Unaccompanied children


An unaccompanied child is a third-country national or a stateless person under the age of 18, who entered the territory of the Republic of Croatia unaccompanied by an adult responsible for such child, in accordance with the law or custom, as well as a child that became unaccompanied after he/she entered the Republic of Croatia.

Legal representative of unaccompanied child (special guardian)

What:

A social welfare centre competent for the area where the unaccompanied child is found appoints a special guardian, as a rule a professional from the social welfare centre or institution in which unaccompanied children are accommodated; such person represents the child in procedures and matters for which he/she is appointed.

WHEN: Immediately after finding an unaccompanied child in the territory of the Republic of Croatia, a police officer contacts a professional from a social welfare centre, who will appoint a special guardian to participate in the procedure of identifying the unaccompanied child and ensure emergency accommodation in crisis situations at the social services provider.

Where:

Social welfare centres: https://goo.gl/3mZ2aM

Accommodation of unaccompanied children

What:

Unaccompanied children are accommodated based on a decision of a social welfare centre into social welfare institutions for children, founded by the Republic of Croatia. The Foster Care Act prescribes the possibility of placing an unaccompanied child into a foster family.

USEFUL:

Protocol on the Treatment of Unaccompanied Children:

https://mdomsp.gov.hr/UserDocsImages/djeca%20i%20obitelj/Protokol%20o%20postupanju%20prema%20djeci%20bez%20pratnje.pdf

Information of the Law Clinic on unaccompanied children (in Croatian): https://goo.gl/1r3vAX

Unaccompanied children – foreign nationals in the Republic of Croatia (in Croatian): https://goo.gl/Pd1LXW

Information of the Ministry of Demographics, Family, Youth and Social Policy in regard to unaccompanied children: https://mdomsp.gov.hr/istaknute-teme/djeca-i-obitelj/djeca-bez-pratnje/

UNHCR flier: https://www.unhcr.org/hr/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2018/11/unhcr_djecabezpratnje_
hr_webpage.pdf

Where:

Social welfare centres: https://goo.gl/3mZ2aM