The Support to Frontline Workers (SFW) project, under the Return and Reintegration Facility (RRF), strengthens the capacity of those working directly with irregular migrants in precarious situations.
Building on the success of the Reaching Undocumented Migrants (RUM) project, SFW responds to the partners’ call for practical, peer-to-peer exchange among frontline workers, including both civil society organisations (CSOs) and governmental counsellors. Through peer learning exchange visits, frontline actors gain insights into best practices, with lessons learned then transformed into practical tools and resources and making it accessible to partners across Europe in the repository. The Forum amplifies these efforts by sharing the field insights in roundtable conversations held with our network of practitioners and ensuring that local innovations inform broader EU discussions on outreach, counselling, return, and multi-level collaboration.
SFW contributes to the implementation of a coherent, humane, and sustainable approach to return and reintegration – which requires multi-level collaboration. As Member States implement the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, the role of local authorities and frontline workers is critical in reaching undocumented migrants, improving their access to services, identifying sustainable case outcomes, and supporting voluntary return. Exchange visits provide a space to connect local strategies with national and EU frameworks, and to reflect on the conditions that enable effective, rights-based counselling.