On 30 September 2019, the Council of Europe published a report summarising discussions and key messages from the Conference “Effective Alternatives to the Detention of Migrants”, organised jointly by the Council of Europe, the European Commission and the European Migration Network on 4 April 2019. The Conference sought to identify ways to make alternatives to the administrative detention of migrants more effective, ensuring compliance with immigration procedures while upholding human rights. The emphasis was on supporting states in strengthening their capacity to effectively implement alternatives to detention, and to share practical know-how and concrete methods of achieving success in the field. Key messages from the Conference include:

• Effective alternatives to the detention of migrants can have manifold benefits compared to the use of detention, including: respect for human rights; individual compliance with procedures; reduced costs as compared to detention; decreased pressures on national detention systems; greater engagement and cooperation in resolving migration status; and increased well-being of the persons concerned.

• Examples of Alternative measures, comprise, inter alia: surrendering the identity document and/or passport; regular reporting to authorities; use of bail/money deposit; designated residence either at a home address or other facilities; family-based care arrangements; supervision; return counselling; case management or case worker support, etc.

The implementation of the Council of Europe Action Plan on protecting refugee and migrant children in Europe (2017-2019) is currently in its final stages and includes over 30 specific activities on how the Council of Europe is providing concrete support on protecting children fleeing war, violence and persecution. The activities range from a handbook on providing child-friendly information, HELP training courses for legal professionals, guidelines on effective guardianship and age assessment, a handbook on standards and good practices to restore family links and reunify families, various actions on alternatives to immigration detention and linguistic integration of migrants, including recognition of qualifications. The Office of the SRSG has updated a web page dedicated to the implementation of the Action Plan with new reports and information. You can find it here. A final report of the Action Plan is foreseen early 2020.