- Design a programme in line with the CPMS.
- Manage complex cases and supervision.
- Coordinate, measure quality and advocate.
1Designing a programme in line with the CPMS
A quality programme starts from a child protection needs assessment (often joint and coordinated), which identifies risks, the capacities of families and communities and existing services. It combines prevention and response: strengthening families, community-based child protection mechanisms, case management, psychosocial support, and mainstreaming in other sectors.
The CPMS serve as the reference for objectives, indicators and key actions. Children, girls and boys of different ages, including those with disabilities, are consulted at every stage.
2Complex cases and supervision
Some cases require particular expertise: child sexual abuse, children associated with armed forces and armed groups, children in detention, resettlement. They involve specific procedures, best interests panels and close collaboration with health, legal and specialised services.
Regular supervision of caseworkers (case file reviews, coaching, emotional support) ensures quality and prevents burnout. A reasonable caseload per caseworker (often 15 to 25 active cases, depending on complexity) is a common benchmark.
3Measuring quality and reporting
Quality indicators track response times, the proportion of case plans developed with the child, effective referrals, successful reunifications and cases closed with goals met. Feedback from children and families, collected in age-appropriate ways, completes the analysis.
Data are managed according to an information-sharing protocol agreed between organisations, with aggregated data for reports and regular audits of information management systems.
4Coordination and advocacy
The coordination group sets common tools, service mapping, geographic priorities and advocacy messages. Advocacy addresses grave violations (recruitment, attacks on schools and hospitals, sexual violence), reported notably through the United Nations Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism (MRM), under strict procedures.
It also addresses funding: child protection often remains among the least-funded sectors. Solid, anonymised data and common messages increase impact.
Exercise: the child protection logframe
For a camp of 30,000 people, write one objective, three outcomes (community-based prevention, case management, psychosocial support) and two indicators per outcome, drawing on the CPMS. One page maximum.
Key points
- Assessment-based programme combining prevention, response and mainstreaming.
- Complex cases: specific procedures, best interests panels, specialised services.
- Regular supervision and a reasonable caseload.
- Quality indicators, children's feedback, information-sharing protocol.
- Coordination, common tools and advocacy on grave violations and funding.
Further reading: course references
- The Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action (2019). Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action (CPMS). alliancecpha.org/fr/cpms
- Case Management Task Force, Global Child Protection Working Group (2014). Interagency Guidelines for Case Management and Child Protection. alliancecpha.org
- ICRC, UNHCR, UNICEF, Save the Children, IRC, World Vision (2004). Inter-agency Guiding Principles on Unaccompanied and Separated Children. www.icrc.org
- UNICEF (2007). The Paris Principles: Principles and Guidelines on Children Associated with Armed Forces or Armed Groups. www.unicef.org
- United Nations (1989). Convention on the Rights of the Child. www.ohchr.org/fr/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/convention-rights-child
Daily quiz
3 questions to check what you have learned. Answer them all to complete the day.