Minimum Standards for Child Protection and the UNHCR Framework for Protection of Children

1. What are the Minimum Standards and Framework for the Protection of Children?

2. What are they used for and how?

3. Principle similarities

4. Linkages and comparisons

Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action Overview:Intended to cover gaps and support child protection work in humanitarian settings.

• Establish common principles amongst those working in child protection, and to strengthen coordination between them

• Improve quality of child protection programming, and its impact for children

• Improve accountability

• Further define the professional field of child protection

• Provide a synthesis of good practice and learning to date

• Enable better advocacy and communication on child protection risks, needs and responses.

Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action How are the Minimum Standards used?•Plan and cost humanitarian interventions

•Establish common and measureable expectations regarding scope & quality of child protection services provided to children, their families and communities

•Establish agreement on common principles between different actors, such as the different members of Child Protection coordination mechanism

•Motivate and enable those working in other sectors of humanitarian action to protect children better.

•Guide and evaluate quality and effectiveness of humanitarian interventions

•Induct and train new staff or partners

•As a self-learning tool and reference text

•Enable advocacy on CP issues

•M & E

CPMS in refugee settings

• CPMS is not developed specifically for refugee situations – but should guide UNHCR CP emergency response

• Complements UNHCR specific child protection guidance (e.g. BID guidance, CP Framework etc.)

• Does not address specific issues relating to children in refugee procedures (e.g. registration, RSD, durable solutions) - for these procedures specific UNHCR guidance applies.

• Developed for emergencies, but can also serve as a guide for protracted situations

The Framework Minimum Standards-Accountability

-Family and community based approach

-Do no harm -Non-discrimination

-Age, Gender and diversity

-Best interests of the child

-Partnership

-State responsibility

- Urgency -Child participation

- Assist people to claim their rights, access available remedies and recover from the effects of abuse

- Avoid Exposing people to further harm as a result of your actions

- Ensure people’s access to impartial assistance

- Strengthen child protection systems

- Protect people from physical & psychological harm arising from violence and coercion

- Strengthen children’s resilience in humanitarian action

Similar Guiding Principles

*Colors correlate to similarities in principles.*

A Framework for the Protection of Children

The Six Goals are:

1.Girls and boys are safe where they live, learn and play

2.Children’s participation and capacity are integral to their protection

3.Girls and boys have access to child-friendly procedures

4.Girls and boys obtain legal documentation

5.Girls and boys with specific needs receive targeted support

6.Girls and boys achieve durable solutions in their best interests

Broadens UNHCR’s understanding of and engagement in the protection of children. The Framework articulates 6 goals and offers guidance on how to achieve them.

Broader scope of Child ProtectionA broad ‘rights-based approach’ focuses on ensuring protection for all children of concern rather than focusing more narrowly on specific categories of children.

State Responsibility

States are primarily responsible for the protection of children:

they need to establish and implement child protection systems in accordance with their international obligations, ensuring non- discriminatory access to all children under their jurisdiction.

Child Protection Systems The Framework applies a child protection systems approach that includes actions for duty bearers at all levels – family, community, national and international – to mitigate and respond to the protection risks children are facing.

Prevention and Response Establish mechanisms which prevent and respond to children’s protection risks, including referral pathways to child-sensitive health, psychosocial and care services.

A Framework for the Protection of Children

Promotes a systems approach supports the comprehensive protection of children:

- Legal and policy framework- Coordination- Prevention and response activities - Knowledge and data- Human and financial capacities- Human and financial capacities- Advocacy and awareness raising

Framework applies a child protection systems approach that includes actions for duty bearers at all national and international levels including family and community.

Assists in the mitigation and response to the protection risks children are facing. Recognizes that all actors contribute to the comprehensive protection of children.

Monitoring implementation of the CPMS

• UNHCR has standard pre-set indicators for all programme areas, including child protection.

(Outlined in the Results Based Management framework)

• Many Child Protection indicators are closely aligned with the CPMS indicators.

• Field level partnership agreements (‘IP agreements’) can include additional indicators, including CPMS indicators.

