The CADRE project, implemented by ICMPD within the framework of the ERRIN programme, entered the autumn season hosting two “Train-the-Trainers” sessions for return counsellors in Berlin. The face-to-face training took place on 6-10 September and 27 September-1 October 2021.
The EU Return Directive 2008/115/EC encourages Member States to enhance the counselling activities and boost the quality of pre-departure assistance to promote the process of voluntary return, as the option preferred over forced return. Proper training is one of the key elements to prepare return counsellors for their job and enable them to assist people on the move in the best way possible.
With this in mind, the CADRE “Train-the-Trainers” sessions aimed at equipping return counsellors with effective training skills, so that they can multiply the counselling knowledge and build capacities at their national level, passing on the knowledge to their colleagues.
The sessions brought together return counsellors from different ERRIN Member States – Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Malta, The Netherlands and Sweden, with Frontex participating as an observer.
The participants got acquainted with the main training methods and tools, and learnt about facing the challenges in training. The groups also had a chance to conduct mock return counselling training sessions and exchange immediate peer feedback. The sessions also provided a forum to test the two different manuals for return counsellors developed within CADRE, which will be handed over to the Member States in the following months. The activities implemented in autumn feed into a broader objective of the project, which strives to improve the quality of return counselling in Europe.