New Polish law on providing protection for refugees staying in the territory of Poland that came into force in November 2003 includes an innovative regulations on   procedure of admitting a refugee status to unaccompanied minors. The act obliges the state authority among others to:

• creating a special “friendly” conditions of minors    interviewing 
• guarantying the presence of psychologist during a minors interview
• preparing by psychologist an opinion about the interviewed    minor’s psycho-health condition

According to a new law the interview should be conducted    by the officer of Office for Repatriation and Aliens in the presence of guardian, legal representative, psychologist and person that may be appointed by a child himself. The minor should be evaluated considering his age, level of maturity and intellectual development and possible limited knowledge about a situation in his origin country.

The minors interviewing are being arranged in the premises of Nobody's Children Foundation with the participation of the Foundation’s psychologists. Within the project   we also trained representatives of   the Office for Repatriation and Aliens and Border Guards  on the effective and non-traumatizing ways of child interviewing.

Poland has also joined Western European countries such as Sweden, UK and Austria    in developing a refugee adolescents program in one of the Warsaw   Children’s Home. The minors, so far placed in Refugee Center, are being currently put under the care of the Home where they receive professional  psychological and educational support. 

For more information please contact Agnieszka Morawska, Nobody’s Children Foundation, amorawska@fdn.pl