Improving Social Protection for Local and Migrant Communities in Dominica Traditionally, Dominica has placed the provision of welfare to its citizens as a top priority on the national agenda. Over the last few years, the government has renewed this commitment and expanded it to include welfare and protection-oriented services to all the country’s residents – including migrants, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups. Despite recent efforts, protection needs continue to be regularly brought to the attention of the country’s authorities, specifically in relation to child abuse and discrimination-related incidents impacting the most marginalised. This project aims to improve access to gender sensitive, protection-oriented services in Dominica, to the benefit of both migrant and local communities, and with a particular focus on the most vulnerable individuals within such communities. IOM will work side by side with the Government of Dominica, and particularly the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment, Youth at Risk, Gender Affairs, Senior Security and Dominicans with Disabilities (the Ministry) and civil society partners, to improve the ability to deliver protection-oriented social services, in line with international standards and best practices. These medium-term developments will be triggered by key outputs, including a mapping and assessment of both the current system for the delivery of protection-oriented social services to vulnerable populations, as well as a gender-sensitive, protection-attentive mapping of local communities themselves (host and migrant); then, the project will support the development of SOPs on the delivery of protection-oriented social services to vulnerable populations (in both local and migrant communities), for the Ministry’s officials, staff from civil society organizations and relevant private sector providers; finally, it will ensure said individuals and entities have a solid understanding of protection related issues and thus fully own said SOPs. Furthermore, the project envisions that, individuals within local communities, both local and migrant, will apply their increased knowledge on vulnerability and protection mechanisms to make more informed decisions on, and usage of, protection services. With this situation in mind, this project aims to improve access to gender sensitive, protection-oriented services in Dominica, to the benefit of both migrant and local communities, and with a particular focus on the most vulnerable individuals within such communities. IOM plans to work side by side with the Government of Dominica, and particularly the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment, Youth at Risk, Gender Affairs, Senior Security and Dominicans with Disabilities (the Ministry) and civil society partners, to improve abilities to deliver protection-oriented social services, in line with international standards and best practices. These medium-term developments will be triggered by key outputs, including a mapping and assessment of both the current system for the delivery of protection-oriented social services to vulnerable populations, as well as a gender-sensitive, protection-attentive mapping of local communities themselves (host and migrant); then, the project will support the development of SOPs on the delivery of protection-oriented social services to vulnerable populations (in both local and migrant communities), for the Ministry’s officials, staff from civil society organizations and relevant private sector providers; finally, it will ensure said individuals and entities have a solid understanding of protection related issues and thus fully own said SOPs. Furthermore, the project envisions that, individuals within local communities, both local and migrant, will apply their increased knowledge on vulnerability and protection mechanisms to make more informed decisions on, and usage of, protection services.