Where I live … is a student home . Most students come from Upper Austria … We have a common kitchen , a large kitchen . We meet there , and for example we talk , we cook , sometimes all together … It is a very nice place and the people are very nice … And there is an opportunity to speak and learn German ; [ since ] I live in Austria , this is certainly good for me … I live with a lot of Austrians and we talk … I can learn something from them , you see . For example Austrians laws , and the rights and obligations I have ... I can talk to my friends [ in the student home ]. They are really happy to explain things to me . And they say , you can ask us any time if you have a question , and if we know , then we will help you . They ' re really nice and I ' m happy that I can ask them questions , it ' s really good .
Fawad , 18-year-old-boy from Afghanistan asylum is funded and sometimes directly provided by youth welfare services . In some areas , however , children remain in the same facilities even after being granted refugee status .
Following increased numbers of unaccompanied children arriving in the country , local families have expressed willingness to take them in , so some local governments have intensified their efforts in this area .
Other challenges in providing care for unaccompanied and separated children in Austria include difficulties in implementing durable solutions , insufficient guardianship provisions , family reunification restrictions and limited support in transitioning to adulthood . 4
THE PRACTICE
As part of its semi-independent living programme for children without parental care , SOS Children ’ s Village Salzburg implements a living arrangement for children between the ages of 16 and 18 with refugee status which enables children to receive support while living in student residence facilities . The living arrangement is designed to guide children on their path to independent adulthood in a natural group environment , among their Austrian and international peers , where they are not automatically identified as refugees but are perceived as students , just like anybody else at the student facility . Depending on education needs , the support provided can be extended up to the age of 21 . Child refugees are referred by child and youth services .
At the moment the project works with two young people sharing a room at a Salzburg student residence facility operated by the Austrian non-profit organisation ÖJAB . The young people live independently and receive 10 hours of individualised support per week by a team of youth care professionals . They are also supported by the staff of the student facility . Rather than focusing on the small challenges of day-to-day life , the social pedagogical services by SOS Children ’ s Village Salzburg youth care workers are focused on helping the young people achieve development goals such as the following :
• Recognise their individual strengths and weaknesses
• Develop their attitudes and skills
4 _ Saskia Heilemann , “ The Accommodation and Care System for Unaccompanied Minors in Austria ”, Social Work and Society International Online Journal ( 2017 ) http :// www . socwork . net / sws / article / view / 494 / 998 .
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