EUPROM - European Protection of Unaccompanied Minors

The recent increase in the number of migrants and refugees in several European Union Member States raises the issue of the reception of “unaccompanied minors” (UM). Their number has indeed seen a marked increase, in particular in France, Spain and Italy.

In the countries concerned, neither the reception systems for refugees nor the child protection systems have an effective reception mechanism that protects “unaccompanied minors”.

A number of Member States thereby come up against real institutional barriers in addressing the need for protection. The professionals in contact with unaccompanied minors report problems in their daily work, such as the lack of training to build and pool their skills and, especially, the absence of cooperation between the various actors.

To address the two issues of increasing the number of minors received and the need to improve the reception for refugees and national child protection systems, the European Protection of Unaccompanied Minors project has four objectives:

1. Compile a theoretical inventory of the specific situations of each Member State of the consortium in terms of care for unaccompanied minors and agree on a common framework for the project.  

2. Identify common difficulties and good practices and define ways of improving care for unaccompanied minors.

3. Train professionals dealing with unaccompanied minors in light of the theoretical and practical information gathered. 

4. Summarise all the aspects of the project in a European guide and distribute it.

Professionals dealing with unaccompanied minors will be able to use this guide to gain an understanding of how their European counterparts work. They will be able to learn from the practices highlighted, apply them at local level and thereby harmonise the assistance arrangements for unaccompanied minors.

At the beginning of the project, the members of the consortium prepared “country sheets” specifying the arrangements and difficulties encountered in terms of care for unaccompanied minors. A section of these sheets covers minors who are victims of human trafficking. 

By sharing these documents, the partners have been able to gain an initial cross-cutting vision of the situation of unaccompanied minors within the consortium. Discussions have been organised on the following issues:

• The assessment of age
• Medical care for unaccompanied minors (physical and mental health)
• Educational assistance for offenders in open correctional facilities
• Unaccompanied minors who are victims of human trafficking: focus on identification and protection.

At the same time, study visits have been organised in the member countries of the consortium to look further into the information from the country sheets and better identify the difficulties encountered, good practices and areas for improvement. 

Each Member State of the consortium has organised training activities for professionals dealing with unaccompanied minors.

The project ended with the publication of a European guide on care for unaccompanied minors, which summarises all the aspects of the project. It was presented during a closing conference organised in Paris on 15 May 2023.

June 2023 – Reception of unaccompanied minors: Harmonising EU practices

The recent increase in the number of migrants and refugees in several European Union Member States raises the issue of the reception of “unaccompanied minors” (UM).