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Guidance Note: Qualitative Assessment Approaches for the Protection of Children with Disabilities Within Humanitarian Contexts

Attachments

I. Executive Summary

Children with disabilities are particularly vulnerable in humanitarian settings, yet they are often not able to access the services and protection they need. While multiple factors create these barriers, a major cause is how data about children with disabilities is collected and mapped. Data collection processes often exclude or underrepresent the views of children with disabilities and thier caretakers. When the experiences of children with disabilities and their caretakers are not defined and collected, they become excluded from mainstreamed protective services, which are meant to serve all children. Children with disabilities also do not get the specialised interventions they need.

This guidance note explores how to use qualitative methods to create more robust assessment processes to ensure more effective programming and services for children with disabilities. This note provides promising practices for engaging with children with disabilities and includes sample tools that can be tailored to fit the needs of a particular assessment process. The note also explores the importance of thoughtful cross-sectoral responses so that children with disabilities, and their families, are carefully considered in areas like water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), education, health, and nutrition, and therefore receive the holistic support they need and deserve.

This note is intended for a broad audience of relevant child protection actors, including practitioners, coordination groups, researchers, and donors. The information is not limited to one type of humanitarian setting, geographic region, or culture. As a result, the practices and guidance should be adapted to each specific context, ideally in partnership with well-informed local actors, such as representatives from local organisations for persons with disabilities.

Key findings from the note include:

• Many data collection tools deployed within humanitarian scenarios utilise overly simplistic and/or incomplete definitions of disability. Only by first identifying the Who in discussions of persons with disabilities can effective assessments take place.

• When appropriately tailored to the context, assessment and data collection processes can identify key information about children with disabilities and their families, including measuring how many children with disabilities are in a given area, mapping existing services and gaps; mapping existing capacities, especially organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs); and providing an understanding of the ways in which the crisis may be affecting children with disabilities and their access to cross-sector services (e.g., education, health, food).

• Qualitative research can help surface the perspectives, needs, and priorities of children with disabilities and their caretakers and provide an understanding of how they define the risks, barriers, and protective factors. The direct voices of children with disabilities and their caretakers are critical. Qualitative approaches can help ensure that the experiences of children with disabilities are prioritised, and that protective and risk factors and needs as they see them are represented within the analysis that will guide the creation of effective interventions.

• To effectively lead qualitative research, the first step is to assemble the team, which should include trained assessors. When selecting assessors, it is important to consider context. Having facilitators who are of a similar demographic to the participants (gender, ethnicity, those who identify as a person with a disability) can create comfort for the participants to open up. There are also some universal qualities/skills that assessment team members should possess, including: fluency in the language of the participants; a non-judgemental and respectful demeanour; empathy and good listening skills as well as skills in accessible communication.

• Key ethical principles to bear in mind throughout assessment processes include the concept of “do no harm” and safeguarding children from further harm; informed consent as well as confidentiality; accountability; and meaningful participation.

• Before deciding on the exact qualitative approach(es), it is critical to consult with people who have direct experience with the target population and the context at hand. Key informant interviews and/or focus group discussions can provide foundational information to guide the qualitative processes and tailor the approach to the area and humanitarian situation.