Attachments
Introduction
Child Protection Sub Sector (CPSS) partners have been working tirelessly to ensure children are protected from exploitation, neglect, violence and abuse, recognising that separation of children from their caregivers was one of the highest impacts of the fire. Please note that reference to “affected areas” refers to both camps damaged by fires, host community damaged by fires and camps which are hosting displaced populations.
CPSS activities to respond to the fire
• CPFPs have been central to the response and have worked long hours since the onset of the fire. This highlights the need for full time CPFPs especially in emergency
• Child Protection Focal Points (CPFP) have been working in the camps daily to facilitate reunification with support of case workers and case management volunteers, as well as referrals from other agencies and sectors to ensure safety of children. On Wednesday 24th and Thursday 25th alone 224 children were reunited with caregivers through this method.
• Psychosocial First Aid and Psychosocial Support has been scaled up dramatically in affected areas.
Semi structured PSS activities are being conducted out of mobile CFS in small groups considering COVID-19.
• CPSS partners are carrying out rapid reunification or facilitating temporary alternative care for separated and unaccompanied children referred from different actors, the CIC office and CBCPC members.
• Rapid reunification has been ongoing for the first 72 hours with rapid verification methods being used to ensure children are reunited with caregivers (different methodologies used depending on possession of registration documents)
• Partners have supported children through alternative care arrangements both prepositioned alternative caregivers as well as through community based pre-identified, trained alternative care families identified and some temporarily staying in CFS/MPCs with support of Child Protection Volunteers.
• Help desks have been set up across the affected camps to support reunification efforts and provide information to children and caregivers
• Case workers working in non-affected camps have diverted some of their human resources to the affected camps to support reunification and case management where possible, including forming emergency case management teams focusing on building communication with children with disabilities, identifying new protection concerns and providing rapid tracing and reunification support.
• Provision of clothing and sandals to 500 children and more partners are preparing to distribute in the coming days
• Mobile CFS activities ongoing by some partners, others have established temporary CFS/MPC in the same locations where previous ones were burnt as children are going to those locations to seek support