Just selected for funding by the European Commission! L.A.C.E
In 2024, more than 34,000 unaccompanied minors applied for asylum in Europe. For many of them, foster care offers a vital alternative to institutional reception—one that provides stability, meaningful relationships, and a sense of belonging. Yet both foster families and young newcomers face emotional, practical, and intercultural challenges that can lead to stress, isolation, or even placement breakdowns.
The LACE project – Learning & Communities for Empowering Foster Parents – aims to strengthen the resilience and enhance the well-being of both unaccompanied minors and foster parents. We do this by developing collaborative learning communities in which foster parents, care professionals, and (former) unaccompanied minors learn together, share experiences, and co-create knowledge.
Over the course of two years, these learning communities will be established and facilitated together with our partner organisations in Italy, Spain, and Cyprus. Within these communities, participants will engage in a series of interactive learning sessions designed to build skills, share stories, and collectively strengthen resilience.
LACE is coordinated by Odisee University of Applied Sciences (Belgium) in partnership with:
The project is supported by the ENSA, European Network of Social Authorities, the ELISAN European, Local Inclusion and Social Action Network, the Council of Europe, Conference of INGO’s: Committee on Inclusive Territories, Environment and Heath, Pleegzorg Vlaanderen and Vlaams Agentschap Opgroeien.
Project duration: December 2025 – November 2027
Funding: Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union through EPOS vzw (Belgium)
Key Action number: KA220 ADU