What are the Blue Dots Hubs?
UNICEF is working with UNHCR, local authorities and partners to bring safety, stability and advice to families fleeing the war in Ukraine
- Available in:
- English
- русский
Like all children driven from their homes by war and conflict, Ukrainian children arriving in neighbouring countries are at significant risk of violence, sexual exploitation, and trafficking. They are in desperate need of safety, stability and child protection services, especially those who are unaccompanied or have been separated from their families.
The Blue Dots safe spaces, protection and support hubs, established jointly with UNHCR and partners, provide practical support and information to children and families in their onward journeys. Blue Dots also provide specialist support for those in need of protection, such as children traveling on their own, women with young children, persons with disabilities or survivors of sexual violence. Child-friendly spaces offer a welcoming space for kids to rest, play, and simply be a child at a time when their world has been turned upside down in fear and they are facing the trauma of leaving friends, family and all that is familiar to them.
At Blue Dots children traveling on their own can be reunited with their families, while parents can have access to group parenting activities and get immediate psychological support. There are also places to rest, safe spaces for breastfeeding, access to clean water, and Wi-Fi for refugees to keep in touch with family members and plan their journey forward.
Professional, trained social workers, psychologists, counsellors, and legal aid providers are on hand at Blue Dots to help identify urgent social service and protection needs for vulnerable refugees, including victims of gender-based violence and persons with disabilities.
The Blue Dots also provide reliable, updated and accurate information on how to access specific national protection services or how to reunite with family members. The information is shared through multiple channels and in different languages, in child-friendly formats, and in digital form.
Where are the Blue Dots set up?
Blue Dots are set up in locations where refugees arrive at border crossings and along anticipated routes of major refugee flows –often in conjunction with local municipalities in strategic urban areas or transport hubs (bus or train stations). They are also being embedded into refugee registration sites, reception facilities, or cash distribution points.
Together with national governments, UNICEF and UNHCR are continually assessing where best to set up additional Blue Dots, taking into account the movement and needs of the refugee population. The Blue Dots aim to be an extension of the government’s national protection system.
Find a Blue Dot
Minimum services offered at Blue Dots
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Identification and Referral of Children at Risk Provide in-depth child protection assessment to identify needs for a) immediate referral to statutory child protection structures/services (children at risk of separation, UASC) or b) on-site support/ assistance to those in need. Family reunification and ensuring children restore links with their family members will also be part of the support provided to unaccompanied and separated children. |
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Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Ensure children of all ages can have access to child-friendly spaces, allowing rest and play, separate spaces and specific interventions for adolescent girls and boys, as per respective IASC Guidelines and standards. Access to group activities for child well-being. Provide mothers with access to dedicated mother and baby/toddler spaces, for breastfeeding, baby care and hygiene, access to safe drinking water for formula and ORS, etc. |
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Legal Aid and Counselling Provided to children and families, as well as others with specific needs, on registration, documentation, birth registration, family reunification and other issues. |
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Information and Advice Desks Information on available services, asylum and family reunification procedures. When specific vulnerabilities or risks/concerns are detected, children and families are referred to the social worker of the Blue Dot for further assessment; to be complemented by ‘digital blue dots’ in online form to support information for persons on the move; Provision of Wi-Fi connectivity and charging stations, where possible. Information boards, screens for video screening, or even tablets. |
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Child- and Family-Friendly Spaces Ensure individuals, families or groups with mental health conditions or in distress have access to psychological first aid and focused support through trained mental health and psychosocial support workers; families and communities/groups can have access to inclusive activities that support recovery, resilience and psychological well-being of children, families and communities. |
At a minimum, each Blue Dot includes social workers, mental health workers, legal aid experts and interpreters, plus a mobile team that can be sent from the Blue Dot location to other locations where there are high numbers of refugees arriving or being registered.
