Initial situation

Refugee minors find themselves in a precarious situation when they reach the age of 18. As long as they are minors, they are embedded in the youth welfare system and are usually supported by educational professionals in small groups or foster families. When they enter adulthood, they suddenly have to move into asylum accommodation and have other contact persons. In addition, different laws apply to them, e.g. they are subject to the formal asylum procedure and thus again have an uncertain residence status.

The responsibilities and perspectives of the actors in the various authorities and institutions responsible for young refugees are often not sufficiently coordinated. Holistic transition management is often lacking and the qualifications of the professionals take too little account of the action logics of the neighbouring areas. 

It was therefore necessary to develop a model of action for a coordinated regional inclusion policy and a corresponding qualification of the professionals.

Target groups and their benefits

The CisoTra project was aimed at decision-makers and professionals in the policy fields responsible for minors and young refugees. The aim is to raise awareness and encourage them to adopt and develop best practices in regional policy coordination and action planning. This will improve the situation of young refugees by creating better transitions between individual measures.

Project goal

The CiSoTRA project aimed to develop and test innovative strategies and good practices for the social integration of unaccompanied refugee minors up to early adulthood. A good transition from the youth welfare system to the general employment and qualification system is crucial here. There is a need for qualification of those working full-time with unaccompanied minors, stronger cooperation and exchange of experience between institutions.

Role of ISOB

ISOB was responsible for the initial study, supported the development of the training modules and was responsible for internal quality assurance and evaluation.