Accompanied Children & Families in Reception Centres in Belgium

This policy statement of Fedasil and the reception partners is based on the International Convention on the Rights of the Child and builds on other leading international texts on children's rights. The document is informed by the AMIF study 'Strengthening opportunities for children in reception centres.'

The policy brief must be seen as a guide for everyone who is part of the reception network: from policymakers and support services to counsellors, educators and reception staff, as well as the families themselves. This document is intended to provide a framework, both for policy in the reception network and for procedures within the reception structures and for the day-to-day practices and actions of reception staff and families. It is about a shared responsibility, to which everyone can contribute based on their roles, possibilities and responsibilities in order to strengthen the opportunities of (accompanied) children, youngsters and families in reception centres.

The brief starts from a broad view of families and recognises a wide range of family types: in addition to couples with or without children (minors and/or adults), it can also include single parents, extended family relationships, sibling relationships or transnational families.

It is written for accompanied children and families in collective reception centres. The foundations and standards also apply by extension to Unaccompanied Minors and to families in individual reception structures.