In considering whether the best interests of the child are served by conducting a RSD Interview, the following and other relevant factors should be taken into account: STANDARDS & GUIDELINES Unit 2: General Issues FACTORS TO BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT WHEN DECIDING WHETHER A RSD INTERVIEW IS IN THE CHILD’S BEST INTERESTS: „ whether the child has made a refugee status claim in his/her own right or whether he/she has applied for derivative refugee status; „ whether the Applicant is an unaccompanied or separated child; „ the child’s age; „ the child’s level of psychological and mental development and maturity; „ the child’s capacity to understand the RSD process and procedures and the rights and obligations it entails (and thus capacity to consent); „ whether information about the child Applicant’s profile and experiences in country of origin must be gathered from the Applicant in order to determine the claim; „ relevant information already available from other sources (such as COI, family members, caregivers, etc.); „ any specific needs or vulnerabilities the child Applicant may have, including but not limited to physical and mental health issues and disabilities; „ the length of time since the child Applicant left the country of origin (this may affect ability to recall and recount events/experiences in the country of origin) and the Applicant’s age at the time of departure; „ the child’s views and preferences. 2.8.3 Child-friendly and Age-appropriate RSD Procedures In order to ensure the full and effective protection of children, RSD procedures involving child Applicants must be child-friendly and age and gender-appropriate. This includes the physical environment within which the procedure is conducted, the attitudes, behaviour and skills of Eligibility Officers and other actors involved in or supporting the child through the RSD process (e.g. interpreter, guardian, etc), counselling and information provided to child Applicants about the RSD process and procedures, as well as other child-specific support measures and safeguards addressed in this Unit and elsewhere in the RSD Procedural Standards. Additional procedural safeguards may be put in place by individual UNHCR Offices, as appropriate. Wherever possible, children should be consulted about how RSD procedures can be made more childfriendly and age and gender-appropriate, for example, through participatory assessments. 75