Experts to Develop a Handbook on the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Dealing with Unaccompanied Minor Children of Foreign Nationality and Other Vulnerable Categories of Foreign Nationals

The SOPs for Dealing with Unaccompanied Minor Children of Foreign Nationality and Other Vulnerable Categories of Foreign Nationals define the procedures, processes, and methods for providing assistance and protection to unaccompanied children and vulnerable categories of foreign nationals. They are grounded in a comprehensive, human rights–based approach, aligned with EU and international standards and embedded within institutionalized cooperation frameworks.

The SOPs aim to ensure coordinated and unified action among all actors involved in the multidisciplinary and intersectoral protection system, in line with the best interests of the child and applicable international and national legal frameworks. The SOPs were developed under a multisectoral working group established within the National Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings and Illegal Migration with representatives from all relevant governmental agencies responsible for its implementation. Within this framework, there is a need to further support professionals through the development of a practical Handbook that elaborates SOP standards and facilitates their application in practice.  

In furtherance of the above, IOM seeks to engage local individual consultants (up to three positions) with expertise in social protection, law enforcement and/or the Judiciary to develop the Handbook for stakeholders engaged in migrant protection and in the handling of unaccompanied children and vulnerable categories of foreign nationals, including participants of future trainings on the SOPs. 

The consultants will ensure that the Handbook is an expanded mirror version of the SOPs and fully reflects child protection standards, best-interest determination procedures, case management approaches, social service responses, and all mandatory steps for practical implementation. The consultants will also coordinate with relevant stakeholders and facilitate consultations throughout the development, review and validation stages. 

Under the supervision of the Project Manager and in close coordination with project team members, the consultants will perform the following tasks: 

(1) Conduct desk research on the SOPs and relevant legislation, policies, and standards related to child protection and vulnerable groups of foreign nationals; 

(2) Carry out consultations (in-person and online) with relevant government and non-governmental stakeholders responsible for the implementation of the SOPs;    

(3) Present a work plan, methodology, and proposed table of contents of the Handbook to IOM and key national institutions, prior to developing the Handbook, and obtain their endorsement; 

(4) Draft the Handbook, ensuring it is user-friendly, meets institutional needs, and includes detailed guidance on each step defined in the SOPs as presented in the adopted document;  

(5) Present the draft Handbook at a validation workshop and facilitate relevant discussions;  

(6) Collect feedback from relevant stakeholders during the review and validation processes; and  

(7) Finalize the Handbook by incorporating feedback received.

IOM North Macedonia will manage the activity in close coordination with national institutions, including the Ministry of Social Policy, Demography and Youth, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and Science, and their corresponding agencies and institutional representatives responsible for the implementation of each of the SOPs described in the adopted document, under the project titled “Strengthening Management Systems of Irregular Migration and Fight against Organised Crime in North Macedonia” funded by the European Union. 

The following deliverable shall be submitted to IOM via email no later than 12 October 2026. Payment will be made in one instalment (100% of the total contract value) to each consultant upon IOM’s approval of the successful completion of the services.  

• Final Handbook on the SOPs for Dealing with Unaccompanied Minor Children of Foreign Nationality and Other Vulnerable Categories of Foreign Nationals (language: Macedonian). 

• Quality of the work plan, methodology, and proposed table of contents of the Handbook;   

• Quality of the draft Handbook; 

• Successful facilitation of the validation workshop, with at least 80% participants satisfaction reported through a post-workshop assessment; and    

• Quality and completeness of the finalized Handbook. 

(1) A university degree in a relevant field with a minimum of five years of professional experience in social protection, law enforcement and/or the judiciary, or completion of secondary education with at least seven years of relevant professional experience in any of the above-mentioned fields; 

(2) Demonstrated experience in preparing documents for national institutions (e.g. handbooks, manuals, curricula, etc.) in the area of migrant protection, preferably within social protection, law enforcement and/or judicial contexts;

(3) Demonstrated knowledge of Macedonian migration legislation, including knowledge of regulations presented via rulebooks and specific forms and tools cited in the SOP as relevant to the completion of entire procedure in all relevant sectors, with a particular focus on child justice, child protection and human rights; 

(4) Knowledge of EU and international standards related to migrant protection, child protection and human rights;  

(5) Demonstrated ability to work independently with minimum supervision and collaboratively within a team;

(6) Strong operational, organizational and communication skills and ability to work harmoniously with other colleagues from diverse backgrounds; 

(7) Strong computer skills, including hands-on experience with MS Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint); and 

Fluency in Macedonian (oral and written) is mandatory. Fluency in English is an advantage. 

• If the consultants are based outside Skopje, they must travel to Skopje multiple times as necessary to attend meetings, discussions and the validation workshop. Travel to Kumanovo and Gevgelija will also be required for relevant meetings and discussions with stakeholders.

•  The consultancy fee is all-inclusive and covers all required transportation for the above travels. 

• For IOM-organized events, such as the validation workshop, IOM will cover accommodation costs for the consultants, if they are based outside Skopje, as well as all event-related costs (e.g. venue, meals, refreshments, stationery, and others).