The Director of Social Work and Adaptation represented the State Agency for Refugees under the Council of Ministers in a working held in Rome on aspects related to unaccompanied refugee children and the exchange of good practices for their protection. The workshop was organised by UNICEF and the Italian government within the framework of preparation for implementation of the Pact on Migration and Asylum in 2026.
The discussions centered around the experiences of children who migrated to Europe alone, without a legal guardian and participants learned about a safe welcome to these children, mental health support and ways to increase the effectiveness of protection systems.
Milena Madjirska, the SAR's representative, shared in her intervention information about quality standards or assessment tools which have proven effective in improving reception conditions and ensuring consistent care across all accommodation structures and forms. She also referred to coordination mechanisms which best support cooperation between migration officers, child protection authorities and service providers in managing cases of unaccompanied children. She also emphasis that the engagement of unaccompanied minors can have a meaningful impact on decisions and integration into reception, including through feedback mechanisms.