METAdrasi introduced the foster care programme for unaccompanied refugee children in Greece for the first time in 2015. The aim was to provide them with the opportunity to grow up in a protected family environment, capable of offering the security and the comprehensive support they need.
Since the Ministry of Social Cohesion and the Family assumed responsibility for the implementation of the foster care institution, METAdrasi, drawing on its valuable experience, plays a significant role in strengthening the institution, particularly in relation to unaccompanied refugee children, by providing information, guidance, and support to prospective foster parents, in partnership with of UNHCR.
The programme entails the long-term or short-term care of one or more children by a foster family, and is facilitated through the platform of the Ministry of Social Cohesion and the Family: www.anynet.gr.
The practice of fostering has been prevalent in many European Union countries for decades. It has been established that placing children in families is the optimal option for their best interests and psychosocial development. Foster parents may be couples or single individuals, with or without children, who meet the conditions stipulated by law.
