The Lost Ones: Emergency care and family tracing for separated children from birth to five years describes how to care for the youngest children who are separated from their families in emergencies. This working guide also provides information on how parents and humanitarian workers can prevent children from becoming separated during emergencies in the first place. In the event of separation, the guide outlines how to trace the families of separated children and discusses possible care models to meet developmental needs. Finally, it addresses the steps required to verify the relationship between the child and the adult and explains best practices for the reunification of the child with parents or other family members. Though cultural traditions and customs may require the advice to be adapted to the specific context, the authors believe that the advice provided is grounded in sufficiently broad experience to guide measures that ensure children under five are not separated when this can be avoided, and, if separated, can be reunited with their families as quickly as possible.
This working document is intended for non-governmental organizations, communities, national agencies, United Nations organizations and other groups responsible for the care of very young separated children and for tracing and reuniting them with their families. The UN and non-governmental organizations have formulated comprehensive policies concerning the care, protection, family tracing and reunification of separated children.
Several excellent manuals and papers exist on guidelines and principles in addressing the needs of these children. There is a need, nonetheless, for a practical, field-oriented methodology to guide an appropriate response to the specific needs of emergency care, tracing and family reunification of very young children. This working manual attempts to fill this specific gap and should be read in conjunction with other, more comprehensive works on the subject of separated children, noted in the Bibliography in Annex II.
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