Psychosocial support, prevention and coordination

1Psychosocial support and child-friendly spaces

Most children recover when their routine, relationships and sense of safety are restored. The intervention pyramid (IASC) ranges from basic services and security, to community and family support, then focused non-specialised support, up to specialised care for a minority.

Child-friendly spaces offer a safe place, structured activities (play, sport, expression, learning), trained facilitators and protection messages. They are also used to identify children who need individual follow-up. They are accessible to children with disabilities and adapted to girls and boys of different ages.

2Preventing the worst risks

• Child labour: economic support for vulnerable families, access to school, awareness-raising among employers; priority to the worst forms (hazardous work, exploitation).
• Child marriage: it often increases in crises as a survival strategy. Responses: transfers to at-risk families, keeping girls in school, dialogue with religious and community leaders, case management for at-risk girls.
• Recruitment by armed forces and armed groups: monitoring, advocacy, programmes for adolescents, and, for released children, family, educational and economic reintegration in line with the Paris Principles. These children are first and foremost victims.

3Referring safely

Before any referral, know the available services through the service mapping and the agreed referral pathway. Referral is made with consent, through a safe channel, with the minimum necessary information, and you check that the child actually received the service.

If you are not a social worker and a child discloses abuse to you: listen calmly, believe them, do not ask detailed questions, do not promise absolute secrecy, explain what you are going to do and refer immediately to a trained caseworker.

4Coordination and mainstreaming in other sectors

The Child Protection Area of Responsibility, within the Protection cluster, is coordinated globally by UNICEF. It harmonises tools (forms, standard operating procedures), 4W mapping, referral pathways and advocacy.

Child protection also happens in other sectors: lit, sex-segregated latrines (WASH), priority queues for child-headed households (distributions), safe schools (education), screening for distress in health centres. Every sector can apply the CPMS mainstreaming standards.