Promising Practices
For the implementation of the Council of Europe Recommendation on Supporting Young Refugees in Transition to Adulthood
In 2019, the Committee of Ministers adopted the Recommendation on Supporting Young Refugees in Transition to Adulthood - CM/Rec(2019)4. In this document, the Committee of Ministers recommends the Member States’ governments ensure that additional temporary support is available to young refugees after the age of 18 to enable them to access their rights.
It aims to safeguard the rights and opportunities of young refugees in transition to adulthood. It also acknowledges the important role played by youth work and non-formal education/learning in supporting the inclusion of young refugees and developing competencies of active citizenship and democratic participation.
The Recommendation is important as it highlights the issues facing young refugees in transition to adulthood and encourages prioritising their needs. In addition, it provides an important advocacy tool for different stakeholders to promote and lobby for the rights of young refugees in transition to adulthood.
To support the implementation of this Recommendation, a Practical Guide ‘Turning 18 with Confidence’ was published in 2023. While the Recommendation mentions young refugees, its implementation does not only focus on young refugees, but rather also including those with other ‘statuses’ including those who are exiled, migrants, asylum seekers and undocumented persons.
In parallel to the 2025 review of the Recommendation, and to further support the implementation of the Recommendation, there has been ongoing work to transform the guide into a living document to ensure it is user-friendly and accessible. Therefore, currently, new ‘promising practices’ related to the key themes and areas of the Recommendation have been collected. These practices, along with the guide, have been digitalised and made accessible online to support the implementation of the Recommendation on Supporting Young Refugees in Transition to Adulthood. There are also additional relevant resources available for further information on the topic.
Aftercare Service, Separated Children Seeking International Protection (SCSIP) Team: Child and Family Agency Tusla
Main theme Life projects Other relevant themes Social services, accommodation, and welfare benefits, the right to family reunification Aims The SCSIP team has a dedicated aftercare service aimed at meeting the unique needs of separated children as they leave care and support them with...
Centre Bernanos (NGO)
Main theme Social services, accommodation, and welfare benefits Other relevant themes Access to education, access to health care and psychological support, access to information and legal advice, employment, life projects Actors involved The organisation has worked with a range of local...
Digital Welcome Programme ‘Empowering Migrants and Refugees through Digital Skills’: All Digital
Main theme Employment Other relevant themes Life projects, access to education, promote inclusion and integration Actors involved All Digital (formerly Telecentre-Europe AISBL), Belgium, Media Actie Kuregem Stad (Maks), Belgium, IASIS, Greece, Stiftung Digitale Chancen (SDC), Germany,...
DU Passerelle Course
Main theme Access to education Other relevant themes Life projects, employment Aims The programme aims to support non-French-speaking students in exile (refugees, those under subsidiary/temporary protection, asylum seekers or anyone who has left their country of origin under duress or by...
Enfant Avant Migrant: Utopia 56 (NGO)
Main theme Awareness-raising Other relevant themes Promote inclusion and integration Actors involved Ben and Jerry’s. Aims The aim was to increase public awareness of the rights of all young people who identify as unaccompanied minors in France. Description Utopia 56 mobilised support...
Happy Space Program: World Vision Georgia
Main theme Access to health care and psychological support Other relevant themes Promote inclusion and integration, access to education, leisure and recreation, and employment Actors involved The organisation of Young Economists in Georgia are involved with the programme. It operates within...
Helios Junior Programme: Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum
Main theme Social services, accommodation, and welfare benefits Other relevant themes Access to education, psychological support, employment, financial support, life projects Actors involved The programme is implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in collaboration...
Kopin (NGO)
Main theme Social services, accommodation, and welfare benefits Other relevant themes Access to education, employment, life projects Actors involved Kopin works with a range of international, national and European partners including, for example, JRS Malta, the Integra Foundation, Aditus and...
L’Autre, c’est Moi!: DEEP France
Main theme Promote inclusion and integration Other relevant themes Leisure and recreation Actors involved Young people from long-time and newly arrived communities, including those with migration backgrounds Aims By addressing stereotypes about migration and creating opportunities for shared...
Managing mental health as a refugee, asylum seeker and migrant: : Voices of Young Refugees in Europe (VYRE), Euro Youth Mental Health (EYMH), Council of Europe Youth Department
Main theme Access to health care and psychological support Other relevant themes Promote inclusion and integration, awareness-raising Actors involved Council of Europe Youth Department, VYRE, EYMH Aims This study session aimed to increase mental health literacy of refugee and migrant youth,...
Meeting place Youth (Mötesplats Ungdom): Stockholms Stadsmission (NGO)
Main theme Young refugee’s participation and decision-making Other relevant themes Social services, accommodation, and welfare benefits, access to health care and psychological support, access to information and legal advice Actors involved Partnership with Stockholm Municipality to...
Mi-Health HIV Partnership: Open Paths Athens (NGO)
Main theme Access to health care and psychological support Other relevant themes Employment, access to education, youth participation and decision-making Actors involved Partnerships include Medical Volunteers International, Sistech, GivMed, Africa Advocacy Foundation, Ithaca, Documatism,...
Nansen the Belgian Refugee Council (NGO)
Main theme Access to information and legal advice Other relevant themes Employment Actors involved Operational partner of UNHCR Aims Nansen aims to provide and make accessible legal expertise on international protection. Description While not specifically focused on young people, Nansen...
Newcomers with disabilities in Sweden (NGO)
Main theme Non-discrimination and protection Other relevant themes Participation and decision-making Actors involved Memberships include the Nordic Baltic Network of Organisations Working with Refugees with Disabilities and the UNHCR Global Network of Disabilities. They are partners with the...
