Welcome to the EPA 2022 Interactive Programme 

Abstract Body

Young migrants arriving in Belgium are almost always given a legal statute of "unaccompanied minor". Next to the traumatising experiences they've lived, this status imposed on them, implies that they get a guardian, most of the time an adult volunteer. They have to live in a protective environment and live according to the rules of institution thattakes care of them.

For many of them, having left behind a rather autonomous way of living in the past months before arriving in Belgium, though sometimes in very dangerous and abusive situations, it's a significant change to be put in a position that seems almost childish to them.

This contribution will address issues the presenter has encountered as a child and adoelscent psychiatrist, working with a service linked to a the biggest welfare orgaisation in Flanders (Belgium), while taking care of mental health problems these nonaccompanied minors present with.

Abstract Body

The number of UMY in Spain is increasing, since the early 1990s, mostly coming from the Maghreb, although the number of those coming from different sub-Saharan African countries has gradually increased. Most of them leave their countries fleeing poverty, violence, and in search of better opportunities. They may be influenced by traumatic experiences and social stressors that can lead to emotional distress and mental health problems. They have particular needs and characteristics, so the local Child Protection Systems need to adapt their procedures to facilitate the youngsters’ social Integration and psychosocial development.

This presentation will describe an ongoing project being carried out in Catalonia, the main objective is to guarantee the right to mental health of UMY in the Protection System through culturally competent biopsychosocial care, and to effectively coordinate care between the public mental health network and the Child Protection System. Finally, through training and the acquisition of competencies, the aim is to avoid burnout in professionals who care for these youths on the front line. The approach is consistent with the cultural consultation models developed in Montreal and London with the goal of providing structural support for localized and culturally competent responses.

This project, to be developed over two years, has four main subprojects:

1. On-line training for professionals in "Cultural competence in mental health and psychosocial intervention".

2. Training of “peer” UMY as “Community Mental Health Agents”.

3. Creation and implementation of multidisciplinary groups of psychosocial intervention.

4. Culturally competent psychiatric and psychological assessment.

Abstract Body

Uaccompanied migrant youth represent an at-risk population given the complexity of negotiating adolescence in a new culture, isolated from family and friends, without a secure base and subject to discrimination. In addition, many unaccompanied migrant youth have been subject to considerable trauma prior to, during, and post migration. In Spain, as in many countries, the residential, care, and mental health services are not adapted to the specific and complex needs of this population, and to that end complex not only are the youth not well served but providers are increasingly frustrated.

The figure of the community health agent has been widely recognized as one that can function as an effective bridge between systems/institutions and marginalized and vulnerable populations. In this presentation we will describe an ongoing project that trains unaccompanied migrant youth who show promise in their cultural adaptation in the areas of cultural competence, mental health care and substance abuse to function as community health agents (or peer counselors) consistent with models of cultural consultation.