8 March 2013

Migrants across Europe are today among one of the most vulnerable groups in society and are often socially excluded through lack of access to rights, employment, education and social services.  At Eurodiaconia we believe that the social inclusion of migrants can be promoted and facilitated through access to social and health care services. For this reason, the aim of the 2013 award is to recognise the role and importance of social services in the social inclusion/integration of migrants. Our members provide a holistic and personalised care with an integrated approach going beyond meeting only material needs, which we consider essential when empowering migrants and fostering their social inclusion. We would like to celebrate this quality, which is why this year’s Eurodiaconia Award will recognise particularly integrative approaches to the inclusion of migrants.

Applying for the Eurodiaconia Award 2013
More information on the Award, including how entries are evaluated, can be found in the Award Description and Entry Procedure here. The application form can be found here, and entries will be accepted until the 30^th of June 2013. Please send an Email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to request the application form in Word.

Parliament Event and Exhibition
At an event in the European Parliament on 27th November 2013 where we will display the Award entries in an exhibition space and present the Award certificate, we hope to raise awareness of diaconal work among migrants as well as communicate the unique identity of diaconia to European decision makers. For this reason between two and five high quality photos (3175 x 4750 pixels 256 DPI, good for a photo format of 40 cm x 60 cm) are required for each entry and should try to portray a project or service that enables the inclusion of people with a migrant background  (please make sure that you have received the authorisation of the photographer to use this photo in the exhibition as well as the permission of the person (or people) who is depicted on the photo to be shown in the exhibition).

Personal testimonies of users
All Award entries will also feature in a Eurodiaconia publication illustrating how social services facilitate the integration/ inclusion of migrants. Alongside the project descriptions and photos there will be space for personal testimonies from the service users featured in the publication.  A personal testimony is not a requirement for the Award or exhibition, however for the publication you are encouraged to send in 100-400 word personal stories by/about someone with a migration background who has benefitted from your service or project explaining their personal experience of migration: why they came to Europe, difficulties, joys, connection with organisation and how the service or project provided by your organisation (described on entry form) has supported their integration or inclusion into society. The story should be accompanied by at least one high-quality photo of the user, on the condition of their consent given.

About the Award
In 2007 Eurodiaconia began an annual award programme to recognise best practice in diaconal social work. The Award aims to raise awareness of diaconal work, facilitate mutual learning among members of Eurodiaconia and highlight an issue in Eurodiaconia's area of work.

For any questions about the Award, the event in the European Parliament or the publication, please contact Catherine at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

28 February 2013

This week The Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM) called on policymakers, civil society and professionals to ensure full access to fundamental rights for undocumented migrant children and their families in Europe. PICUM's conference entitled “realising the rights of children and families in an irregular migration situation” highlighted the barriers undocumented children and their families face on a daily basis in Europe.

Eurodiaconia was invited to moderate a workshop on Developing an Evidence Base to Promote Access to Healthcare in which we were able discuss the role that service providers play in supporting undocumented migrant children and families and to highlight some of the practical, legal and political barriers that migrants face in accessing their rights to healthcare.

There are no precise figures showing the number of undocumented children in the EU but a study published by the University of Oxford revealed that in the United Kingdom alone in 2011, there were 120,000 undocumented children. These children face a triple vulnerability as migrants, as undocumented migrants, and as children. The international conference gave a voice to the front-line, with professionals and practitioners discussing how access to education, healthcare and housing is limited in law and practice, and how this can affect a child’s reality of growing up, their well-being and social development.

Undocumented migrants also gave testimonies on the struggle to access basic services in their daily lives. An undocumented mother said: "One of the main problems is access to housing. It is difficult to find a dwelling with adequate living conditions. Landlords take advantage of us because we are undocumented and when we try to complain they threaten us.”

Speakers demanded that undocumented children should, first and foremost, be treated as children. Children affected by migration should be entitled to the same treatment, services, and protection as national children. It was stressed that undocumented children must be considered in all migration and social policies and children should never be separated from their parents unless it is in the child’s best interests.

The conference launched PICUM’s new resource, “Children first and foremost: A guide to realizing the rights of children and families in an irregular migration situation,” which is intended to showcase the legal rights of undocumented children and provides tools and strategies to fulfil those rights.