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5.4 Staff support

STANDARD 26: Provide support for staff working with unaccompanied children in the reception context.

Indicator 26.1: Different measures are available to help deal with difficult situations encountered during the reception work.

  •  Additional remarks: Staff support measures can take the form of intervision (exchange with peers), stress management, psychological support, crisis teams or external supervision.

 Good practice on staff support
 It is considered good practice to:

✓ provide for daily staff meetings for effective information transfer;
✓ arrange two or three staff development days for all staff members;
✓ organise defusing or de-briefings sessions, when necessary;
✓ promote peer-to-peer exchanges between child reception officers of different facilities.


STANDARD 27: Ensure management, supervision and accountability via regular – at least yearly – monitoring and adequate support to staff is taken into account.

Indicator 27.1: The reception facility has to provide for a regular monitoring mechanism of staff performance to ensure day-to-day care of unaccompanied children.

  • Additional remarks: To ensure the day-to-day care of unaccompanied children is carried out in an adequate way and special needs are addressed sufficiently staff performance is regularly monitored and adequate support is taken into account.

Good practice on monitoring
It is considered good practice to:

✓ provide for a periodic peer review on the implementation of the day-to-day care of unaccompanied children.