The Child Protection Unit has been operating since October 2017 with the aim of protecting and supporting unaccompanied minors and safeguarding their rights. Since April 2021, it has been operating within the framework of the National Emergency Response Mechanism for Unaccompanied Minors Living in Insecure Conditions, which falls under the General Secretariat for Vulnerable Persons and Institutional Protection.

The programme is jointly implemented with ARSIS, IOM and METAdrasi, under the coordination of the National Emergency Response Mechanism.

The programme is staffed by social workers, social scientists, lawyers, psychologists, drivers and cultural mediators and is structured around two main pillars:

Info Desk

The Info Desk is staffed by caseworkers and lawyers and operates Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 20:00.

Unaccompanied children supported by the Info Desk team are referred either directly by the National Mechanism, through spontaneous walk-ins to our office, or are identified by the streetwork team. Social workers, psychologists and lawyers identify and assess each child’s needs, always prioritising their best interests.

The main objective of the programme is the protection and immediate support of unaccompanied children who are living in insecure conditions or are completely homeless, through their prompt placement in emergency accommodation facilities.

Within the framework of the Info Desk, streetwork activities are carried out in many areas of Athens, with the participation of the Mobile Unit team and interpreters, aiming to identify unaccompanied children who need support and lack access to services.

As part of the programme’s cooperation with the Asylum Service, Info Desk caseworkers are present at the Regional Asylum Offices of Attica on the days when asylum registrations of unaccompanied children living in insecure conditions take place. The aim is to provide timely information on their rights in Greece, the National Emergency Response Mechanism for Unaccompanied Minors Living in precarious Conditions, and the services offered by the programme.

Mobile Units

The two (2) Mobile Units of the Child Protection Unit operate within the Attica region from Monday to Friday, 08:00–23:00, and on Saturdays from 11:00–19:00.

Staffed by social workers, social scientists, psychologists and drivers, the Mobile Units receive transportation requests from the National Emergency Response Mechanism for unaccompanied children living in insecure conditions or experiencing complete homelessness, transferring them to Emergency or Long-Term Accommodation Facilities.

In addition, the Mobile Units accompany identified unaccompanied children to the competent police departments for identification, to medical examinations when deemed necessary, and subsequently to accommodation facilities.

Unaccompanied children are identified either by the Info Desk of the Child Protection Unit, by police authorities, other organisations, or by citizens who contact the National Emergency Response Mechanism hotline. However, in cases of extreme vulnerability, the Mobile Units themselves proceed with the identification and on-site assessment of the children’s needs and best interests when they are living in insecure conditions or experiencing complete homelessness.

The programme provides interpretation services in Arabic, Farsi, Dari, Kurmanji, Sorani, Badini and Urdu.

Helplines

Arabic: +30 694 634 3357
Arabic: +30 694 482 7816
Urdu: +30 694 482 7861
Urdu: +30 698 608 8296
Farsi: +30 694 482 7822
Farsi: +30 694 482 7862

National Emergency Response Mechanism Hotline:
+30 213 212 8888
+30 694 277 3030 (via WhatsApp / Viber)