How to deal with the contact – contact regulations for separated parents in the European comparison Erasmus Project

Project Title

How to deal with the contact – contact regulations for separated parents
in the European comparison

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Youth (Participation, Youth Work, Youth Policy) ; Social dialogue; Health and wellbeing

Project Summary

The family is the smallest system in society, the starting point for democracy building and social change, and therefore deserves special support. In Germany, 49% of marriages are divorced, in Belgium 71%, in Europe 44% (https://fowid.de/meldung/scheidungsquoten-deutschland-undwelt). After separation or divorce, families are often faced with the problem of how underage children can stay in contact with their parents in a way that is both emotionally acceptable and suitable for everyday use. Family counsellors repeatedly come up against limits that are set by the highly conflictual relationship between the parents and the legal provisions. The victims are often the children, whose wishes and needs cannot be optimally met, as there is only a very limited selection of different contact models and support in Germany. In this project we compare contact models in Germany, Greece, Italy, Austria, Slovenia and Belgium in order to get new impulses for the counselling practice in case of separation and divorce and to be able to pass them on to decision makers. What are the legal regulations like in other parts of Europe and how can they be implemented in counselling practice? What works well about it, what can we learn from each other and do better to support Europe’s children in the best interests of the child, even in difficult situations of separation? How can we make parents aware of their educational responsibility and help them to make appropriate decisions?
Many of the partner organisations have already experienced in previous projects how enriching and helpful European exchange can be for everyday counselling practice. The direct target group are thus the employees of the organisations, who through their work will carry the results both into their networks and into the indirect target group of parents and families. A written summary and a statement of position are planned as concrete results that can be disseminated to social workers, stakeholders and relevant politicians. Not only do individual organisations and their networks benefit from European exchange, but families can also realize that other people in Europe feel the same way as themselves, the feeling of European community grows. In previous projects in which the different organisations have worked, everyone had the impression that “Europe works best on a small scale” – the direct human contact, and where this is not possible, the knowledge that families resemble each other across Europe, leads to mutual understanding and sympathy across national borders, which today are threatening to harden again. Nowadays it is essential to look beyond one’s own country in order to improve social work in a united Europe, to support families in crisis situations and thus to help children and young people.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 21000 Eur

Project Coordinator

Systeme in Bewegung e.V. & Country: DE

Project Partners

• EDUCOMMART SIMIO SINANTISIS EKPEDEVSIS KE DIMIOURGIAS ASTIKI MI KERDOSKOPIKI ETERIA
• OIKOS VoG
• Akademie für politische Bildung und demokratiefördernde Maßnahmen
• Academus, izobrazevanje in razvoj d.o.o.
• Nabu Che