separated children arriving in the EU. A particular focus is on working with children with disabilities and/or at risk of developmental delay.
The structure of the training was the basis of an international handbook produced by the project, containing important information and useful tools for working with unaccompanied migrant children.
The trainers in the training were experts with many years of practice, working directly with unaccompanied refugee children – Antoaneta Yabanozova – Director of the Secretariat of the Regional Council of the Bulgarian Red Cross – Ruse, Diana Dimova – Executive Director of the Mission Wings Foundation, Dilyana Giteva – lawyer from the SAC and the NCRB at the Council of Ministers.
The training was attended by experts and professionals from a variety of fields:
Lawyers from the National Bureau for Legal Assistance (NBLA), according to Bulgarian legislation for the official legal representatives under Article 25 of the Law on Asylum and Refugees (LAR).
- Social workers from the Child Protection Department (CPD)
- Representatives of municipalities
- Directly working with unaccompanied children Social services staff
- Representatives of the National Refugee Agency, Migration Directorate, Ministry of Interior
- Representatives of Non-Governmental Organizations that are working directly on the issue
- Cultural mediators
Special guests during the training were representatives of three key agencies: UNICEF Bulgaria, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) working on the rights of unaccompanied migrant children, who contributed with their expertise. Guest speakers included cultural mediators, lawyers, and social service workers working directly in the field who shared their experiences in the field.
Participants received information and discussed the following topics:
- The Human Rights of the Child
- Children’s Risk and Resilience
- Migration Experiences and Life Stories
- Creating Effective Caregiver-Child Relationships
- The Mandate and Tasks of the Legal Representative
- Promoting the Best Interests of the Child
- From Arrival to Finding a Lasting Solution
- Ethical Standards in Representation Services
- Promoting Children’s Welfare, Resilience and Safety
Once the project trainings are completed, the so-called Sharing Circles will be formed where we will invite practitioners to work in distinct small groups to build a community with the idea of discussing case studies with the big goal of providing mutual support.
Thank you to all participants for your active work during the three trainings! The big goal of the project is to build a sustainable peer support network for professionals working with unaccompanied refugee and migrant children!
We would like to express our special thanks to the National Union of Hunters and Fishermen in Bulgaria, Mission Wings Foundation – Sofia. The Wings Foundation – Stara Zagora and the Children’s Palace – Stara Zagora. We would like to thank the Children’s Palace of the Children’s Club of Ruse for their assistance in providing space for the events.