Indicator linkages

Framework: Goal 5 – Targeted support for children with specific needs:Framework: Goal 6 – Children receive durable solution in their best interests:

-% of registered UASC in appropriate interim or long-term alternative care

-% of UASC for whom a best interest process has been initiated or completed

-% of UASC for whom tracing has reached an outcome (either positive or negative)

Minimum Standards: Standard 13- Unaccompanied and Separated Children:

-Surveillance systems and services are in place to prevent unnecessary separations

-% of registered UASC in appropriate and protective case arrangements

-% of registered UASC in appropriate interim or long-term alternative care

-% of registered unaccompanied children in long term alternative care who are receiving monitoring visits at least once a month

Framework: Goal 5 – Targeted support for children with specific needs:Framework: Goal 6 – Children receive durable solution in their best interests:

-Coordination with ICRC and other partners on family reunification established

-# of family contacts restored between separated family members

-# of persons of concern provided with information on family reunification procedures

-SOPs for family reunification established or reflected in generic SOPs

Note: Indicators are from UNHCRs Results Framework for 2014

Minimum Standards: Standard 13- Unaccompanied and Separated Children:

-Mechanisms in place for registration and receiving information and for active tracing of immediate family members and relatives

-% of children who have received at least one follow-up visit within one month of being reunited with caregivers

-% of registered UASC who are reunited with their caregivers

-% of children registered for tracing that has been reunified and stayed with their family for more than 6 months

Unaccompanied and Separated Children Unaccompanied and Separated Children

Reunification Reunification

Indicator linkagesSexual Violence Education

Recruitment Harmful Practices

Framework: Goal 5 – Targeted Support for children with specific needs:

-# of instances reported and verified by UNHCR of rape or other forms of sexual violence against children committed by armed groups/armed forces

-# of reported incidents of SGBV per year (note: indicator not specific to children)

-# of partner, government and UNHCR staff trained on SGBV prevention and response (note: indicator not specific to children)

Minimum Standards: Standard 9 - Sexual Violence:

-There is a thorough understanding of how sexual violence is viewed by families and communities before programming

-% of projects and initiatives dealing with sexual violence that are clearly involving other sectors

-# of social workers, law-enforcement staff and health-service providers trained on child-appropriate responses to sexual violence

Goal 1 – Children are safe where they live, learn and play:

-# of children with specific needs enrolled in school

-% of schools with a policy to use positive discipline methods (non-corporal punishment)

-% of schools that enforce a teacher code of conduct that has been developed in a participatory way

-Extent persons of concern have access to national education systems (note: this indicator is specific to UNHCR)

Minimum Standards: Standard 20 – Education and CP:

-% of boys and girls of different ages (including those w/disabilities) able to access schools and other learning opportunities

-% of active-duty educators trained on child protection threats and strategies to tackle threats

-% of formal and informal education environments that are regularly monitored with the aim of deciding whether both girls and boys are protected from abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence in that environment.

Framework: Goal 5 – Targeted Support for children with specific needs:

-Measures to identify and minimize forced recruitment implemented

-# of cases of recruitment or use of children by armed groups/armed forces reported and deemed credible by UNHCR

-Measures to identify and minimize forced recruitment implemented

Minimum Standards: Standard 11– CAAFAG:

-% of targeted communities where 80% of those surveyed can describe commonly agreed strategies to prevent and report child recruitment

-% of humanitarian workers surveyed who demonstrate a clear understanding of how to identify % report cases of child recruitment and use

Goal 1 – Children are safe where they live, learn and play:

-Extent girls and boys are protected against harmful practices

Note: This indicator defines harmful practices as “practices that are detrimental to the health, safety, and development of children. These harmful practices include but are not limited domestic violence against children, physical and sexual abuse, corporal punishment, female genital mutilation (FGM), early or forced marriage...”

Minimum Standards: Standard 8– Physical Violence and Harmful Practices:

-Strategies to prevent and respond to physical violence and harmful practices are incorporated into emergency-response programming

-# of campaigns with key messages on physical violence and harmful practices

-% of project proposals on CP that include information on local attitudes to physical violence and harmful practices in the affected communities.

Note: Indicators are from UNHCRs Results Framework for 2014

A Framework for the Protection of Children

Core comparisons:

The Framework and Minimum Standards both:

-Have key actions and guidance notes associated with goals/indicators

-Take on a more holistic approach to child protection, involving multiple actors than simply focusing on individual child.

-Could be used as tools to guide decision-making and reference

-Address the needs of the child as the fundamental goal