Working towards quality services for children on the move in South Africa
Technical briefs
Highlights
The EU Global Promotion of Best Practices for Children in Migration was a 30-month project (October 2020 – July 2023) implemented by UNHCR and UNICEF South Africa and the Department of Social Development, co-funded by the European Union, UNHCR and UNICEF.
The objective was to contribute to the effective protection of children on the move and the realisation of their rights through child protection systems that provide quality integrated services, alternative care and mental health and psychosocial support all with a gender sensitive lens. The project documented and shared lessons learnt and best practices towards the use of alternative care options to replace immigration detention.
The project covered four countries across two continents: El Salvador and Mexico in the Latin America and the Caribbean Region and South Africa and Zambia in the Eastern and Southern Africa Region. The programme supported children on the move, including migrant, internally displaced, returnee, asylum seeking, and refugee children as well as children who move voluntarily or involuntarily, within or between countries, with or without their parents or other primary caregivers.
These four technical briefs document and share lessons learnt and best practices related to processes, approaches, and methodologies adopted through the project experience in South Africa. The project was implemented with partners including: The Scalabrini Centre (Western Cape); Refugee Social Services (KwaZulu Natal); The Centre for Child Law (University of Pretoria); Future Families (Limpopo); The South African Human Rights Commission (national), Action for Conflict Transformation (Gauteng); Childline (national), and The Consortium of Refugees and Migrants in South Africa (national).
