Implemented by Save the Children
2023 – 2025
Many of the children and adolescents seeking refuge have endured harrowing experiences in their home countries or during their journey, often becoming victims of violence, abuse, and neglect. A recent study by Save the Children International, which surveyed young people on the Balkan route, underscores these challenges. To help them cope and recover, refugee children and adolescents urgently require child-friendly care and support services.
In 2023 alone, over 3,200 unaccompanied minors applied for asylum in Switzerland, a fivefold increase since 2020. This dramatic rise highlights the growing urgency to provide tailored, trauma-informed care. Despite these needs, the Swiss asylum system struggles with limited resources to ensure adequate child-friendly conditions and psychosocial support. Many young refugees lack access to vital services that help manage stress, build resilience, and support integration.
Save the Children has been working to improve the conditions of refugee children and adolescents in Swiss asylum shelters since 2015, advocating for their rights and well-being. In response to the increasing psychosocial stress faced by unaccompanied minors, the pilot project Space–Skills–Sports (2023–2025) was implemented in collaboration with partners, including the Peace of Mind Foundation, to strengthen psychosocial support and address their specific needs.
A central component of the project was strengthening the capacities of professionals working in asylum centres. A total of 192 staff members were trained in trauma-sensitive care, stress management, relationship-building, and conflict resolution, equipping them with practical tools to better support adolescents in their daily work .
This capacity-building approach contributed to concrete changes in practice. Staff reported a stronger understanding of adolescents’ experiences and applied new approaches in their daily work, including more transparent communication, improved handling of stressful situations, and greater attention to supportive environments. The project also contributed to increased awareness among professionals and decision-makers of the importance of psychosocial support and participatory approaches, leading to adjustments in structures and processes within the centres .
Overall, the project’s most lasting impact lies in strengthening the capacity of staff and institutions to provide consistent, trauma-informed, and youth-centred support, ensuring continued benefits beyond the project’s completion.