APPROPRIATE CARE FOR UNACCOMPANIED MINORS IN

SERBIA

Example of good practice Center UM Niš

Sofia, October 14th -15th 2015.

BASIC DATA

• Center for Foreign Unaccompanied Minors is founded 2011. as an independent part of Social Care Institution - Center for Youngsters in Risk in Nis

Building of Center for UM Nis

Function of Center for unaccompanied foreign minors

• Accommodation of children and youth both sexes between 10 and 18 years of age.

• Choosing temporary legal guardian• Taking care of their physical and mental health• Connecting with family• Providing asylum – on demand

Accommodation implies

• Appropriate space according to standards for children an youth which are stipulated by State

• Appropriate nutrition according to age and religious beliefs

• Hygiene• Providing clothes and shoes• Providing necessary medical help

Center UM Nis, accommodation

Function of temporary guardianship implies

• Selection of professional – expert who will take care about young person and represent it in significant issues

• Registration of UM• Providing translator• Informing about rights

(access to information, protection from any kind of discrimination, providing medical care psychosocial support as well as legal help

• Providing adequate documents• Connecting with important persons

Access to the information and meeting developmental needs

Care about physical and mental health implies

• Controlling health status during accommodation

• Leading to hospital if necessary• Providing medications• Providing disability supplies if necessary• Counseling • Psychosocial support through different

activities workshops, or individual support• Quality structure of time…

Healt issue is important!

Connecting with family implies

• Cooperation with Centers for asylum, Red Cross, and Commissariat for refugees in order to locate other family members

• Many NGO’s, such as “PRAXIS”, Red Cross, “Group 484”, “Center for Asylum Seekers Help”, UNICEF etc

Again Together

Providing asylum implies

• Conversation with minor related to his/her possible intention to seek for asylum

• Providing legal help• Providing necessary documents

CERTIFICATE

about intention to seek asylum• After that follows accommodation in

Asylum Center

Time of retention (being) UM in Serbia

• Until year 2014 – from 2 to 4 weeks• Since 2014 – from 3 to 5 days• Procedures were speed up and

governmental system is reacting faster• UM are quickly connecting with families

who already are somewhere in Serbia or in Western Europe

• TRIP TOWARDS FAMILY CONTINUES

From Diary of one UM

• Serbia does not hate migrants• Noone uses force against us• When we celebrate RAMADAN we are allowed to eat at

night• They are paying taxi drivers to take us to our parents• They do not divide family members• They understand our situation• They have good procedures for migrants...

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!

Goran Stamenković,

Manager of Center for UM NIŠ

Sofia, October 14th -15th 2015