On the 30th of September 2019 a High Level Meeting took place in Athens, organized by NGO Praksis in the context of the G.A.IN. program “Guardianship Advanced Instruments for child protection in Europe” (REC 2014-2020) and in association with UNICEF, UNHCR, National Centre for Social Solidarity, NGO METAdrasi, and the Institute of Child Health. Representatives of the aforementioned organizations, professionals and experts in child protection, as well as representatives from the Child Ombudsman Office and Ministries participated in this constructive meeting.
The meeting’s main theme was the current situation of guardianship in Greece as well as concrete data on training courses and instruments for guardians and professionals working with unaccompanied and separated children. Discussion sessions were separated in three parts. During the first session, speakers presented the main activities and outputs of the G.A.IN. program, as well as the development of the institution of guardianship in Greece up to now– legal aspects, past practices, current situation and future challenges. The second session included presentations about specific manuals, toolkits, guidelines for guardians’ practice and training methodology, where the ASOP4G comprehensive toolkit and training for guardians was presented. In the last session, participants were divided in two working groups and invited to contribute with their remarks on particular aspects of guardianship as the means for children’s integration into the Greek society, here including mainland and islands. The discussion focused on legal, health, educational and accommodation issues faced by unaccompanied minors, and the prospect of cooperation among agencies and organizations for securing the well-being and the rights of children.
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