Verification and Family Reunification

Separated and unaccompanied children are at a greater risk of abuse and exploitation, and are less likely to have their basic rights to health, education, and psychosocial well-being met. It is the responsibility of protection organisations and the government to ensure that such children are identified, documented, their circumstances assessed, and active efforts made to reunite them with their parents or normal guardians as quickly as possible.

All separated children and caretakers searching for family members should be registered. Where possible, immediate efforts should be made to quickly reunite children. They should be documented in order to begin tracing activities. If an adult says he or she is an immediate or extended family member of a child, the relationship should be verified before reunification is carried out. Children may have to stay in emergency care placements until family members are located and screened, however they should be reunited at the earliest opportunity.

Verification activities are vital for the protection of children. In some cases children may falsely claim separation in order to receive benefits, adults may identify the wrong child, or reunification may not be in the best interests of the child. In the chaos and distress in an emergency situation, verification becomes an essential step in safe family reunification. All verification and reunification activities must follow international standards and government policies, and require coordination among the agencies involved.

Reunification with family members should take into account the wider community context, to ensure the child will be welcomed and to prevent future separation. This may include family mediation, community sensitization, and/or particular services to help ensure acceptance and enable families to provide adequate care. It is also appropriate to involve community leaders and/or child protection groups to monitor a child’s safety and well-being after reunification. All placements with caretakers who are not immediate family members should involve careful screening and be monitored until satisfactory integration is assured. For children who are not able to be reunited with relatives, a longer term care plan will be needed.

The materials in this section include verification forms, country examples and good practice guidance for reunifying separated children with their families.

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The Lost Ones. Emergency Care and Family Tracing for Separated Children from Birth to Five Years

Save the Children Alliance, UNHCR, UNICEF and OHCHR, 2007

Guidance on how to care for the children under five who are separated from their families in emergencies. Includes chapters on tracing, registering, verification, reunification, and the provision of care to meet developmental needs.

The Lost Ones: Emergency Care and Family Tracing for Separated Children from Birth to Five Years

Marie de La Soudiere, Jan Williamson, and Jaqueline Botte, 2007

Practical guidance on how to care for young children separated from their families in emergencies. Includes discussions of best practices in family tracing, promoting child development, and family reunification. Also provides strategies for the prevention of family separation.

Issue Brief Number Three: Child Care, An Essential Service for Disaster Recovery

Save the Children, 2007

A short paper on the importance of child care provision as a critical service in helping local communities recover post disaster. It gives 4 policy recommendations for protecting and restoring child care infrastructure.

Determining the Best Interests of Unaccompanied and Separated Children: Lessons from Guinea

International Rescue Committee, 2007

A report outlining lessons learned in identifying durable solutions for unaccompanied and separated children in Guinea.

IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings

Inter-Agency Standing Committee, 31 Dec 2006

Guidelines for a multi-sectoral response to the most urgent mental health and psychosocial issues in emergency situations.

UNHCR Guidelines on Formal Determinations of the Best Interests of the Child

UNHCR, 2006

Guidelines for when and how to make a decision regarding the best interests of the child in the case of emergencies. Includes useful information for addressing unaccompanied and separated children including, temporary and alternative care arrangements, tracing and reunification, and child participation.

Review of Save the Children's New Beginnings for Children Affected by Armed Conflict and Violence Program in Sri Lanka

John Williamson and Malia Robinson, 2006

An evaluation of a programme in Sri Lanka that aimed to resettle and reintegrate children affected by armed conflict, prevent and respond to child abuse, and develop community based alternatives to institutional care.

Consideration of Kinship Carer(s) for Emergency/Immediate Placement of a Child or Children

Carol Edwards, Edwina Brockelsby Family Rights Group UK, 2006

A template for assessing the suitability of kinship caregivers in the short term, and for planning the care of a child in kinship care. There are sections that can be given to potential caregivers to help them prepare for caring for a child.

UNICEF Technical Notes - Special Considerations for Programming in Unstable Situations: Chapter 4

UNICEF, 2006

Practical guidance on responding to the protection and care needs of children separated from their families, with sections on consideration of and arrangements for interim care, family reunion, and alternative long-term placements.

Forgotten Casualties of War: Girls in Armed Conflict

Matt Hobson, 2005

Examines child protection issues for young girls associated with armed groups. Provides comprehensive policy recommendations.