At the “Connect to Protect” international conference in Athens, Lavrenia Dudumi presented the experience of the GUIDE project, focusing on guardianship systems for unaccompanied children and on support for the professionals who work with them.

The speaker stressed that the effectiveness of a child protection system depends not only on legislation, the structure of services or professionals’ knowledge, but also on their working conditions, mental well-being and ongoing professional support.

The challenges faced by child protection professionals

Guardians, social workers, psychologists and other professionals working with children often deal with complex and emotionally demanding cases.

In work with unaccompanied children, these challenges can be even greater because of the children’s experiences of violence, displacement, separation from family and uncertainty.

In their daily work, professionals may face high caseloads, lack of time, difficult decisions and the fear of making mistakes.

Under such conditions, burnout, secondary traumatic stress and emotional exhaustion can develop.

Why training alone is not enough

Lavrenia Dudumi stressed that building professionals’ capacity should not be limited to training courses.

A professional may have the necessary knowledge, yet find it hard to apply when facing a difficult case, organisational constraints or intense emotional pressure.

Ongoing professional support is therefore essential.

It can include case discussions, professional consultation, peer support within teams and supervision.

The GUIDE project experience

The GUIDE project presented the “Listening Circles” approach — groups for listening and mutual support.

These groups give professionals a safe space to discuss work challenges, share professional experience and explore together how to resolve difficult situations.

This work not only reduces professional isolation, but also supports more consistent and coordinated professional decision-making.

Professional support as a condition for service quality

When professionals have the opportunity to discuss their work and receive the support they need, they can assess a child’s situation more effectively, recognise the limits of their own expertise and seek help from other professionals in time.

This approach also strengthens teamwork and professional trust.

Child protection systems need an organisational culture in which speaking up about difficulties is not seen as a professional weakness.

On the contrary, it can become an opportunity to improve the quality of services.