Children often find moving difficult, COA agrees. “They have to say goodbye to a familiar environment and to friends at school and in the asylum centre. That is why we try to limit the number of moves. Families move as much as possible during the school holidays, so that children can get used to their new environment.”
If families move as a result of the procedure, the COA says it has no influence on this. Then children also move outside the holidays. If a move is unavoidable, children and their parents are supported as best as possible.
“For example, parents can indicate their preference for a different asylum center. We inform the children about the move, the new asylum center and the activities for children at the new location. And we ensure that the farewell at school and in the asylum center is properly arranged. We use a moving checklist for guidance, which we developed together with Defense for Children.”