Reference Document on Unaccompanied Children

This EU Reference Document originates in the CONNECT Project, funded by the EU under a call for proposals for pilot projects on unaccompanied minors (2012), the funds for which had been allocated by the European Parliament. The Project focused on the wide range of actors involved in responding to the situation of unaccompanied children arriving in Europe and the issues with which they are engaged. The essential goal of the CONNECT Project was to examine the roles, responsibilities and resources of actors responding to the situation of these children and how they work together, by mapping the situation in four countries (the Netherlands, Italy, Sweden and the United Kingdom). The CONNECT Project also aimed at the development of several practical tools to support actors in working together to fulfil their EU obligations, in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The results of the mapping and the development of the tools contributed to recommendations concerning how to ensure effective implementation and application of new EU obligations.

This EU Reference Document was developed to provide a common and complete understanding of the scope of these obligations and supporting policy measures.

Link back to the main CONNECT page.