Creating a Better Future for Children and Young People in Vulnerable Positions Through Supportive Relationships

More than 50,000 children and young people in Denmark live in vulnerable circumstances. Many of them have a very fragile network — or no network at all.

Mentorbarn is a Danish civil society organization that, since 2015, has worked to ensure that all children and young people have access to stable and secure relationships. We build supportive and developmental relationships by offering children and young people a volunteer friendship family who opens their home a couple of times a month and invites the child or young person into an ordinary everyday life.

Through these relationships, children and young people can experience being chosen, gain a sense of belonging, and access new opportunities in life. The relationships can leave lasting impressions, and the ambition is for them to become a meaningful part of each other’s lives.

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Insisting That All Children and Young People Have the Right to Caring and Strong Relationships

Through Mentorbarn’s work, children and young people in vulnerable positions gain important experiences of being part of a caring and committed community. We create the framework for them to grow and receive the support they need throughout childhood, adolescence, and into adulthood.

“We want to create a better future for the thousands of children and young people in Denmark who, throughout their upbringing, lack close and strong relationships with significant adults. Whether they are placed outside the home, at risk of being placed outside the home, experiencing problems at home, or living with fragile relationships for other reasons.”

— Ditte Reedtz, Founder of Mentorbarn

Close Collaboration with Municipalities

In just a few years, the organization expanded from collaborating with a handful of municipalities to now working with 35 municipalities across the country. The ambition is to expand the initiative to all municipalities in Denmark.

On January 1, 2024, the Children's Act (Barnets Lov) entered into force. Among other changes, it became possible for children and young people placed in residential care to be assigned a support person or friendship family — a development that supports Mentorbarn’s work and highlights the importance of stable and close relationships.