RES-PEER

Peer Work in Social Services

Learning Across Borders to Strengthen Support for Young People

How can lived experience strengthen social work and guardianship for unaccompanied children? This question is at the heart of the RES-PEER project,  focussing on the added value of peer work in social services. RES-PEER is a European Erasmus+ project coordinated by HETIS – Haute École du Travail et de l’Intervention Socialebased in Nice, France. The project brings together DUNE – Dépannage d’Urgence de Nuit et Échangesin Brussels, Belgium, Nidos in Utrecht, the Netherlands, and Fondation de Nice Patronage Saint-Pierre ACTES in Nice, France.

The project explores how peer workers — people with lived experience of exclusion, precariousness, migration or other forms of vulnerability — can be better recognised, trained and integrated within social work organisations. It focuses on strengthening their role, clarifying their professional framework and supporting the teams that work with them. Through comparative research, partner exchanges and study visits, professionals learn from each other’s approaches, challenges and successes.

Nidos contributes specific expertise in working with intercultural mediators (peer workers)  with a migration or refugee background in supporting unaccompanied children and young people through trust-building, cultural mediation and bridging communication between young people and professionals. By sharing experiences across borders, the project helps improve inclusive and empowering ways of working in social services.

Project activities

• Comparative analysis of peer work practices in France, Belgium and the Netherlands
• International study visits and exchanges between project partners
• Interviews and focus groups with peer workers and social work professionals
• Development of a European competence framework for peer workers
• Collection and sharing of good practices in experiential expertise and peer support
• Reflection on the professional role, training needs and positioning of peer workers within social work organisations
• Dissemination activities and knowledge-sharing at European level

Why this matters

International cooperation creates new perspectives and practical inspiration for professionals working with young people. The project strengthens connections between organisations and contributes to more inclusive, human-centred support systems across Europe.

Contact details

Marjolein Groen