Project 2: Promotion and dissemination of good practice

Project 2:

Promotion and dissemination of good practice in addressing specific needs of vulnerable groups

(especially victims of torture and human rights violations).

 

Transnational in-depth study and evaluation of working and treatment methods.

This project is being funded by the European Refugee Fund (ERF). It is a follow-up to the first European Project (Good Practice in Torture Care, see above), and started in June 2010 and is due to be completed in November 2011.

The overall objective of the current project is to contribute to the development of a common European approach in the treament and care of vulnerable groups of refugees. One aim of the project is to create an inventory of treatment methods and methods of staff care, using a research framework. This inventory is to be published and disseminated among practitioners across Europe. A second, related aim is therefore to link an increasing number of centres providing care for vulnerable groups of refugees in order to increase cooperation and exchange of expertise between them. 

Drawing on the connections established between five European centres as part of the previous project, the current project involves these five and one other centre (Unit for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Torture URVT, Nicosia, Cyprus). Each of these holds a first team day to evaluate their own working methods and a second team day to evaluate their methods of staff care. Benefitting from the experience of the previous project, the centres are already familiar with the approach of self-evaluation. Besides the team days, the centres will take part in a study day to compile the above mentioned inventory of working methods and methods of staff care (which will allow a comparison across the centres and beyond). The inventory is compiled using a research framework and coordinated by an associated researcher.

At the current stage of the project, team day 1 and the study day have been completed in all six centres.

Between January 23rd and 26th the partners held a meeting in Warsaw where the results obtained so far were discussed and the course of action from now on was set out. In addition to the meeting the partners contributed to a conference initiated by the founders of a new Polish centre for the treatment of victims of torture and catastrophes. One of the aims of the conference was to create a platform for dialogue with members of the Polish government regarding the problematique of treatment for victims in Poland. Among the participants were Jolanta Paruszkiewicz, psychiatrist; Szymon Hajduk from the Office of Foreigners/ Poland, and Andrzej Szyrwinski, Coordinator of medical assistance for AS’s/ Poland.

Following the partners' meeting, each of the centres is now in the process of establishing contact with a new centre in another European country, so that ultimately 12 centres from different European countries provide the basis for a European comparison.  A symposium will be held to present the results of this work, in addition to the publication of a book giving recommendations and examples for good practice in the care of victims of torture.