The General Secretariat for Vulnerable Persons and Institutional Protection of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum launched on 2 August 2023 the pilot implementation of a new Toolkit, in the framework of the project "Harmonization, Establishment and Certification of Best Interests Procedures", with a view to establish standardized tools and harmonize the best interests assessment procedure of the child.
This ground-breaking and child-centered project aims to ensure consistent provision of high-quality and specialized services by child protection professionals to all children, third country nationals or stateless, who are unaccompanied, separated or temporarily removed from their families and reside in Greece.
The new Best Interests Procedures Toolkit has been distributed to 21 partner child protection actors providing services for the identification and direct support of unaccompanied children, as well as accommodation and care services throughout Greece.
The Best Interests Procedures Toolkit consists of 1) the Theoretical and Legal Framework for the Best Interests of the Child, 2) the Guidelines and Methodology for the Best Interests Assessment Procedure, 3) the Short Best Interests Assessment Form and Guide and 4) the Comprehensive Best Interests Assessment Form and Guide.
During the pilot phase of the project, which will last six months (August 2023 - January 2024), the General Secretariat will roll out training sessions for professionals on how to conduct the child’s best interests assessment.
The aim of the program, in line with the National Strategy for the Protection of Unaccompanied Minors, is to harmonize the best interests procedures
in Greece, by using standardized best interests assessment forms and by having the assessment process carried out by experienced and trained professionals.
The project "Harmonization, Establishment and Certification of Best Interests Procedures" has been implemented since November 2022, in cooperation with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the European Union Agency for Asylum.
