JRS Belgium: supporting families with children in the community
Jesuit Refugee Service Belgium
The organisation
The Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) is an international Catholic organisation which has as its mission to accompany and serve refugees and forced migrants, as well as to advocate for their rights. In Belgium, the JRS is committed to promoting hospitality, and to accompanying and defending refugees and forced migrants in detention centres and return houses.
The pilot & main goals
‘Plan Together’ is a rights-based ATD pilot based in the community that provides independent, holistic case management to families with minor children who are at risk of detention in Belgium. It enables children to stay in a familiar environment in their community while they and their parent(s) work towards case resolution with the assistance of two case managers who visit the families at their homes regularly. The overall objective of the pilot is to contribute to a reduction in the use of detention in general and to end child detention for migration-related reasons.
Case management is tailored to the individual needs of each family member and the best interest of the child. The programme is not time-bound, and focuses on building a relationship of trust, strengthening the families’ resilience, and providing them with correct and clear information about their cases. It is geared towards exploring all options for a durable solution: legal stay in Belgium, relocation to another EU Member State, or voluntary return to their country of origin.
Resources
For more information on Plan Together, click here.
To read JRS Belgium’s position on Alternatives to Detention, click here.
