From an economic point of view, foster care in families is regarded as the most convenient solution for migrant and refugee girls, boys, and adolescents who arrive in Italy without their parents or a legal guardian. Yet only 4 percent of those who arrive in Italy alone (a figure which does not include refugees from Ukraine) are hosted in foster families or similar contexts, a new UNICEF study shows.

Over 16,000 minors are hosted in shelter facilities

Research conducted on a foster program based on the Terreferme model, supported by UNICEF and the National Coordination of Hosting Communities (CNCA) since 2017, revealed that the average daily cost per minor under legal guardian care was 37 euros during the first year and 23 euros in the second year, compared to the costs that are as high as 100 euros per day in residential shelter facilities.

Not only is it less expensive, but foster care in families offers girls, boys, and adolescents a stable and welcoming environment, which favors their well-being, personal development, learning, and social interaction.

Despite foster home care being indicated by Italian law as a priority choice in terms of sheltering minor refugees and migrants, its use remains limited. Only 4 percent of those who arrive in Italy alone are hosted in families or similar contexts -- a figure that does not include refugees from Ukraine.

Therefore, over 16,000 minors are currently staying in shelter facilities.

According to a survey conducted by UNICEF through the U-Report On The Move platform, 53 percent of children and adolescents with a migrant background would prefer to live in a family setting, while only 19 percent would choose a residential facility.

Furthermore, 42 percent are not aware that unaccompanied minors and those separated have the right to be sheltered by a foster family, underscoring the need for a high degree of sensitization on the topic.

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UNICEF, 'Opening family foster care for a more inclusive society'

"Family foster care offers high-quality assistance at significantly inferior costs compared to sheltering in centers, while at the same time strengthening the community networks and mobility of social capital. Opening up to family foster care means an economic and social opportunity to build protection systems for infancy and more inclusive and resilient societies," noted Nicola Dell'Arciprete, Coordinator for UNICEF in Italy, Europe, and Central Asia.

The UN Fund for Children works with governments and civil society to strengthen national protection and shelter systems for all children, including those who are migrants and refugees.

According to its own information, UNICEF in Italy cooperates with national and local authorities to improve the standards in the centers for unaccompanied minors and to push for family foster care as a preferred choice, in compliance with the principle of supervising the best interest of the minor.