EMN Ireland Conference 2018: Looking to the future for unaccompanied minors in Ireland and Europe

04 Dec 2018

This EMN Ireland conference discussed the status, care and integration of unaccompanied minors in Ireland and internationally, both those granted protection and those transitioning to adulthood without an immigration status.

Read conference summary.

The EMN Ireland national study Approaches to Unaccompanied Minors Following Status Determination in Ireland was launched at the conference.

Conference Programme

09:00 – 09:30 Arrival and Registration

Welcome: Prof Alan Barrett, Director, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI)

Keynote: Dr Bryan McMahon, Former Chair of the Working Group on Improvements to the Protection Process  (Download keynote address)

10:00 – 11:15 Session 1: Unaccompanied minors in the international context 

Chair: Michele Clarke, Chief Social Worker, Department of Children and Youth Affairs

Approaches to unaccompanied minors following status determination: Ireland in an EU context (Download presentation)

Samantha Arnold and Sarah Groarke, EMN Ireland / Economic and Social Research Institute

Promising practices for working with separated children and youth to secure comprehensive solutions (Download presentation)

Jyothi Kanics, Faculty of Law, University of Lucerne

The best interests of the child and the protection system (Download presentation)

Maria Hennessy, UNHCR Ireland – the UN Refugee Agency

Questions and answers

followed by coffee break


11:30 – 12:45 Session 2: Care, aftercare and integration of unaccompanied minors

Chair: Shirley Martin, Co-Director Early Years and Childhood Studies, University College Cork 

Social Work and Aftercare Services for Separated Children in Ireland (Download presentation)

Barbara Monaghan and Thomas Dunning, Tusla Social Work Team for Separated Children Seeking Asylum

Unaccompanied minors in Sweden (Download presentation)

Marie Bengtsson, Swedish EMN National Contact Point, Swedish Migration Agency

‘More than a new language’ – addressing the education and training needs of unaccompanied minors in Ireland (Download presentation)

Jessica Farnan, CDETB Youth and Education Service for Refugees and Migrants

Questions and answers

followed by lunch


13:45 – 14:50 Session 3: Pathways to status for unaccompanied minors

Chair: Hilkka Becker, Chairperson, International Protection Appeals Tribunal

Pathways to status for unaccompanied minors (Download presentation)

Brian Merriman, Policy Division, Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service

Presentation by

Katie Mannion, Irish Refugee Council

Unaccompanied minors and international protection – Legal services provided by the Legal Aid Board

Evelyn Petoia, Legal Aid Board

Questions and answers


14:50 – 15:00 Closing Remarks

Emma Quinn, EMN Ireland / Economic and Social Research Institute

More information:

See EMN Ireland study Approaches to Unaccompanied Minors Following Status Determination in Ireland