Programa Escolhas: Portuguese Institute for Sport and Youth (IPDJ)
Main theme Promote inclusion and integration Other relevant themes Access to education, actions to ensure all-inclusive approaches, access to education, access to employment, mentorship and support peer education Actors involved The project is co-funded by the European Union and local...
Reform of the Aliens Act Regulations: Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migration
Main theme Developing legal frameworks Other relevant themes Employment Aims The reform aimed to reduce vulnerabilities of young migrants by seeking to prevent young people from becoming undocumented when they turn 18 and providing additional extended support. Description First, the reform...
Sanctuary Swimmers: Sanctuary Runners and Swim Ireland
Main theme Leisure and recreation Aims Through open-sea swimming as a medium to build solidarity, the project aims to teach essential swimming skills and promote cross-cultural understanding. Description The swim groups foster the development of social networks and relationship-building...
The Foundation for Access to Rights (FAR) (NGO)
Main theme Access to information and legal advice/ assistance. Other relevant themes Promote inclusion and integration, awareness-raising Aims To guarantee practical access to rights and effective protection against arbitrary deprivation of rights. Description The Foundation for Access to...
The Mentoring Project ‘Supporting Unaccompanied Children in Greece’: General Secretariat for Vulnerable Persons and Institutional Protection of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum
Main theme Life projects Other relevant themes Access to information and legal advice, access to health care and psychological support, promote inclusion and integration Actors involved Support from the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA), schools Aims The Mentoring Project aims to...
Velos Youth (NGO)
Main theme Life projects Other relevant themes Employment, access to education, access to information and legal services Actors involved Velos Youth works with a diverse group of partners to provide quality services to young people, including joint projects and activities, visits and...
Waves to Home (informal group of young people)
Main theme Access to information and legal advice/ assistance. Other relevant themes Promote inclusion and integration Actors involved The group collaborates with many youth organisations to reach new communities and regions. It also works with different civil society organisations, for...
We Belong (NGO)
Main theme Awareness-raising Other relevant themes Access to education, youth participation and decision-making, support for youth-led organisations, mental health Actors involved Young migrants aged 16–25, members of Parliament supporting equal access campaigns, and the media. Aims The...
Young People at Risk
Main theme Access to information and legal advice/ assistance. Other relevant themes Social services, accommodation, and welfare benefits, promote inclusion and integration, awareness-raising. Aims To promote and develop an inclusive approach through integration and partnership of...
Youth Group: Irish Refugee Council
Main theme Young refugees’ participation and decision-making Other relevant themes Access to information and legal services, access to education Actors involved Aims The Irish Refugee Council youth group aims to provide a space where newly arrived young asylum seekers and refugees in...
- Council of Europe. CM/Rec(2007)9 - Recommendation of the Committee of Ministers to member states on life projects for unaccompanied migrant minors
- Council of Europe. (2023a). Building futures, sharing good practices: Migrant children's transition to adulthood – UAC Futures.
- Council of Europe. (2023b). Toolkit on the transition of unaccompanied migrant children to adulthood.
- Council of Europe. (2023c). Turning 18 with confidence: Supporting migrant and refugee children in transition to adulthood.
- Drosopoulos, M. (2025). Bridging the Transition to Adulthood: First review of the Implementation of Recommendation CM/Rec(2019)4 of the Committee of Ministers to Member States on supporting young refugees in transition to adulthood. Council of Europe Youth.
- European Migration Network (EMN). (2026). Separated Migrant Children: European Migration Network Summary.
- EMN. (2024). Children in migration 2021-2022: An overview.
- EMN. (2022). Transition from unaccompanied minors to adulthood.
- (EMN). (2021). Children in migration.
- European Network Against Racism (ENAR). (2023). Happiness, love, and understanding: The protection of unaccompanied minors in the 27 EU member states.
- European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA). (2026). Transitioning into Adulthood: Improving the transition experience for applicants for international protection.
- EUAA. (2022). Asylum Report 2022. 5.6.6. Future perspectives for applicant children: Transitioning into adulthood and issues with residence permits.
- European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA). (2022). Guardianship systems for unaccompanied children in the European Union. Developments since 2014.
- Kids In Need of Defense (KIND). (2026). Practical Toolkit for Guardians: Supporting Children Transitioning to Adulthood.
- KIND. (2024). Blueprint 2024. Practical Solutions that Protect Unaccompanied Children Seeking Safety.
- Oxfam Italy. (2021). Teach us for what is coming: The transition into adulthood of foreign unaccompanied minors in Europe: case studies from France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, and the Netherlands.
- Pasic, L. (2016). Young Refugees’ Transition to Adulthood Literature Review and Policy Brief. European Commission and Council of Europe Youth Partnership.
- Stapleton, A. Özerim, M.G., Chardymova, N., and Kayser A. (2023). Turning 18 with Confidence: A Practical Guide to the Council of Europe Recommendation on Supporting Young Refugees in Transition to Adulthood. Council of Europe
- United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Council of Europe. (2014). Unaccompanied and separated asylum-seeking and refugee children turning eighteen: What to celebrate?
- UNHCR. (2021). Guidelines on supervised independent living for unaccompanied children.
- Van der Vennet, L. (2022). Turning 18 and undocumented. Supporting children in their transition into adulthood. PICUM.
- Van der Vennet, L. (2023). Lessons learned. Supporting undocumented young people advocating for change. PICUM.
- Van der Vennet, L. (2024a). Guidance for policy makers and practitioners on regularisation mechanisms for people transitioning into adulthood. PICUM.
- Van der Vennet, L. (2024b). Stepping up: A collection of projects and practices helping migrant children transition into adulthood. PICUM.
