Psychosocial and Legal Support (CPU) in the previous years!
Since 2016 and in collaboration with international organizations, the first “Child Protection Units” were created in Open Accommodation Structures (Schisto and Elliniko) and in June 2017,nit started in the urban setting of Athens where it is implemented until today.
The identification of children and the provision of services is done after the referral of other national and international organizations, from UNHCR and from Mobile Library Team (outreach work) and mainly through our service “Info Desk”.
Professionals come in daily contact with homeless unaccompanied minors who need immediate psychosocial and legal support. These are children who are particularly vulnerable and it is necessary to be supported based on a holistic approach.
Social workers and psychologists provide psychosocial support to unaccompanied minors and families by providing individual and group sessions. Social workers are responsible to contact an individual action plan for each child that they follow together with psychologists and lawyers, which is updated every two weeks or more frequently according to the needs. Each child is unique and has an individual case file.
Psychologists provide individualized sessions based on the individual action plan, which is contacted after assessing the individual needs of each child and / or family. They also implement workshops with teenagers, while, at the same time, they are responsible for the daily and stable implementation of our “Info Desk” service.
Lawyers are providing legal information, counselling and support for the whole procedure of international protection and family reunification. On that frame, they organize private and group sessions for the information of the beneficiaries in the below topics:
- The individual and social rights of children based on the European and Greek law and to the International Conventions,
- The protection procedures of the international protection applicants, of the recognized refugees and of the beneficiaries of subsidiary protection (e.g. asylum procedure, and other activities of protection and aid),
- The family reunification procedures with a member of their families and relocation schemes.
Especially, it is provided:
- Legal support, representation and aid in the procedure of full registration of the international protection application, examination of the international protection claim before the Asylum Service and the Appeal’s Committee, procedures of family reunification and relocation.
Legal representation before the Court is not provided.
Also, in other legal actions which may be required for the protection and access, particularly of the unaccompanied minors to their individual and social rights, with a significant provision for minors below 15 years old.
