At the latest meeting of the Coordination for Asylum, the study titled “Care Arrangements for Unaccompanied and Separated Children in Croatia”, prepared for UNHCR by Dr. Drago Župarić Iljić, was presented.

The aim of the study was to analyze the current system of providing protection and care for unaccompanied children in Croatia, by evaluating both institutional and deinstitutionalized solutions for initial reception and subsequent placement.

In essence, the recommendations put forward in this study pertain to legal, policy and operational measures aimed at:

  1. Strengthening the foster family system through trainings, supervision, support networks, enhanced provision of interpretation, and information campaigns (including good practices from elsewhere) to mobilise foster families and facilitate their hosting unaccompanied and separated children.
  2. Further developing community-based solutions within the national child protection system, such as supported independent group living arrangements, for older unaccompanied and separated children;
  3. Ending placement of unaccompanied and separated children in institutions that are inadequately equipped to meet their specific needs (i.e. institutions for children and youth with behavioural disorders and/or in contact with the law, as well as reception centres for adults). This may entail developing dedicated centre/s hosting unaccompanied and separated children as an emergency, temporary solution only, pending their placement in family or community-based options.
  4. Ongoing assessments of the best interests of the child during their placement – whether institutional or deinstitutionalized ones – and concerted efforts at family reunification.

The study is available in Croatian and English language.