project also sought to develop methodologies for involving affected children and their
families in the casework and advocacy required to resolve their nationality problems. This
report describes the methodology, the profiles of children and families included in the
research, causes of their statelessness, outcomes sought and approaches taken with families
to resolving their nationality problems, as well as analysing some of the emerging trends from
the project.
2. Methodology & partner organisations
In July 2020, ENS published the findings of a literature review and mapping it commissioned
to understand what further research and advocacy was needed to inform and progress its
work with members across Europe to prevent and reduce statelessness among children in
migration.4 The review recommended:
“…participatory, action research that sets out to attempt to achieve tangible benefits for
children, and documents which strategies work, which do not, and why. Participatory
means working with refugee families to try to achieve these outcomes for their children,
while including them in reflection and analysis on what is working and what is not.”
Drawing on this review, ENS developed a research framework and guidance and put out a
call to its membership for organisations doing legal casework with refugee children and
young people affected by statelessness to apply to participate in action research activities to
document and learn from this work. Each applying organisation was asked to identify a group
of (four to five) refugee or migrant children or young people affected by (risk of) statelessness
with whom they were working and who (to the best of their knowledge) would like to
participate in the project. They were asked to commit to working with refugee
children/young people in a safe and participatory way to facilitate their input and
involvement (including through provision of interpreting and translation where needed, and
participating in safeguarding training); to be familiar with relevant law, policy, statistics, and
literature relating to the children/young people they were working with and possess the
relevant skills and capacities to undertake action research (legal/policy analysis, advocacy,
participatory engagement, etc.); to be able to demonstrate that there is a real possibility of
achieving – or contributing to - one or more of the tangible outcomes identified in the
research framework for the children or young people with whom they were working; and to
4
These can be read in detail in the mapping report:
https://www.statelessness.eu/updates/publications/literature-review-and-mapping-study-risks-statelessnessamong-children