Interagency SOPs for interim alternative care in Dohuk
Department of Labour and Social Affairs, UNICEF, UNHCR, International Rescue Committee, STEP, ACTED and Save The Children
Highlights
The Interim Alternative Care Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) document provides the policy and procedures for the identification, establishment and support of alternative care arrangements for Unaccompanied and Separated Children (UASC) and other vulnerable children in the Kurdish Region of Iraq (KRI), including Syrian refugees and Iraqi Internally Displaced People (IDP). It identifies the roles and responsibilities for all actors involved and the processes for establishing alternative care placements.
The systems outlined in this SOP are the first stage of a phased approach to establishing alternative care in the KRI, that is, an interim alternative care framework that can respond to the immediate needs of refugee and IDP children. The second phase will be the establishment of a formal alternative care system under the mandate of the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) for all children living in the KRI. The formal alternative care system will leverage the models and systems outlined in this SOP.
The development of this SOP has been an interagency process led by the International Recuse Committee (IRC) with the ongoing support of the Ministry for Social and Labor Affairs (MOLSA) and the Directorate of Labor and Social Affairs (DOLSA), and with funding from UNICEF.
