Skåne: Looking back at the Testbed – Reflections by Ziad Jomaa

«Now that the Testbed operations have finished and final evaluation is being prepared, it is a good moment to reflect a little bit on the kind of challenges we encountered, how we dealt with them, and also the great opportunities we see in the work.

Creating comprehensive supportive environments involves a different kind of operators. In our case, for example, public entities were involved, such as the Employment Service and regional administration, different departments of local municipalities and several NGOs. The process involved identifying  gaps in the communication lines, sometimes between different departments of the same organisation, sometimes between organisations. Multilevel, multisectoral collaboration is often challenging, and requires adjustments, effort and sometimes new thinking from all parties. However, it is also rewarding in so many ways. Now, looking back, all parties of the Testbed agree that it was worth the effort!  New networks were established, and old ones were deepened, alternative ways of identifying and solving challenges were identified. We all agree that  good work will continue.

Building supportive ecosystems around migrants touches an individual’s life from many sides. It is not always easy to coordinate between different duties and activities, and personal issues arising. Authorities and NGOs alike must have good communication and willingness to adjust programs and plans.

The key to solve many of the challenges encountered along the way turned out to be our weekly coordination meetings. During these meetings, all issues that had appeared during the week were discussed and handled. It could be about individual migrants who needed special kind of support, but it was also about contacting the right experts or NGOs, or adjusting schedules. All in all, good planning is crucial: identifying the key organisations, key units and key persons early in the process and involving them in the planning as soon as possible.»

• Ziad Jomaa, Chief of Unit, County Administrative Board of Skåne, Coordinator of REGIN Testbed operations

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