Interagency SOPs for best interest determination of unaccompanied, separated and vulnerable children
UNHCR and the International Rescue Committee
Highlights
These Standard Operating Procedures for Best Interests Determination (BID SOPs) describes guiding principles, procedures, roles, and responsibilities for each actor in the Best Interests Determination (BID) process for unaccompanied, separated, and vulnerable children affected by the Syrian refugee crisis living in camps, urban areas, and other settlements/collective centers in Duhok Governorate. The Best Interests Determination (BID) describes the formal process with strict procedural safeguards designed to determine the child’s best interests for important decisions affecting the child. The BID SOPs are designed to be used together with the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Annex X), the 2008 UNHCR Guidelines for Determining Best Interest of the Child (Annex X) and the Field Handbook for the Implementation of UNHCR BID Guidelines (Annex X). These BID SOPs target refugee children but can at an exceptional basis and case by case basis target IDP children at risk, in the BID Guidelines, page 8, UNHCR BID Guidelines, pages 22-24 and page 30-44.
The first draft of this BID SOPs in November 2014 were developed by UNHCR and the International Rescue Committee with input from members of the Duhok Governorate Child Protection Sub Working Group (CPSWG), including the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MoLSA), the Directorate of Labour and Social Affairs (DoLSA), the Development and Modification Centre (DMC), Save the Children, ACTED, UNICEF, and others.
