This catalogue is an easy-to-use collection of lessons learned from Child Protection innovations and adaptations that were implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is primarily intended for use by Save the Children and partner Child Protection staff at country level.
The interventions recorded here ensured continuity of essential Child Protection services at a time when operational contexts were restricted, and children and communities were harder to reach. They are intended to inspire and enable further rapid innovations and adaptations when devising new programming, both during the ever-changing contexts of the COVID-19 pandemic and in the event of any future public health crises.
When COVID-19 hit, programming teams across the world faced an imperative to devise new ways of ensuring reliable, continued delivery of essential child protection interventions, on time, and with quality, in contexts that had become practically inaccessible almost overnight. These adaptations were often innovative, responding to a situation of unprecedented complexity. The catalogue acts as an inspiring compilation of examples that show time and time again how staff and partners all over the world were working around the clock to adapt, imagine and innovate approaches to ensure children’s safety and wellbeing. It is intended as an operational inventory of:
i) new and creative methodologies to promote child protection programme quality in restricted operational contexts; and
ii) promising adaptations in ensuring continuity of essential child protection services, when children and communities are hard to reach.
The catalogue provides clear examples showcasing the importance of investing in human resource and institutional capacity for child protection specialists. They highlight that:
- Community-level child protection is key to sustainable child protection approaches, not only during emergencies but also during early recovery and development.
- It is fundamental for authorities to consider social service workforce as an essential sector during any pandemic.
An interactive version of this catalogue is available on the Kaya platform. This is accessible to colleagues inside and outside Save the Children by registering for a free Kaya account. The online version will be updated with additional information, case studies and evidence as it becomes available.
