• By enabling siblings to be placed/stay
together in line with the UN Guidelines
for the Alternative Care of Children when
children cannot stay with their parents or
primary caregivers, unless this is not in the
best interests of the child. Siblings should be
enabled to maintain contact with each other,
unless this is against their wishes or best
interests 2 .
2. PROVIDE QUALITY FAMILY AND COMMUNITY-BASED
CARE TO UNACCOMPANIED AND SEPARATED CHILDREN
European countries are failing to provide
appropriate reception and care to
unaccompanied children, with unaccompanied
children sometimes being accommodated in
large-scale reception centres or refugee camps,
which does not constitute adequate quality care,
hinders their cognitive and social development
and their integration in society.
When children are unaccompanied or
separated, States should provide a range
of alternative care arrangements that fulfil
children’s needs and best interests, such
as family and community-based solutions,
as outlined in the UN Guidelines for the
Alternative Care of Children.
How can this be achieved?
• By removing barriers to the provision
of family and community-based care to
unaccompanied and separated children.
These include discrimination based on the
origin of children, their legal residence status,
a lack of financial resources or professionals
prepared to deliver specialised alternative
care. For example, in Hungary, SOS Children’s
Villages has initiated a pilot project to recruit,
select, train and monitor certified foster
parents for unaccompanied and separated
children. Despite the exististance of national
legislation providing for foster care for
all children under 12 years of age to avoid
institutionalisation, in practice no foster care
places were available for unaccompanied
children.
• By tailoring support to every child,
reflecting the diversity of children’s
aspirations, needs, skills and strengths.
The case studies in this compendium
illustrate that the best results are achieved
when support is tailored to every individual
child and is based on participation during
planning and through continuous monitoring.
In order to promote children and young
people’s participation in decisions that affect
their lives, they should be encouraged to
see themselves as individuals with rights
and responsibilities, and procedures that
encourage and facilitate participation in
accordance with their age and maturity
should be put in place. In Greece, the EADAP
project “Our Lands and their Animals”,
preparing unaccompanied and separated
children for enrolment in school, was
2 _ SOS Children's Villages, Because We are Sisters and Brothers. Sibling Relations in Alternative Care (2012)
https://www.sos-childrensvillages.org/getmedia/dbf1ad1a-d04d-43ae-95d7-721abb6052bc/SiblingsBrochure-WEB-EN.pdf?ext=.pdf.
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