Meeting topic 

The study visit is an opportunity for practitioners to learn from Helsinki’s experience regarding the management and reintegration of returning children from Syria and Iraq. Finland was one of the first countries to take children back from Syrian camps. As a result, Helsinki has set up local structures and multi-agency cooperation between all relevant actors to facilitate the rehabilitation and reintegration of these children.

Since other cities across the European Union are dealing with the management of child returnees or will likely do so in the future, this study visit serves as a platform for practitioners’ assessment of the process of integrating/reintegrating child returnees. First-line practitioners in the municipality of Helsinki will share experiences about what works well, what the main challenges are, and reflect on what could have been done differently.  

The study visit will be as practical as possible and involve those who work directly with the target group. This will give a good picture of who should be involved at what stage, and create a timeline of the process. Participants will gain key insights from first-line practitioners in Helsinki who have worked with the children from the start. Training needs of professionals involved will also be addressed.

Target audience

We are currently looking for first-line practitioners who work directly with returning FTFs, their family members and, especially, children. Among others, these include:

• Local coordinators
• Social, family and youth workers
• Psychologists/psychiatrists
• Police staff
• Teachers/educators

Call for participants 

To find the best-suited participants, we would like to ask you to answer the following questionnaire.

Even though only a limited number of participants can be accepted to attend this meeting, the input from all applicants will be analysed, gathered, anonymised, and used to enrich the discussions and deliverables of the meeting.  

Deadline 

If you are interested in participating in this meeting, please fill in the questionnaire by 19 November. We will invite participants based on this information.

Please keep in mind that we can only invite a limited number of participants to this meeting to ensure valuable exchange and interaction, so participation is not guaranteed.

If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to contact Alexandra Korn and Ceren Özkan.