Child Protection Unit (CPU)

Child Protection Unit has been operating since October 2017 with the aim of protecting and supporting unaccompanied minors and their rights. Since April 2021, it has been operating within the framework of the National Emergency Response Mechanism for unaccompanied minors in precarious living conditions under the General Secretariat of Vulnerable Citizens and Institutional Protection, Ministry of Migration and Asylum. It implements the program with Arsis, IOM and METAdrasis, under the coordination of the National Mechanism.

The program is staffed by social workers, social scientists, lawyers, psychologists, drivers and cultural mediators and is divided into two main pillars:

1. Info Desk

• Is staffed by caseworkers and lawyers.
• Operates Monday to Friday from 10.00 to 20.00.
• The unaccompanied children served by the Info Desk team are either referrals directly from the National Emergency Response Mechanism, spontaneous arrivals at our office, or unaccompanied children identified by the streetwork team. Social workers, psychologists and lawyers recognize and assess the needs of each child, with their best interests in mind. The aim of the program is the protection and immediate support of unaccompanied children who either live in precarious conditions or are completely homeless, through their immediate housing in emergency accommodation structures. As part of the Info desk, street work is carried out in many areas of Athens with the participation of the Mobile Unit team along with cultural mediators, with the aim of identifying unaccompanied children who need support and do not have access to Services.
• As part of the cooperation of the program with the Asylum Service, the caseworkers of the Info Desk are present at the Regional Asylum Offices of Attica, on the days when asylum registrations of unaccompanied children living in precarious conditions are carried out in order to inform them in time about their rights in Greece, the National Emergency Response Mechanism for unaccompanied minors in precarious living conditions and the program’s services.

2. Mobile Units

• The two (2) Mobile Units of the Child Protection Unit operate Monday to Friday from 08.00 am until 23.00 pm and on Saturday from 11.00 am until 19.00 pm within Attica. Furthermore, the Mobile Units accompany the unaccompanied children, who are located, to the relevant police stations for identification, for medical examinations when deemed necessary, and then to Accommodation Structures.
• Unaccompanied children are identified either by the Info Desk Team, or by police authorities, by other organizations, or by citizens who call the National Emergency Response Mechanism themselves. However, in extremely vulnerable cases the Mobile Units themselves carry out the identification and on-site assessment of the needs and best interests of children living in precarious conditions or complete homelessness.

Languages spoken: Greek, English, Farsi/Dari, Urdu, Arabic, French, Kurmanji, Sorani, Bandini

HELPLINES

Arabic: 0030-6946343357 and 0030-6944827816

Urdu: 0030-6944827861 and 0030-6986088296

Farsi: 0030-6944827822 and 0030-6944827862

For previous CPU actions see here.