IMprovement and extension of good Practises of Alternative Care and proTection: evolving existing alternative care initiatives for UAC in Sweden, France, Italy, the Netherlands and beyond.

ended

The IMPACT-project will further support the operation of alternative care systems in EU Member States, more specifically in Italy, France, Sweden and the Netherlands, by building up on previous action results, sharing knowledge and expertise and increasing the competency of social workers and staff/care providers working with unaccompanied children (UAC) and foster carers through training. The project will contribute to protecting UAC by expanding and improving existing alternative care systems in countries of project partners and beyond, thus ensuring that alternative care is not only available to the target group but also adequate to their needs. The project will train staff/care providers in the field of alternative care on how matching alternative care can be improved and extended to provoke the best outcomes for children and to enable them to fully access and exercise their rights. Activities: - Collect opinions and experiences of UAC on the alternative care offered to them; - Exchange good practises between countries of project partners and beyond; - Develop and implement an information campaign in Italy to increase the number of families interested in foster care for UAC; - Develop and conduct a pilot to ensure matching trauma care to UAC in Alpes-Maritimes, France; - Evaluate existing practise on alternative care for UAC in the Netherlands to further adapt the system to the needs of the children who are in it; - Develop training for staff working with UAC and staff and care providers working with families taking care of UAC (Offer bespoke trainings directly in Italy, France, Sweden and the Netherlands and train actors from other Member States in 2 international train-the-trainers; - Disseminate the training methodologies, make the training materials accessible through websites and networks. The project will directly increase the competency of social workers and staff/care providers working with foster carers in the countries of project partners.