The CB MHPSS operational guidelines were developed in response to emerging evidence on the determinants of children’s resilience, lessons learned from the evaluation of existing approaches, and th
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e unique challenges that today’s crises pose for children’s safety, wellbeing and optimal development.
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The recruitment and use of children violates their rights and causes them physical, developmental, emotional, mental,
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and spiritual harm. The impact on their mental and physical well-being breaches the most fundamental human rights and represents a grave threat to durable peace and sustainable development, as cycles of violence are perpetuated. The Paris Commitments adopted in Paris in February 2007 are an expression of strengthened international resolve to prevent the recruitment of children and highlight the actions governments can and should take to protect children affected by conflict. The Paris Principles are the operational guidelines related to sustainable reintegration of children formerly associated with armed forces and groups.
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Participatory Assessment with Children and Adolescents. An UNHCR Tool for Operations
This document is designed to provide UNICEF staff and UNICEF partner staff with principles and concepts that can assist them to respond to the psychosocial needs of
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children in natural disasters and social emergencies such as armed conflict and other forms of violence. It aims to introduce humanitarian workers to psychosocial principles and UNICEF’s position on these principles. It also provides a number of examples from field work of how these principles have been turned into concrete actions. These psychosocial principles and concepts inform both emergency responses and subsequent programmatic responses post-emergency.
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Action on behalf of unaccompanied and separated children should be guided by principles enshrine
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d in international standards. The validity of these principles has been confirmed by experience and lessons learnt from conflicts and natural disasters in recent years. The objective of the present publication is to outline the guiding principles which form the basis for action in this regard.
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The report presents successful case studies from around the world, including the implementation of minimum protection standards for refugee children in Germany, cross border child protection systems in West Africa,
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and finding alternatives to the detention of migrant children in Zambia. Other countries featured in the report include Afghanistan, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, South Sudan, Vietnam, Uganda and the U.S. Each of the initiatives can be replicated in different contexts and inform child-focused actions and policy change at national, regional and global levels to be agreed in the framework of the Compact.
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‘Psychosocial Support of Children in Emergencies’ is a reference document for humanitarian workers who want to increase their understanding of the experiences of children in emergency situations
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and how to support them in mitigating the negative effects of these experiences and how to prevent further harm. While the book is not designed to be a day-to-day programming tool, it outlines UNICEF’s orientation to the psychosocial principles integral to any work with children and provides a number of examples from field work of how these principles can be turned into concrete actions.
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Unaccompanied and separated children leave their countries of origin for a variety of reasons. T
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hey may
be fleeing from persecution, armed conflict, exploitation or poverty. They may have been sent by members
of their family or decided to leave on their own – be it to ensure their survival, or to obtain an education or
employment. They may have been separated from their family during flight or may be trying to join parents
or other family members. Or they may have become victims of trafficking. Often it is a combination of
factors.
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Guidance | Preparedness - Response and early recovery - Recovery and reconstruction
The purpose of this paper is to clarify relevant terminologies and approaches relating to psychosocial well-being and social and emotional learning
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(SEL) in education in crisis affected contexts, and to explore how psychosocial support (PSS) and social and emotional learning relate to one another.
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The report showed commitments made three decades ago to protect the rights of children remain unfulfilled for millions. Violence still affects countless children. Discrimination based on age, gender
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, disability, sexual orientation and religion harms children worldwide.
Key factors include a lack of investment in critically important services. Most countries fall well short of spending the 5-6% of GDP needed to ensure universal coverage of essential health care. And foreign aid, which many lower income countries rely on, is falling short in areas such as health, education, protection and child care.
Another factor, the report said, is the lack of quality data. Governments tend to rely on data that reflects national averages, making it difficult to identify the needs of specific children and to monitor progress. Comprehensive data collection and disaggregation of data by gender, age, disability and locality, are increasingly important as rights violations disproportionately affect disadvantaged children.
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Protecting children on the move from violence, abuse and exploitation
The Return Counselling Toolkit is a capacity-building instrument aimed at providing a harmonized and coherent approach to return counselling, based on key migrant-centred principles while protecting migrants’ rights. Mindful of the specific needs
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and rights pertaining to children, this additional module on counselling children and families further complements the first five modules of the Return Counselling Toolkit. It provides specialized guidance on how to prepare and deliver return counselling to accompanied, unaccompanied and separated children while upholding child rights and safeguards.
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EVALUATION REPORT. This report is a synthesis of the evaluation of UNICEF's response to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami in Indonesia that was undertaken in August 2008 to July 2009. The evaluation assessed UNICEF's response in four sectors where it had major involvement: child protection; basic educat
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ion; water, sanitation and hygiene; and child and maternal health and nutrition.
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In reviewing State Parties report on the implementation of the Charter, the Committee has identified children on the move as an emerging child protection issue in African, and therefore commissioned
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a study in view of making recommendations to tackle the problem in Member States. The Committee observed that there were challenges with regard to upholding the rights and welfare of children on the move and that there are gaps on the type of protection measures and treatment that is be accorded to such children within our beloved Continent.
The study presents key drivers of the children on the move, migration routes, challenges faced by children on the move, policy and institutionalized content protecting children on the move and finally the way forward.
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Miscellaneous
Chapter J.4
Children in refugee situations face many potential dangers, such as violence, abuse, exploitation, discrimination, separation from their families, trafficking and military recruitment. The impact of
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these experiences can be devastating and long-lasting. Children have different needs from adults and these needs can only be identified and met if they are approached in a way that is specific to children.
The impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic has exacerbated the dangers faced by children in refugee situations and laid bare the need for their protection and for ensuring that all their human rights are upheld all the time.
The goal of this publication is to share examples of approaches by members of the Initiative that have proven effective for children.
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The training manual consists of: (i) Tools for communication, reassurance and comfort for staff working directly with distressed children; (ii) Advice an
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d guidance for staff working with parents and primary care-givers; (iii) Suggestions for ways to support a distressed child. It provides a non-intrusive skills set of communication and actions that can be used by staff working with survivors of distressing events. The training programme develops skills for providing physical and emotional comfort by modeling calmness and enables a constructive format through active listening that allows survivors to voice their concerns and needs. It also helps to connect survivors to practical assistance through referral networks and information on positive coping strategies.
The manuals are available in Englisch, French, Spanish, Arabic and German
Additional training aids download directly from the website. https://resourcecentre.savethechildren.net/library/save-children-psychological-first-aid-training-manual-child-practitioners
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