Caring to Include: trauma-informed support for refugees and migrants in Europe

International solidarity for migrant and refugee protection is needed more than ever. Many people are leaving their homes because of war, violence, or persecution. And there are few solutions that are sustainable.  Nevertheless, Europe has been recently abandoning its commitments to human rights protection. In this context, more European countries are closing their borders. Many incidents concerning border violence and pushbacks being reported in a dangerous atmosphere of impunity and weakened rule of law. As a result, people are dying at sea and en route in their attempt to access the European Union (EU). 

Within the EU, civil society initiatives to support migrants and refugees are increasingly being obstructed by governments. For example, initiatives in countries like Croatia, Greece, Hungary, and Malta are confronted with a web of restrictive regulations concerning funding, media exposure and the criminalization of rescue operations and social support.  Space for civil society to operate and speak out is shrinking in many of these countries. Support services for asylum seekers and refugees to be included in society are falling short, and civil society initiatives are often filling the gaps. 

These developments are affecting the mental health for both NGO humanitarian workers and migrants and refugees themselves. Even though many of national NGOs in central and southeast Europe are facing similar circumstances and challenges on the ground, there are no structural ways to share our experiences.  

Therefore, we intend through this project to facilitate long-term collaboration on Trauma-informed support for refugees and migrants and mental well-being for staff and volunteers through this project.  

"Caring to Include" is a three-year project. A collaboration between the Dutch Council for Refugees and six European partner organisations from Hungary, Estonia, Malta, Cyprus, Greece, and Croatia. The project aims to reduce the negative effects of trauma and other stressors on the social inclusion of refugees and migrants. At the same time, this initiative will also improve the mental health of NGO staff and volunteers working with these vulnerable groups. 

During this project, we will create a sustainable Community of Practice (CoP) for NGOs across Europe to share knowledge and expertise on trauma-informed support for refugees and migrants and staff care of NGOs working in the refugee field.  

In addition, we will develop two toolkits that address mental health and self-care for NGO staff and volunteers and trauma-informed and culturally sensitive methods to support refugees and migrants. In the same context, the toolkits will help organising training and exchange programmes to improve service delivery. We will ensure long-term implementation of these best practices in participating organisations. 

For more information, contact the project manager at edelange@vluchtelingenwerk.nl.