Author
According to the LITP, “unaccompanied child” means a third-country national or a stateless person younger than eighteen years of age who entered the Republic of Croatia unaccompanied by an adult person responsible for them in the sense of parental care, pursuant to the law of the Republic of Croatia, until placed under the care of such a person, and includes all children who are left unaccompanied after they entered the Republic of Croatia.[1]
In 2025, 1,229 unaccompanied children expressed their intention to apply for international protection (i.e., made application).[2] No information is available on how many on them finally lodged the application for international protection, however the number was probably very low due to rapid high onwards movement.
A special guardian should be appointed for each unaccompanied child, with the exception of married unaccompanied children over the age of 16.[3]
A child who has reached the age of fourteen may lodge an appeal against the decision of the Croatian Institute for Social Welfare regarding the appointment of a special guardian. The appeal is decided by the ministry responsible for social welfare.[4]
It is also possible to submit a complaint about the guardian’s conduct to the Croatian Institute for Social Welfare.[5]
Complaints regarding violations of children’s rights can also be submitted to the Ombudswoman for Children verbally, by phone or in person, as well as in written form.[6]
Time of appointment
According to the LITP, the body responsible for social welfare shall immediately appoint a special guardian to an unaccompanied child who has expressed the intention to submit an application for international protection. The special guardian must be trained to work with children and should not have a conflict of interest with the child.[7]
According to the Protocol on Procedures for Unaccompanied and Separated Children, as soon as it is established that a child is unaccompanied or separated, the police officer must take actions to ensure the procedure of identification, which among others includes the obligation to invite a social worker from the competent regional office of Croatian Institute for Social work and an interpreter if the child does not understand Croatian, and to forward a letter to the competent regional office requesting a special guardian to be appointed.
The procedure of identification includes:
- Communication, introducing oneself and informing the child about the country of arrival, their guaranteed rights, the appointment of a special guardian, procedures that follow after the child’s identification;
- Collecting personal data and other information about the child;
- Conducting an initial assessment of the child’s needs by completing the form “Initial Assessment of Needs of Unaccompanied and Separated Children” in Annex 1 to the Protocol;
- Steps to be followed in the event of an expression of intention to submit an application for international protection during the identification procedure.
The procedure of identification is conducted by a police officer in the police administration or police station. An interpreter assigned by the Ministry of Interior, a social worker from the regional office of Croatian Institute for Social work and/or a special guardian also participate.
Where the procedure of identification is conducted outside the regular working hours of the competent regional office of Croatian Institute for Social work, the expert duty officer of the regional office takes part in the procedure. They must appoint a special guardian, in an oral ruling, to protect the wellbeing of the child and to ensure the implementation of further procedures. If it is found out that the child already has a guardian, the official from regional office or the police officer will call the appointed guardian to take part in further procedures with the unaccompanied or separated child.
The child must be informed immediately about the appointment of the guardian. The procedure for international protection must be conducted by the official from the Ministry of Interior trained to work with children. The guardian has to prepare, on time, the unaccompanied child for the interview and provide them with information on the significance and consequences of the interview in a language which it may justifiably be assumed that the child understands and in which they are able to communicate. The costs of interpretation shall be borne by the Ministry of Interior.[8]
However, to the Croatian Law Centre’s knowledge, this possibility was rarely used in practice in the past as guardians were not using this legal right. According to unofficial information, in recent years, due to their rapid departure from Croatia, unaccompanied children often do not lodge an application for international protection, as they voluntarily leave Croatia of their own accord to reach their intended destinations
According to the 2025 Annual Report of the Ombudsperson for Children, 1,248 decisions were issued to appoint special guardians as legal representatives for unaccompanied children,[9] marking a decrease compared to 2024. Of this total, professional staff from the competent local branches of the Croatian Institute for Social Work were appointed as special guardians for 1,232 children, while relatives and other individuals were appointed for the remaining children.[10]
In 2025, the Croatian Law Centre implemented the project “Legal Assistance and Capacity Building for Access to Territory and Asylum in Croatia” with the financial support of the UNHCR. During the year, due to the short duration of children’s stay and their rapid departure from accommodation facilities and consequently Croatia, unaccompanied minors were not provided with legal information or assistance, as it was not possible to organise counselling within the available timeframe.
