The NGO Capacity Building Initiative is part of RRF’s Outreach and Counselling work, which aims to support Member States (MS) in developing and operationalising return counselling mechanisms. Its objective is to support a wide range of stakeholders—including governmental authorities and civil society organisations—in further professionalising their return counselling systems. Although general resources for MS, such as the Frontex curriculum on return and reintegration counselling, are readily available, consultations with stakeholders revealed a need for more tailored training materials for diverse actors, including NGOs providing return and reintegration services.
Grounded in a rights-based and empowering approach, the manual builds on the training curriculum developed by ICMPD under the Capacity Development and Training for Return Counsellors (CADRE) project. Building on this foundation, the RRF is now updating and expanding ICMPD’s return counselling materials. The revised manual highlights the importance of close cooperation between state actors and NGOs, offering practical guidance and good practices to strengthen collaboration. It aims to support both parties in working respectfully and efficiently together, acknowledging their distinct roles while promoting a common understanding of safe, dignified return and sustainable reintegration.
The NGO Capacity Building manual was developed through a structured, collaborative process involving an advisory group of civil society organisations with extensive experience in migration, return counselling, and reintegration support. We extend our gratitude to the members of the Advisory Group, namely, Caritas International (Belgium), MICADO and Diakonie Augsburg (Germany), the Danish Refugee Council (Denmark), and Stockholms Stadsmission (Sweden), whose expert contributions were essential. Their participation in interviews, workshops, and review rounds ensured that the manual reflects practical realities and upholds a rights-based, human-centred approach to return counselling.
The development of the manual was completed. Using the manual as foundation, RRF offers specialised in-person training for representatives of European NGOs working on return and reintegration.