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process. 73 Similar initiatives have been implemented in Bulgaria, where social
workers are involved and engaged in all stages related to working with
unaccompanied migrant children. 74
52. When migrant children are placed in the community, they can have better a ccess
to a wide range of support services provided by various actors, including civil society.
These services, if provided in a collaborative manner, in which multidisciplinary
professionals such as lawyers, social workers, medical and mental health person nel
work together, can offer holistic care that addresses the psychosocial, legal and
medical needs of migrant children. For instance, in the United States, Terra Firma, a
project of Catholic Charities, has been providing coordinated legal, medical and
counselling services to migrant children in New York City. Programmes provided by
the project include individual and group therapy to address the effects of violence, and
medical and legal services, along with psychosocial services and sports activities. 75
Supervised independent living and group homes
53. A number of countries provide supervised living arrangements or group homes
where an adolescent child or a group of migrant adolescents can live independently
and develop independent living skills, in line with their best interests. In Austria, when
asylum-seeking children over the age of 14 reach a certain level of independence and
maturity, they can move to a shared apartment. The adolescents are supervised by
dedicated care workers from local child protection authorities and are provided with
care and support services as well as opportunities for apprenticeships. 76 In Greece, a
supported semi-independent living programme provides supervised independent living
arrangements for unaccompanied asylum seekers aged 16 to 18. In addition to housing,
the programme links children with education, health, psychosocial development, legal
aid and interpretation. An interdisciplinary team that includes a social worker, a
psychologist and other specialists “offers psychosocial support with a view to the
teenagers’ gradual independence”. 77 And in Italy, accommodation is offered in
apartments throughout Milan, where continued protection is granted, together with a
gradual acquisition of autonomy and responsibility. 78
Alternative care and reception options for migrant families with children
Community-based living arrangements
54. Several countries have made significant progress in successfully implementing
community-based solutions for migrant families with children. For instance, in
Cyprus, families with an irregular migration status are permitted to reside in the
community subject to conditions that can include regular reporting requirements, the
surrender of travel documents and financial guarantees. 79 Similar initiatives have been
undertaken in Vienna, where a family accommodation facility is run by a
non-governmental organization in cooperation with the police. 80 This measure
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See Programme régional d’accueil et d’intégration des demandeurs d’asile (PRAIDA). Available
at www.ciussswestcentral.ca/programs-and-services/lifestyle-habits-and-prevention/asylumseekers-praida/im-an-asylum-seeker/.
Submission by the Government of Bulgaria.
Submission by the American Psychological Association.
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), “Options paper 1:
options for governments on reception and care arrangements for children and families”, 2019.
Submission by Human Rights Watch.
ISMU Foundation, At a Crossroads, Unaccompanied and Separated Children in Their Transition
to Adulthood in Italy (Rome, UNICEF, UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration
(IOM), 2019), pp. 65 and 66.
Submission by Cyprus.
Submission by the Permanent Mission of Austria to the United Nations.
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