Psychosocial Support

The best form of psychosocial support is a healthy family and supportive environment, preferably in the child's community of origin, or one that is culturally similar. Psychosocial well-being is a product of multiple support, which is rooted in the ability to form healthy relationships and participate in community networks.

However, certain considerations may be required in order to help children and caretakers come to terms with life-changing events, such as the loss of a parent. Separation can be highly stressful for children, particularly if it is unexpected, or repeated. Some children may experience anxiety, attachment problems, sleep disturbances, dependency issues, regression, and a range of other behavioural issues which threaten their mental health and development.

Specific types of support may be required for children suffering from loss, severe or chronic ill health, abuse or exploitation. The child’s experience, age, resilience, and the level of support received from the family and community will determine if a child needs external services. A child is far less likely to experience psychosocial stress if they have good natural support mechanisms and therefore protection efforts should focus on supporting families and communities to help each other.

When psychosocial support is needed, an assessment is important in determining the scope and type of issues, the existing family and community resources, and analysis of how these can be strengthened. Clinical mental health interventions such as therapy, psychiatry or psychological counseling, should only be provided by trained professionals after a clinical assessment and, in all cases, should be culturally relevant.

Psychosocial activities must promote the children’s development and their relationships with others, re-establish routines, increase self confidence and sense of control over their lives. Children’s activities, such as the provision of safe places, group work or referrals to specialists, should be designed around the child’s individual needs, age, gender, and cultural identity. Interventions should be empowering, inclusive, and fully integrated with wider community efforts. Children’s participation is essential in psychosocial work; children should be encouraged to express their opinions, and to have these taken into account.

The literature found here describes the psychosocial effects of separation, and other threats to children such as HIV/AIDS, conflict, abuse and exploitation, and provides guidance and examples of psychosocial interventions.

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Residential school placements for children and young people with intellectual disabilities: Their use and implications for Adult Social Care

Nick Gore, Serena Brady, Magnus Cormack, Peter McGill, Jacqui Shurlock, Freddy Jackson-Brown, Caroline Reid, Rosey Singh, Alexandra Legge, Maria Saville and Sarah Wedge - NIHR School for Social Care Research, 2015

The current review collates research and policy regarding use of residential schools for children and young people with intellectual disabilities in the UK and transition from these settings to adult services.

A Holistic Approach to Psychosocial Support: A national training manual for caregivers of orphans and other vulnerable children in Uganda

Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development, Uganda, 2015

The focus of this manual is on translating theoretical knowledge about policies into practical actions to provide psychosocial support to orphans and vulnerable children.

‘Left behind’ but not left alone: Parental migration & the psychosocial health of children in Moldova

Michaella Vanore, Valentina Mazzucato, Melissa Siegel - Social Science & Medicine, 2015

Using data collected from a nationally-representative household survey conducted in Moldova between September 2011 and February 2012, this paper analyses the psychosocial health outcomes of children of migrant parents by comparing them with children without migrant parents (n = 1979).

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Research-Practice Partnerships for Implementation of Evidence-Based Practices in Child Welfare and Child Mental Health: A White Paper

Lawrence A. Palinkas, Cherry Short, and Marleen Wong - School of Social Work, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA, 2015

This paper addresses the disconnect between research and practice in regards to child welfare and child mental health services in the US.

Workshop Report: Training Workshops on Mental Health Interventions for Better Care and Management of Institutionalized Children and Young Adults

Udayan Care , 19 Dec 2014

The report from the two-day Training Workshops on “Mental Health and Interventions for Better Care and Management of Institutionalized Children and Young Adults” is now available.

The Longer Term Experiences of Parent Training: A Qualitative Analysis

M. Furlong and S. McGilloway - Child Care, Health and Development, 24 Sep 2014

This study involved the use of qualitative methods as part of a larger process evaluation to explore the longer-term experiences of parents who participated in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of the Incredible Years Parenting Programme (IYPP) in disadvantaged settings in Ireland.

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Saving Brains, A Grand Challenge

Dr. Mike Evans, 23 Sep 2014

This animated video, made by Dr. Mike Evans, founder of the Health Design Lab at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, illustrates the impacts of trauma and negative experiences on young children’s brain development and the ways in which healthy cognitive development can be promoted.

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Psychological First Aid for Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak

World Health Organization, CBM, World Vision International & UNICEF, 01 Sep 2014

This guide focuses on psychological first aid, which involves humane, supportive and practical help to fellow human beings suffering serious crisis events. It is written for people who can help others experiencing an extremely distressing event.

Characteristics of Most Vulnerable Children and Their Guardians That Determine Service Use in a Tanzanian Social Service Agency

Naftali Bernard Ng’ondi - SAGE Open, 01 Jul 2014

The study used pre-existing data on the most vulnerable children’s (MVC’s) and their guardians’ socio-demographic information and the services they received from Pastoral Activities and Services for People With AIDS Dar es Salaam Archdiocese (PASADA) services agency in Tanzania.

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Fathers Matter: Involved fathers change the lives of children

Save the Children, 23 Apr 2014

This leaflet is a mapping of Save the children’s role and work in promoting the engagement of fathers. It presents some of the evidence of the benefits of involving fathers and some of the strategies used by the organization and others.