Inclusion of Refugee Children in National Child Protection Systems: Guidance for practitioners in East Africa

This joint UNHCR-UNICEF initiative contributes to bridging the divide between humanitarian response and development work1 , by providing concrete suggestions on actions that country teams can take to support better integration of refugees in national child protection systems and services, as well as harmonization between child protection procedures in humanitarian response and national child protection procedures.

This Guidance document provides practical steps for practitioners to work with government entities towards better inclusion of refugee children in national child protection systems. Given the specific focus on child protection, the content is targeted to Child Protection and broader Protection staff; however, it can also be used to inform similar initiatives involving other sectors and technical areas. While the examples provided refer to practices and lessons learned from the East Africa region, they can also serve as a guide for operations in other regions.