Whether they are left behind by their parents, escaping conflict or returning home, children on the move- as well as their families- need to be welcomed with empathy and understanding. Interaction with authorities must not become another obstacle to stability, adding  to the difficult situations through which they are already forced.

The ability of child protection professionals to communicate and relate in an appropriate way is crucial for releasing the tensions and anxiety that affect children and families in situations of migration.

To help social workers fulfill their role as facilitators of integration, Terre des hommes has developed a training course entitled “Improving the professional competences of social worker to communicate and relate with beneficiaries and other stakeholders “, endorsed by CNASR.

The course was first delivered to a group of 21 social workers from Dolj county in Craiova, from the 27th-28th of June, as part of the “Regional Resource Center for Child Protection in Southeast Europe” project, financed by European Commission and implemented transnationally by Terre des hommes and partners in 7 countries: Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Bulgaria, Moldova, Croatia, Bosnia Herzegovina.

For 2 days, trainees participated in interactive sessions where they learned how to better communicate with children and parents affected by migration, how to relate with social actors involved in their care, and how to cooperate with their colleagues.

For the first time, social workers have learned about the significant impact that proper time management can have in case management, how to apply coaching methods in finding solutions to migration cases and which advocacy strategies to use for the integration of children/families on the move.

Last but not least, trainees found the most effective communication methods for speaking to public authorities, central or local, NGOs or foreign public authorities in managing migration case. They found this to be very useful, and asked us to share it with you. If you’re interested, the list of communication tips&tricks is available for free right here (in Romanian).

The training course developed by Tdh will be delivered to a new group of specialists in Bucharest from September 20th to the 21st, 2016. Through this, we hope to create a network of social workers who are good communicators, astute and considerate in dealing with vulnerable people affected by migration.