Piloting tools from the Children as Partners in Child Protection in COVID-19 Guide

This case study provides an overview of actions and learning from British Red Cross programming with Unaccompanied and Separated Children. In particular through one-to-one support, life skills capacity building, and advocacy to authorities to improve protection and assistance for children who are alone.

This case study provides learning from the Gambia Red Cross around its programming to strengthen education and child protection. through disaster response and preparedness activities that focus on child protection, including Sexual and Gender-based Violence, through reaching children in schools.

This infographic provides an overview of the ways that Child Friendly Spaces can be caring, learning, and safe places for children. It also describes the key steps to setting up a Child Friendly Space in an emergency.

The infographic is available in Arabic, English, French, Spanish, and Ukrainian.

Children need information that is carefully crafted to cater to their age group and preferences. Without these tailored materials, they might not understand or could misunderstand essential information that supports their protection and access to vital services.

The child-friendly communication materials below aim to help children stay safe, find their own solutions, prevent family separation or restore family links, know how to act ahead of a disaster, react if they find it hard to cope, and seek support from someone wearing a Red Cross or Red Crescent, a trusted adult, or a local helpline.

In the Gambia, children can find themselves alone and unaccompanied as migrants, in transit, or in markets after having left home due to maltreatment. The Gambia Red Cross supports unaccompanied and separated children by helping them access essential services such as healthcare, mental health and psychosocial support, food, clothing, Restoring Family Links, and referring them to local social welfare services for shelter and guardianship. In addition, the Red Cross assists unaccompanied and separated children to access schooling through fees, clothing and supplies, and working with administrators to help children accommodate into new learning environments.

The Swiss Red Cross Outpatient Clinic for Torture and War Victims delivers a number of services including the Stress-Traumasymptoms-Arousal-Regulation-Treatment (START). A low-threshold, outreach group programme for unaccompanied children, children in vulnerable situations, and young people with trauma-related migration experiences. Child and youth participants learn how the body and mind react to stress. Psychosocial and psychoeducational support is offered. Mindfulness-based, action-orientated and playful relaxation and emotional stimulation exercises are practised in group sessions.

As part of its response to the population movement from Myanmar into Cox's Bazar, the Bangladesh Red Crescent has been implementing Child Friendly Spaces. These serve as protective environments where children can engage in structured play, express emotions, build friendships, and develop essential coping mechanisms. Beyond providing psychosocial support, these spaces contribute to broader emergency programming by integrating health and hygiene awareness, child protection services, and family reunification efforts. The primary aim of these initiatives is to foster social inclusion, equality, and resilience among the displaced children, ensuring they have a supportive environment that promotes mental well-being.

As part of the Pakistan Red Crescent response to the return of Afghan migrants from Pakistan to Afghanistan, programing has been established for children and adults in vulnerable situations. The main features of the program implemented by PRCS for Afghan returnees include the establishment of Humanitarian Services Point (HSP) in Torkham Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, a medical care facility at Chaman in Baluchistan province, and provision of essential services such as health care, safe drinking water, and gender-sensitive sanitation facilities targeting 60,000 people under an IFRC supported operation. The program integrates Protection, Gender, and Inclusion (PGI) and Community Engagement and Accountability to ensure the dignity, safety, and participation of diverse groups including children, women, the elderly, and persons with disabilities.

The Chad Red Cross with involvement of local authorities has set up an integrated protection programme in eight camps and transit sites to support refugee children and families mainly from Sudan. The programme has a focus on Child Friendly Spaces, education, and support to Unaccompanied and Separated Children.