On 2 September, the partners of the European project GUIDE: Supporting Guardians of Unaccompanied Children came together for their final team meeting, dedicated to reflecting on the past 30 months, the lessons learned and the sustainability of the results achieved through the project. Experts from the National Network for Children (NNC) \u2013 Diana Andreeva, Head of Projects, and Bella Damyanova, Child Policy Coordinator \u2013 took part in the meeting.<\/p>\n
During the final team meeting, the partners looked back at the entire journey \u2013 what had been achieved, what had been learned and which approaches had proven most valuable in practice. Particular attention was given to the sustainability of GUIDE\u2019s results, because the end of a project does not mean the end of the work. The partners discussed how the resources and tools developed through the project can continue to be used, how the professional networks created can grow and how the experience gained can contribute to longer-term changes in national child protection systems.<\/p>\n
In this sense, GUIDE leaves behind not only publications, training programmes and recommendations, but also a community of professionals and organisations who share the understanding that effective protection for unaccompanied children requires coordination, knowledge, resources and sustainable partnerships.<\/p>\n
The final part of the meeting focused on reporting, administrative matters and next steps, as well as on the partners\u2019 personal reflections. The closing discussion provided an opportunity to share both the achievements and the challenges the team encountered throughout the project.<\/p>\n
At the heart of GUIDE is a simple but essential question: how can we ensure that a child who arrives in Europe without a parent or another trusted adult does not also remain alone within the child protection system?<\/p>\n
The answer is not a single procedure or one person. It lies in building a system in which guardians are prepared and supported, professionals have access to knowledge and resources, institutions work together, and the child\u2019s voice and best interests remain at the centre.<\/p>\n
This is also the most important lesson that the GUIDE partners take forward: a strong child protection system begins with the people who are ready to stand beside the child \u2013 and continues with the community that supports those people.<\/p>\n
GUIDE focused on a key, yet often insufficiently visible, figure within the child protection system \u2013 the guardian of an unaccompanied child. The project aimed to strengthen the capacity of guardians and the professionals who support them, as well as national guardianship systems, with a particular focus on children with disabilities and\/or at risk of developmental delay.<\/p>\n
Throughout the project, the partners moved from analysing national systems and identifying existing gaps to developing practical tools and training programmes. The results include a transnational handbook and train-the-trainer programme, national handbooks, service maps, guidelines for facilitating peer-support groups, national and European recommendations, as well as information resources for guardians and professionals.<\/p>\n
As part of the project, national and European-level training sessions, a series of international webinars, round tables with representatives of institutions and organisations, and Listening Circles were organised. These peer-support groups provided guardians and professionals with an opportunity to speak openly about the everyday challenges they face in their work.<\/p>\n
This practical experience became one of the most valuable aspects of the project. GUIDE was not only about the knowledge and skills guardians need, but also about the support required by the people who carry the responsibility of being there for an unaccompanied child.<\/p>\n
Building trust with the child, working with trauma, accessing healthcare, education and social services, cooperation between institutions, limited resources and a lack of specialised support \u2013 these are just some of the issues that recur across different countries. The project\u2019s final analysis brings together these common challenges and proposes solutions for stronger and more inclusive guardianship systems.<\/p>\n
For the National Network for Children, participation in GUIDE provided an opportunity for the Bulgarian experience and the challenges facing the national system to become part of the European dialogue, while also contributing to the development of practical solutions that remain accessible to professionals beyond the end of the project.<\/p>\n
GUIDE was launched on 1 April 2024 and will end on 30 September 2026. The project is funded by the European Union through the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) and brings together organisations from six European countries. The project is coordinated by the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD). Partners include Eurochild and EASPD from Belgium, the National Network for Children from Bulgaria, IASIS from Greece, Imago Foundation from Poland, TENENET from Slovakia, and CESIE from Italy. Associated partners from different European countries are also involved in the project.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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