Qualifications of guardians
As of the end of 2025, no special qualifications were required for the appointment of guardians. In accordance with the Family Law, a guardian is appointed from among persons who possess the qualities and abilities to perform the duties of a guardian, who consents to be a guardian, and if it is in the best interest of the ward,[11] while the Law on International and Temporary Protection stipulates that the guardian must be trained to work with children and must not have a conflict of interest with the child.[12]
According to the Law on Social Welfare, the previous centres for social welfare ceased to operate on December 31, 2022, and as of January 1, 2023, their duties were taken over by the Croatian Institute for Social Work.[13]
In practice, according to the information available to the Croatian Law Centre, usually employees of Croatian Institute for Social Work (CISW) are appointed as guardians. In some cases, employees of social welfare institutions where children are accommodated are also appointed as guardians as well as employees of the Croatian Red Cross. According to the Ombudsperson for Children’s report, in 2025, 1,248 decisions were issued appointing special guardians as legal representatives for unaccompanied children, which is a decrease compared to 2024. Of that number, professional staff from the competent regional office of the Croatian Institute for Social Welfare (HZSR) were appointed as special guardians for 1,232 children, while relatives and other persons were appointed for the remaining children.[14]
The CRC reported that unaccompanied children accommodated in social welfare institutions, as well as the staff of these institutions, receive support from CRC’s staff. During 2025, the CRC mobile team conducted visits to residential care institutions for children as needed, i.e. upon receiving information that unaccompanied children had been accommodated there. In total, 25 visits were conducted at institutions across Croatia. An initial needs assessment was conducted with 91 unaccompanied children, predominantly from Egypt and Syria, to collect relevant information about each child, better understand their circumstances, identify challenges and available coping resources, and define priorities for further support. Assistance was also provided in obtaining basic material necessities, including clothing, footwear, and personal hygiene items. To help maintain communication with separated family members and close persons, mobile top-up vouchers and SIM cards were provided as needed. Interpreters were also engaged, whenever feasible, to facilitate understanding and communication. Given the increased exposure of unaccompanied children to risks such as human trafficking and gender-based violence, informational and educational activities were carried out to strengthen their safety, support the recognition of risk situations, and raise awareness of protection measures during migration journeys and in destination countries. To promote the psychological well-being of unaccompanied children, the Croatian Red Cross mobile team provided individual psychosocial support and facilitated children’s participation in sports and social activities within the local community. In addition, professional support was provided in a total of 21 cases to special guardians and staff of institutions where the children are accommodated, to strengthen their capacities for working with unaccompanied children.[15]
In 2025, the CRC, in cooperation with UNHCR, the MoI and the Croatian Institute for Social Work – Novi Zagreb Regional Office, organized two training sessions for special guardians of unaccompanied children. The trainings were held in Poreč and Osijek and were attended by 36 employees from regional offices of the Croatian Institute for Social Work, as well as from institutions where children are accommodated. These trainings aimed to enhance the knowledge and skills of special guardians and to facilitate the exchange of good practices within the system of protection, care, and support for unaccompanied children in Croatia.[16]
In November 2025, the Centre for Missing and Exploited Children and the UNICEF Office for Croatia held an online training intended for all professional and other staff providing accommodation and reception services for unaccompanied children.
UNICEF continued the implementation of the programme “Support to Children and Families in Migration in the Process of Protection and Integration in Croatia”, funded by the Government of the Swiss Confederation. Based on insights from unaccompanied children and professionals providing direct support, specialized interventions and materials were developed to strengthen both service providers and children. The activity focused on enhancing the capacities of social service professionals, particularly those working in social welfare institutions and reception centres for applicants for international protection, while also empowering unaccompanied children to recognize risks and access available support services.[17]
The previous updates of the AIDA report on Croatia provide background information on the different trainings and projects related to the unaccompanied children that were organised since 2016.
Capacity and performance of functions
Guardians of unaccompanied children were and still are generally appointed among the employees of the Croatian Institute for Social Work or among employees of social welfare institutions where children are accommodated.
According to the law, the best interests of children should be considered when implementing provisions of LITP.[18] The best interests of the child shall be assessed, taking into account:
- The welfare and social development of the child, and their origin;
- The protection and safety of the child, especially if the possibility exists that they are a victim of trafficking in human beings;
- The child’s opinion, depending on their age and maturity; and
- The possibility of family reunification, etc.
The special guardian of the unaccompanied child shall undertake, as soon as possible after the application for international or temporary protection is submitted, all necessary actions to find the family members and reunite the child with the family, if that is in the child’s interest, including contacting and cooperating with relevant ministries, other state and foreign bodies and NGOs. The special guardian is obliged to respect the principle of confidentiality when collecting, processing and exchanging information about the child and family members in order not to endanger their safety.
