The Minister of Social Welfare, Equality, Youth, Children and Families of the Government of the Canary Islands, Candelaria Delgado, presented in Brussels a protocol with 18 measures to protect and care for migrant children during a meeting she held with the Director of Horizontal Affairs, Migration and Asylum in the Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs of the European Commission, Michael Shotter.
The Minister stated that a "common framework for care and protection of unaccompanied children that ensures their rights throughout the European territory" should be adopted and stressed the "need to create a European bank of host families" that "improves the integration of unaccompanied foreign minors and can leave the institutions."
The Minister contextualized the presentation of this draft of the Canarian protocol "within the framework of the implementation of the Immigration and Asylum Pact, a proposal of the European Commission for all countries and where each country will have to make its national implementation plan." "It has been very well received by the Director-General for Migration of the European Commission because the measures are in line with what they are addressing for the implementation of the pact and because they understand that the creation of a network of first reception resources must be stable and cover all the needs of boys and girls who arrive."
As detailed in the document presented as a basis for negotiating a common protocol, "political will is needed from governments of different tendencies to improve and establish new public policy tools in the care of minors."
The Minister held this meeting coinciding with her trip to Brussels to speak at the EU Council of Education, Youth, Culture and Sport as spokesperson for all the autonomous communities.
- The eighteen measures that the Canary Islands proposes to Europe are:
- Create a network of first reception resources in border areas
- The enabling of community and multi-year funding funds
- The declaration of social emergency in border territories
- Streamline the determination of majority or minority age as well as provide the necessary means to carry it out
- Attention to diversity
- Attention to mental health with a child-focused and culturally competent approach
- The creation of training itineraries for foreign boys and girls
- The creation of the host family bank
- Specialized training for detection and action in sexual violence
- Legal coverage for boys and girls
- The creation of care programs for former wards, a training plan for staff in the field of child care
- The return plan with guarantees
- A family reunification plan within the EU
- Official development assistance (oda) with a perspective on children and youth
- A comprehensive information system
- A plan against racism and xenophobia
- The creation of identification mechanisms
- Support for victims
