Children’s Well-Being as the Cornerstone of a Child-Centred Asylum Policy: The (In)visibility of Underage Asylum-Seeker Needs in Poland

Abstract

The focus on children’s well-being is fundamental to any child-centred policy. Hence, migrating children’s interests are usually considered in a migrant context rather than in the best interests of the child, highlighting the challenges of implementing child-centred asylum policies in practice. Based on this observation, the paper focuses on the discrepancies between the legal provisions for the reception of minor asylum seekers in Poland and practice on the ground: how they serve the education opportunities for such children, as the only social area where the child-centred approach is detectable. The paper discusses the extent to which the legal provisions of the Polish migration law are suitable for adopting a child-centred approach in the asylum procedure to enable children to continue their education. It is further explored in connection to the Micreate fieldwork study with asylum-seeking children. The paper analyses specific institutions to assess their potential for implementing child-centred management in the reception and integration of asylum seekers and to highlight the obstacles in this direction. Finally, the paper formulates recommendations for necessary changes and shifts in practice to recognise the children-friendly practices in asylum procedures.