The Child Protection Unit has been operating since October 2017 with the aim of protecting and supporting unaccompanied minors and their rights. Since April 2021, it has been operating within the framework of the National Emergency Response Mechanism for unaccompanied minors in precarious living conditions, which falls under the General Secretariat for Vulnerable Citizens and Institutional Protection. It co-ordinates the program with Arsis, IOM and METAdrasi, under the coordination of the National Mechanism.

The program is composed of social workers, social scientists, psychologists, guides and cultural mediators and is divided into two main pillars:

1. Information Office:

• Consists of caseworkers.
• It operates Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 18:00.
• Unaccompanied children served by the Info Desk team are either referrals directly from the National Mechanism, or spontaneous arrivals at our office, or unaccompanied children identified by the streetwork team. Social workers and psychologists identify and assess the needs of each child, aiming for their best interests. The aim of the program is to protect and directly support unaccompanied children who either live in precarious conditions or are completely homeless, through their immediate accommodation in accommodation structures. Within the framework of the Information Desk, streetwork is carried out in many areas of Athens with the participation of the Mobile Unit team and interpreters, with the aim of identifying unaccompanied children who need support and do not have access to Services.

2. Mobile Unit:

• The Mobile Unit operates Monday to Friday from 10.00 a.m. until 18.00 pm within Attica.
• The Mobile Unit, consisting of social workers, social scientists, psychologists, and drivers, receives orders from the National Emergency Response Mechanism to transport unaccompanied children living in precarious living conditions or in a state of complete homelessness, to Reception Structures. In extremely vulnerable cases, the Mobile Units themselves proceed to identify and assess on-site the needs and best interests of children living in precarious living conditions or in a state of complete homelessness.

The program provides interpretation in Arabic.

Helplines

Arabic: +30 694 634 3357
Arabic: +30 694 482 7816
Arabic: +30 694 482 7861

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