Associate Child Protection Officer

The Office of the UNHCR was established on 14 December 1950 by the UN General Assembly. The agency is mandated to lead and coordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. It strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country (www.unhcr.org).

In line with this mandate UNHCR supports the Republic of Uganda in protecting individuals who seeks asylum in the country as well as those in the country at risk of being stateless or who already are considered stateless. UNHCR also provides direct assistance through implementing partners to refugees and asylum seekers in Uganda.
UNHCR puts strong effort into identifying durable solutions for all refugees in Uganda and to reduce the risk of persons in the country becoming stateless.

As of 30 June 2025, Uganda hosts 1,913,153 refugees, predominantly from South Sudan (52.8%) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) (32.7%). Most (92%) of the refugees live in settlements while 8% live in Kampala. Secondary cities and other rural areas also host refugee households (HHs)1. Among the registered population women and girls make up 51%, while women and children together constitute 78% of the total refugee population. Children represent 52% of the total refugee population, with adolescents aged 12-17 comprising 17%. The youth population between the ages of 15-24 represents 25%, while the elderly population constitutes only 3% of the total refugee population.2

UNHCR Uganda has made significant progress in strengthening child protection systems through the implementation of the Best Interests Procedure (BIP), capacity-building efforts, and community-based protection initiatives. The operation has established strong collaboration with national structures to deliver protection services for children at heightened risk, particularly unaccompanied and separated children.
In January 2024, UNHCR and partners launched the second phase of a joint initiative aimed at advancing new ways of working across humanitarian and development agendas. This initiative places strong emphasis on strengthening national and local systems, promoting the inclusion of refugees within host communities, and ensuring protection and prosperity for both populations. Refugee protection remains a central pillar of this approach.
The Government of Uganda (GoU) has demonstrated strong commitment to the inclusion of refugees in national protection systems, with a focus on making child protection (CP) and gender-based violence (GBV) frameworks inclusive and services universally accessible. The current strategic direction of UNHCR and partners aligns closely with these national priorities and complements ongoing efforts to build sustainable, locally led protection systems.

Under the direct the supervision of the Senior Community Based Protection Officer - Protection, the UNV will undertake the following functions:

- Individual child protection case work according to best interests procedures; conducting best interests assessments (BIA), best interests determinations (BID) and family tracing/reunification in accordance with relevant UNHCR protection standards and IASC guidance, ensuring appropriate case tracking and follow-up of child protection cases.

- Support staff and partners in the strengthening of a functioning Best Interests system: identification, assessment, referral, response and assistance, monitoring and documenting of cases of children at risk.

- Support the organization of and trainings in Best Interests Procedures and Child Protection.

- Contribute to effective child protection reporting and information management through the provision of disaggregated data on populations of concern and their problems.

- Contribute to the systematic application of participatory, community and rights-based approaches, ensuring that children, adolescents and youth are included (as appropriate) in participatory assessments and community-based protection initiatives.

- Contribute to capacity-building initiatives for communities, including children, adolescents and youth to assert their rights and to strengthen community-based child protection initiatives.

- Participate in the updating, implementation and monitoring of child protection related SOPs.

- Support the implementation of the child protection aspects of the Country Protection Strategy and programming in relation to individual case management but also participatory evaluations, setting up of alternative care arrangements, strengthening of child protection mechanisms and establishment of youth programming.

- Support other child protection activities and initiatives in coordination with colleagues in the operation.

- Contribute to the implementation of UNHCR framework for the protection of children, and specifically the child protection strategy in the Country.


- Specifics to sub/field offices work if support is needed and requested:

- Support/establish working BID panel and best interests system in close collaboration with staff and partners.

- Follow-up and support on child protection cases and BID/BIA case management, including referrals for family tracing and response to specific needs.

- In collaboration with colleagues, promote and find durable solutions for children (and their families).

- Support participatory, AGD-sensitive analysis to form the essential basis for UNHCR’s work.

- Intervene with authorities on child protection issues.

- Contribute to national/sub-national (child) protection (including sectoral/cluster) strategies, project submissions and budgets.

- Support other Child Protection related activities.