"Unaccompanied children and young people have often experienced serious and painful upheavals in connection with their flight," says research assistant Corinna Poholski, explaining the background to the project. "In view of this, foster parents are confronted with various challenges in the midst of a new start together as foster families." Foster care services therefore reported a need for therapeutic support for these foster families.

One of the main aims of the EU project "Therapeutic foster care for unaccompanied minor refugees and their foster families" (FORM for short) is therefore to optimize both the general counseling methods for foster families with unaccompanied minors and the more specific preventive and therapeutic interventions. Within a European network of foster care services and organizations, the participants developed methods and information that strengthen the work in foster families with unaccompanied minors.

The practical guide that has now been published as a result is a 10-point plan that is aimed directly at foster care workers and takes a relationship-based, exile- and trauma-sensitive approach. It is intended to be available to all actors in the care sector in the EU.

The FORM project has been running since February 2022 and until January 2025 and is based at the University of Kassel at the Department of Psychoanalysis (Faculty of Human Sciences) under the direction of Prof. Dr. Patrick Meurs. In addition to the University of Kassel, five other organizations are involved: Odisee University College (Belgium), Pleegzorg Oost-Vlaanderen (Belgium), Salesiani per il Soziale (Italy), Hope for Children (Cyprus) and ENSA - European Network for Social Authorities. It is funded by the Erasmus+ program of the EU.

The participating researchers and organizations presented their results at the final international conference of the project in Brussels in November 2024. All publications and further information on the project can be found at: https://form.ensa-network.eu/

Contact:

Prof. Dr. Patrick Meurs
University of Kassel
Department of Psychoanalysis
Phone: 0561 804 3624
Email: patrick.meurs[at]uni-kassel[dot]de

Corinna Poholski
University of Kassel
Research assistant in the FORM project
E-mail: poholski[at]uni-kassel[dot]de