Guardianship Systems for Unaccompanied Children in the European Union: Developments Since 2014

This report focuses on unaccompanied children from non-EU countries, independently of their status. This includes child victims of trafficking, children seeking asylum, and children with international protection status, as well as children who do not apply for asylum but who need protection. It covers several new areas in which there have been developments in the past few years, such as child participation, reporting obligations of guardians, and the role of guardians in age assessment procedures. The report covers the 27 Member States, North Macedonia and Serbia. It is based on desk research carried out by FRA’s research network, Franet. It covers the state of play and any developments since the last report in the following areas: ― main elements of guardianship systems ― appointment procedures ― knowledge and skills of guardians ― tasks of guardians (ensuring the well-being of the child; safeguarding the child’s best interests; and legal representation).