European legal and policy framework on immigration detention of children For example, in Austria, a legal adviser must advise and support a detained person, who may be a child.261 The adviser is entitled to participate at all stages of proceedings. In Belgium, all persons placed in detention, including children, should meet with a social worker upon arrival, who provides information on the detention facility and the person’s rights and obligations, including the right to appeal. Similarly in Poland, dedicated staff, namely a return assistant (opiekun powrotowy) and a social assistant (opiekun socjalny), must inform all detainees, including children, of the detention decision including the right to appeal.262 The social assistant is a Border Guard officer or staff member trained in intercultural communication whose task is to inform detained foreigners individually about their rights and to identify persons in need of special treatment.263 The return assistant is a Border Guard officer or worker responsible for individually informing detained foreigners about the detention decisions and the administrative procedures in place.264 Nevertheless, there is no evidence that these persons receive child-specific training. Some Member States include specific measures and/ or practices for informing children in their return procedures. Unaccompanied children’s legal guardian or representative should inform them about their rights and obligations. In principle, the guardian should also inform the child about complaints procedure and support him or her to submit complaints about the detention conditions and/or other violations of their rights when detained. However, often guardians are not appointed swiftly upon deprivation of liberty, FRA has found. When appointed, often guardians have no or limited personal contact with the child: they do not meet the child in person or visit the detention facility.265 Article 20 of the CRC enshrines states’ obligation to protect children who are temporarily or permanently deprived of their family environment, entitling these children to special protection and assistance. Every child deprived of parental care, including unaccompanied children, should have a guardian appointed.270 The guardian exercises three core functions: (1) they ensure the child’s overall well-being, (2) they safeguard the child’s best interests and (3) they exercise legal representation, complementing the limited legal capacity of the child, when necessary, in the same way that parents do.271 261 Austria, Bundesgesetz, mit dem die allgemeinen Bestimmungen über das Verfahren vor dem Bundesamt für Fremdenwesen und Asyl zur Gewährung von internationalem Schutz, Erteilung von Aufenthaltstiteln aus berücksichtigungswürdigen Gründen, Abschiebung, Duldung und zur Erlassung von aufenthaltsbeendenden Maßnahmen sowie zur Ausstellung von österreichischen Dokumenten für Fremde geregelt werden (BFA-Verfahrensgesetz – BFA-VG), BGBl. I Nr. 87/2012, Article 51. 262 Poland, Headquaters of Border Guard (Komenda Główna Straży Granicznej), Reply to Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights to the request for disclosure of public records, 11 March 2016, KG-OI-III.0180.19.2016.JB-I. 263 Poland, The Border Guard (Straż Graniczna), 17 September 2015, Rules of conduct of Border Guard with foreigners in need of special treatment (Zasady postępowania Straży Granicznej z cudzoziemcami wymagającymi szczególnego traktowania). 264 Poland, Headquaters of Border Guard (Komenda Główna Straży Granicznej), Reply to Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights to the request for disclosure of public records, 11 March 2016, KG-OI-III.0180.19.2016.JB-I. 265 FRA (2014), Guardianship for children deprived of parental care – A handbook to reinforce guardianship systems to cater for the specific needs of child victims of trafficking, Luxembourg, Publications Office, p. 69. 66 • In the Netherlands, the Repatriation and Departure Service (Dienst Terugkeer en Vertrek) has officials trained in communicating with unaccompanied children. In the case of families, parents are supposed to communicate the decision to the children.266 • The United Kingdom sets up a  Family Departure Meeting in cases of forced return. 267 This takes place in the family home. Children are encouraged to attend. With the permission of the parents, the Home Office official (Family Engagement Manager) must speak to the children directly to ensure that they understand the potential impact of arrest on the family.268 These officers have specialised training from the Home Office.269 6.2. Guardianship and legal representation In practice, responsibility for representing the child in particular administrative proceedings might be separate from the other two functions of guardianship. Legal representatives, unlike guardians, have a restricted mandate in national law: to represent the child in particular proceedings. 266 The Netherlands, Ministry for Security and Justice (Ministerie van Veiligheid en justitie). 267 United Kingdom, UK Visas and Immigration (2013) Enforcement instructions and guidance, 10 December 2013, Chapter 45 (b), para.��2.5.1. 268 Ibid, para. 3. 269 United Kingdom, Home Office, Evaluation of the New Family Returns Process research report 78, December 2013, p. 33 Footnote 65. 270 UN, Committee on the Rights of the Child, General Comment No. 6 (2005): Treatment of Unaccompanied and Separated Children Outside their Country of Origin, 1 September 2005, CRC/GC/2005/6, para. 21. 271 FRA (2014), Guardianship for children deprived of parental care – A handbook to reinforce guardianship systems to cater for the specific needs of child victims of trafficking, Luxembourg, Publications Office, pp. 15 and 37.