Building Futures: Legal Pathways and Psychosocial Support for Young Refugees and Migrants in transition to adulthood

Seminar on strengthening the implementation of Recommendation CM/Rec(2019)4
on Supporting Young Refugees in Transition to Adulthood

Transition to adulthood is a phase in a young person’s life marked by milestones and achievements, such as that of ones’ 18th birthday. However, for all young migrants, refugees and asylum seekers turning 18 means an overnight loss of the rights and protection that they previously enjoyed as children, especially if they were unaccompanied. What should be a moment of celebration, can instead mean a sudden lack of access to basic human rights, such as housing or education. For some, it means becoming undocumented, excluded from most essential services and support.

Human rights protection and inclusion is key for the cohesion of European societies and deserves a special focus. At the Council of Europe level, the protection of young migrants and refugees transitioning into adulthood has long been identified as a priority area for its work.

 On 24 April 2019, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted Recommendation CM/Rec(2019)4: Supporting young refugees in transition to adulthood (the Recommendation). The Recommendation invites governments of member states to adopt measures to ensure that “young refugees receive additional temporary support after the age of 18 to enable them to access their rights, and at recognising and strengthening the role of youth work and the youth sector in promoting better access to these rights, including through their work to build social cohesion and inclusion.”[1]

 In May 2021, the Committee of Ministers approved the Council of Europe Action Plan on Protecting Vulnerable Persons in the Context of Migration and Asylum in Europe (2021-2025), outlining initiatives aimed at implementation of the Recommendation. Additionally, the Joint Council on Youth devised a roadmap to support it. As part of this, the Youth Department crafted the Guide Turning 18 with Confidence launched at a public event in April 2023. Turning 18 with Confidence presents the Recommendation in a practical manner and includes a collection of practices, questions and guidelines that can assist policymakers, youth organisations, young people, researchers, and other actors in promoting the implementation of the Recommendation.

 In 2025 the first review of the Implementation of Recommendation CM/Rec(2019)4 on supporting young refugees in transition to adulthood was conducted under the authority of the Joint Council on Youth (CMJ).

The first review highlighted that many of the challenges faced by young refugees are structural and systemic, particularly related to legal and administrative frameworks and fragmented institutional responses. The review emphasised that legal restrictions, institutional barriers, and fragmented services between child and adult sectors often undermine continuity of support for young refugees and migrants.

 

[1] The Recommendation defines “young refugees in transition to adulthood” as young people having reached the age of 18 who arrived in Europe as children and have obtained or qualify for refugee status under the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, or for subsidiary protection under European Union or national legislation.

about the seminar

 Building on the findings of the first review of the implementation of the Recommendation, the 2026 seminar will focus on the interconnection between legal barriers and psychosocial support.

The Recommendation encourages Member States to reduce legal barriers by ensuring that residence permits and administrative procedures do not abruptly disrupt a young refugee’s transition into adulthood. It emphasises the need for flexible and secure legal statuses so that access to education, employment, and housing is not jeopardised by uncertainty or delays. At the same time, the Recommendation highlights the importance of continuous psychosocial support, recognising that many young refugees face trauma, isolation, and stress during this transition. It is especially relevant for children who arrived in Europe as unaccompanied and separated children due to their vulnerability. As noted in the 2025 DMR Thematic Paper “Vulnerability of migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees: Council of Europe and European Union standards”, the European Court of Human Rights consistently recognises children as belonging to a category of vulnerable people, particularly in a migratory context. This applies even more strongly to unaccompanied or separated children, especially when they face detention or risks of violence and abuse. The intensifying focus on vulnerability, which is often multi-layered, in the context of migration presents a demanding challenge for Council of Europe member states: to take into account, in an individualised and contextualised manner, the fragility arising from characteristics pertaining to specific groups such as migrant children and those transitioning into adulthood.

The Recommendation calls for accessible, culturally sensitive mental health services and long-term support systems rather than short-term interventions. Together, these measures aim to create stability both in legal standing and emotional well-being, enabling young refugees to integrate more effectively into society.

The event will explore the above-mentioned themes and apply an inter‑agency coordination approach, bringing together actors from legal, migration, youth, social, and health sectors representing governmental and non-governmental structures.

Seminar aims to promote coordinated responses that strengthen the implementation of Recommendation CM/Rec(2019)4 on Supporting Young Refugees in Transition to Adulthood focusing on legal barriers and psychosocial support measures.

 

Objectives

 Objectives of the seminar are:

  • Examine the psychosocial impact of legal insecurity, including the ways in which uncertainty and administrative obstacles affect the mental health and well-being of young migrants, refugees and asylum seekers.
  • Identify integrated approaches that combine legal support, youth work, and psychosocial or mental health services to better support young migrants, refugees and asylum seekers.
  • Facilitate exchange of practices and experiences among governmental institutions, civil society organisations, youth organisations, and service providers working with young refugees.
  • Contribute to strengthening inter-agency coordination between actors working in migration, youth, social, legal, and health sectors representing governmental and non-governmental structures including local authorities and youth organisations
Date and venue

  28-30 april 2026

 European Youth Centre Strasbourg

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