STANDARDS & GUIDELINES CORE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF GUARDIANS IN UNHCR RSD PROCEDURES: „ Assist and guide the child throughout the RSD procedures, including by providing information about Unit 2: General Issues the RSD process and procedures and by assisting in gathering and submitting relevant information in support of the claim. This should be done in coordination with the child’s legal representative where there is one appointed; „ Advocate for all decisions affecting the child to be taken in his or her best interests; „ Provide information about the various stages of the RSD process and procedures and support the child to navigate these; „ Respect the confidentiality and integrity of UNHCR RSD procedures and abide by existing data protection policies. It is recommended that, where appointed, guardians have sufficient knowledge and understanding of the various aspects of the UNHCR RSD process and procedures, and experience in working with children. The views of the child should be solicited and given due weight in relation to the selection and appointment of a guardian. To enable the child Applicant to form a view in this regard, the role and responsibilities of the guardian should be explained to him/her in a manner and a language that he/she understands. In the case of unaccompanied or separated child Applicants, the role of a guardian cannot be assumed by the child’s legal representative, where one is appointed, unless there are compelling reasons to exceptionally allow it (see § 2.7.2 – Right to Legal Representation). Guardians must at all times respect the confidentiality of UNHCR RSD procedures. All guardians must sign an undertaking of confidentiality. (c) Support Persons Child Applicants should be given the option to be accompanied throughout the RSD process by an adult support person, such as a parent, older sibling or a professional working with them whom they trust. Unaccompanied or separated children who have an appointed guardian may also be assisted in the process by a support person. The role of the support person is mainly to provide moral and emotional support to the child and encourage the expression of the child’s views and preferences at various stages of the RSD procedure. The presence of a support person may instil a feeling of comfort in the child, and can be particularly critical at the beginning of the RSD Interview, for example, to help foster an environment of trust for the child and encourage the building of a rapport between the Eligibility Officer and the child during the Interview. The support person should not testify on the child’s behalf nor otherwise intervene in a manner that it is disruptive or otherwise undermines the objectives of the interview. The Eligibility Officer should explain the role and responsibilities of the support person and obtain the consent of the child Applicant to the participation of the support person, which should be duly recorded on the file. Where the child Applicant cannot provide free and informed consent, the Eligibility Officer should seek the child Applicant’s views regarding the participation of the support person in the Interview before determining whether the presence of such person is appropriate in a particular case. The Eligibility Officer should verify the identity of the support person and keep a copy of the relevant identity documents 79