Individual protection and assistance

In this section, we review individual risks and protective factors that affect vulnerable migrants and influence their experience of migration.

Factors at this level are related to individuals: their status in society; their physical and biological characteristics; their histories and experiences; their beliefs and attitudes; their emotional, psychological, and cognitive characteristics; and their physical and mental health and wellbeing. Individual characteristics are a central element in assessing vulnerability and capability, as they shape how individuals respond to household/family, community and structural contexts.

Some examples of individual factors are age, sex, racial or ethnic identities, sexual orientation, gender identity, personal histories, mental and emotional health, and access to resources such as money, goods, or support.

Some of these factors might be risk factors or protective factors, depending on the context. For example, membership in a particular racialized group may be a protective factor, if that group is dominant or privileged in society. However, in a different context, where that group is marginalized or oppressed, it would be a risk factor. Other individual factors may be broadly considered to always be risk factors or protective factors. For example, literacy is almost always a protective factor, whereas illiteracy is almost always a risk factor.

At the individual level, factors such as age and sex have an impact on the needs of vulnerable migrants. For instance, children may require vaccinations according to an age-based schedule, or older persons may have deteriorating vision or hearing. Also, in terms of health needs, at the individual level there may be pre-existing health conditions, such as diabetes or asthma, as well as mental disorders that may require diagnosis or treatment.

Interventions that aim to provide individual-level responses for vulnerable migrants will require the involvement of different actors who possess different expertise and capacities. Individual-level interventions are typically delivered through direct service, support and case management by governmental, non-governmental or private sector service providers. Service providers may include, but are not limited to, government social workers, doctors in private practice and lawyers working for a non-governmental organization, providing services in response to identified needs.

At the individual level, migrants who are vulnerable to or have experienced violence, exploitation, or abuse require responses to directly address immediate needs, as well as services to address the risk factors that contribute or contributed to their vulnerability.

At this level, treatment of risk factors should be understood to exist along a continuum. Immediate solutions, like the provision of emergency shelter, will often significantly reduce migrant vulnerability that has resulted from a particular risk factor. However, the risk factor may not be fully resolved without further medium-term solutions, such as the provision of educational opportunities, or longer-term or even lifetime efforts, such as treatment of physical and mental health resulting from harms feared or actually suffered.

A case-management approach is a model for providing assistance to individuals with complex and multiple needs who may access services from a range of agencies and organizations.

Case management promotes collaboration between multidisciplinary actors. It is useful for the assessment, planning, implementation, coordination, and monitoring required to effectively meet an individual’s multiple needs and to promote positive outcomes.

Key to the case-management approach is an understanding of what services are available, what the criteria are for accessing services, who offers the services, any risks associated with accessing services, and knowledge of the quality and appropriateness of the services available.

Case management can be provided by State authorities, international organizations, United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations or civil society organizations. Case managers do not provide all needed services and support to vulnerable migrants; instead, they make appropriate referrals to other specialist providers of protection and assistance. It is essential for case managers to have a basic understanding of the types of assistance required to meet migrants’ needs.

At the centre of the case-management model is the migrant, who is central to decision-making regarding their protection and assistance. The case-management model promotes their participation in choices regarding the services available.

Case managers should carry out periodic assessments of risks to a vulnerable migrant’s security, safety, and wellbeing. Where these assessments identify protection risks, and where relevant protection services are available, referrals should be made to specialist organizations for enhanced protection.

Assistance plans are likely to include multiple service providers, to meet the different needs of a vulnerable migrant. As such, coordination is essential to ensure continuity of services and a holistic approach to addressing needs. Effective coordination reduces duplication and fragmentation of services and can identify where there are gaps in service delivery. The role of a case manager in coordination is to foster, maintain, and strengthen collaborative partnerships between multiple actors in the service delivery system.

Referral mechanisms are one way of facilitating this coordination. They may be established at various levels: municipal, subnational, national, regional or international. Referral mechanisms typically identify the population of concern; identify the service providers who participate in the referral mechanism; specify the services they provide to the population of concern; specify principles, standards, and processes for protection and assistance services; and identify methods for coordination and cooperation between service providers.

The case manager is typically the main point of contact and information for the vulnerable migrant. However, it might be more suitable for another service provider to take on case-management tasks. If this is the case, the transfer of role should be agreed to by all parties.

• Individual characteristics are a central element in assessing vulnerability and capability, as they affect how individuals respond to household/family, community, and structural contexts.
• Individual- and household- or family-level interventions are typically delivered person-to-person, by case managers and by service providers.
• At the individual level, migrants who are vulnerable to or have experienced violence, exploitation, or abuse require responses that directly address their immediate needs.
• A case-management approach is a model for providing assistance to individuals with complex and multiple needs. It allows for collaboration between multidisciplinary actors.
• A case manager should work with vulnerable migrants to develop a plan for assistance that outlines the vulnerable migrant’s goals as well as their needs, priorities, strengths, and challenges. The vulnerable migrant is central to decision-making regarding their protection and assistance.
• A security plan should include all risks to the vulnerable migrant identified, mitigating actions to be taken, who will be taking those actions, a timeline for review of the risks and actions, and emergency contact information.