On the other hand, the LITP prescribes that a guardian shall not be appointed when an unaccompanied child is over 16 years of age and is married,[19] which can be understood that persons from the age of 16 have the capacity “to perform procedural acts” on their own behalf in procedures for international protection.
In her report for 2025, the Ombudswoman for Children reported that 1,248 decisions were issued in 2025 to appoint special guardians as legal representatives for unaccompanied children,[20] marking a decrease compared to 2024. Of this total, professional staff from the competent local branches of the Croatian Institute for Social Work were appointed as special guardians for 1,232 children, while relatives and other individuals were appointed for the remaining children.[21]
The role of a special guardian involves a wide range of responsibilities: from ensuring the child’s daily needs and access to healthcare, to representing the child before competent authorities in the process of obtaining international protection, accompanying them to the border, and undertaking actions related to family reunification. The complexity of tasks, the necessity to act outside of regular working hours —often at night— and the demanding nature of their primary duties contribute to their overload. Procedures are complex and require multiple steps and coordination with other services, including interviews with the unaccompanied child and the arrangement of appropriate accommodation. Special guardians sometimes face the challenge of individuals later arriving at the institution claiming to be related to the child, prompting the need to verify whether such individuals are eligible to act as guardians. The obligation to conduct numerous administrative procedures for a single child —who may end up remaining in Croatia for only one or two days— also contributes to their workload. Additionally, as the special guardian is initially appointed in the area where the child expressed intention to seek international protection, and is subsequently replaced by a new guardian based on the child’s place of residence, this results in prolonged procedures and delays in informing the child of their rights. In many cases, the newly appointed guardian is assigned weeks after the child has already left the institution.[22]
The Ombudswoman for Children once again highlighted the lack of a unified data collection system regarding unaccompanied children. Data under the jurisdiction of the MoI and the social welfare system are neither unified nor comparable, and they often differ even within the sector itself. The existence of a database would allow for an overview of the exact number of unaccompanied children in the country, their accommodation and legal status, as well as information on their inclusion in the education system and their guardians.[23]
[1] Article 4(1)(17) LITP.
[2] Ministry of Interior, Statistics 2025, available at: https://mup.gov.hr/UserDocsImages/statistika/2026/1/Web%20statistika%2021.%20sijecnja%202026..xlsx.
[3] Article 17 (3) LITP.
[4] Article 242 in connection with Article 240 Family Law.
[5] Article 279 Family Law.
[6] Ombudswoman for Children: Complaints regarding violations of children’s rights, available at: https://dijete.hr/hr/prituzba-zbog-povrede-prava-djeteta/.
[7] Article 17 (1) LITP.
[8] Article 17 LITP.
[9] This number is not limited to unaccompanied children who are applicants for international protection.
[10] Ombudswoman for Children: Report on the work of the Ombudswoman for Children in 2025, available at: https://dijete.hr/hr/download/izvjesce-o-radu-pravobraniteljice-za-djecu-za-2025-godinu.
[11] Article 247(1) Family Law.
[12] Article 17 (1) LITP.
[13] Law on Social Welfare, Official Gazette 18/2022, 46/2022, 119/2022, 71/2023, 156/2023, 61/2025.
[14] Ombudswoman for Children: Report on the work of the Ombudswoman for Children in 2025, available at: https://dijete.hr/hr/download/izvjesce-o-radu-pravobraniteljice-za-djecu-za-2025-godinu.
[15] Information provided by the Croatian Red Cross, 13 February 2026.
[16] Information provided by the Croatian Red Cross, 13 February 2026.
[17] UNICEF: Path to Empowerment: Enhancing Services for Children on the Move; Specialized Interventions and Materials for Unaccompanied Children and Professionals; available at: https://www.unicef.org/croatia/izvjesca/publikacija-put-k-osnazivanju.
[18] Article 10 LITP.
[19] Article 17(3) LITP.
[20] This number is not limited to unaccompanied children who are applicants for international protection.
[21] Ombudswoman for Children: Report on the work of the Ombudswoman for Children in 2025, available at: https://dijete.hr/hr/download/izvjesce-o-radu-pravobraniteljice-za-djecu-za-2025-godinu.
[22] Ombudswoman for Children: Report on the work of the Ombudsman for Children in 2024, page 103, available at: https://dijete.hr/hr/download/izvjesce-o-radu-pravobraniteljice-za-djecu-za-2024-godinu/.
[23] Ombudswoman for Children: Report on the work of the Ombudswoman for Children in 2025, available at: https://dijete.hr/hr/download/izvjesce-o-radu-pravobraniteljice-za-djecu-za-2025-godinu.