The government said that the official assessment of the project launched last August had shown that there was progress in the accommodation and treatment of unaccompanied minors, as well as their integration and socialisation.

The documents proposes that a special, transitional centre be established where unaccompanied minors would be accommodated until they decide about their wishes and goals.

Only after its is established that an unaccompanied minor wants to stay in Slovenia, he or she would be accommodated in one of the student dormitories.

The government also tasked the new Office for Migrants to find by the end of 2018 a systemic solution for the accommodation and treatment of unaccompanied minors as a separate unit.

According to the document discussed by the government today, a total of 25 unaccompanied minors were accommodated in Nova Gorica between 29 August 2016 and 5 June 2017, of whom 12 left the dormitory on their own.

A total of 65 unaccompanied minors were meanwhile accommodated in Postojna in the period, of whom 51 left the dormitory voluntarily. The average occupancy of the Nova Gorica dormitory was eight, and in Postojna 12.

While assessing the pilot project as a case of good practice, the government established some shortcoming in the coordination of work, expertise of the staff, psycho-social assistance and accommodation of problematic minors.

The Legal Information Centre of NGOs has labelled the project a step forward in the provision of adequate protection and care for children without families in Slovenia.

The organisation added that it was of key importance that in the future accommodation be provided to all unaccompanied minors whether their apply for asylum in Slovenia or not.

In finding systemic solutions, the government should think about providing diverse accommodation capacities due to the diverse needs of children, their special circumstances and vulnerability, it added.