Our recently published brochure on “Ethics in Working with Transnational Families: Practical Guidelines for Social Protection Professionals” has been translated into 15 languages.
The brochure is currently available in English, Albanian, Bosnian, Croatian, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, Georgian, Italian, Macedonian, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Spanish and Turkish. Lithuanian and Slovak translation will be added by the end of September 2026. Bringing together these different language versions makes the resource more accessible to professionals, students and organisations across Europe and supports its use in a variety of educational and professional contexts.
English version
Description of the publication in English:
How can professionals support transnational families when family life, rights, care and social protection extend across borders? How can difficult decisions be approached in ways that respect human dignity, family relationships and the rights of everyone involved?
Working with transnational families often means dealing with situations that do not fit neatly within the boundaries of a single country or social protection system. Family members may live in different countries, caregiving responsibilities may be shared across borders, and access to rights and services may depend on legal frameworks and institutional arrangements that are not always aligned. These realities can create complex situations in which professionals need to balance different responsibilities, perspectives and, at times, competing needs. This brochure has been developed to support them in navigating such situations. It brings together ethical principles, human rights perspectives, social protection expertise and practical case examples to help professionals reflect on the challenges they encounter, consider the possible consequences of their decisions and find responses that are fair, sensitive and appropriate to the circumstances of each family. Throughout the publication, readers will find guiding questions, illustrative examples and practical suggestions for working with transnational families and navigating the complex family, social and institutional realities that arise when family life extends across borders.
The resource is intended for social protection and social welfare professionals, social workers, educators, researchers, students, policymakers and other practitioners who support transnational families. It can be used in everyday practice, professional training, as well as in teaching, research, discussion and reflection.
Colleagues and organisations are welcome to download the brochure, use it in their work and share it with others. It is freely available for educational, professional and non-commercial purposes. We hope it will help professionals better understand the realities of transnational family life and support them in responding to these realities with care, fairness and respect.
This brochure was developed within COST Action CA21143 TraFaDy through the collaborative work of Working Groups 3 and 5, with editorial coordination by Aneta Jovkovska, Jelena Predojević-Despić and Sabira Gadžo-Šašić.