Purpose of Activity/Assignment:
UNICEF Serbia has been working closely with the Ministry of Labour, Employment Veteran and Social Affairs and the Ministry of Justice to strengthen the child protection system in Serbia. UNICEF is present on the ground through partnerships with national institutions mandated to strengthen professional practices of social workers, judges, prosecutors and other practitioners as well as partnerships with municipal governments, centres for social work and service providers. Partnerships with civil society are also recognized as paramount in identifying barriers in reaching the most vulnerable and voicing problems in implementation that can hamper access to rights and adequate protection.
Priority area in programming include the following:
1) Support to child-care reform, including the re-orientation of resources from residential care to family strengthening and family based care. UNICEF support includes engagement in the normative level, research and analysis as a key step in evidence-based policy-making, as well as participation in piloting of innovative services that need to be mainstreamed into the system.
2) Support to strengthening the implementation of procedures and practices that secure "the best interests of the child" are paramount in all contacts children have with the justice system. UNICEF supports the reform of the juvenile justice system, the implementation of highest international standards in the protection of child victims/witnesses in criminal proceedings and the protection of children who are interested parties in civil cases related to violence, custody and care issues.
Start Date: 15th May 2018
End Date: 31st December 2018
Number of working days/months 7.5 months