Protecting Children during Infectious Disease Outbreaks

Adjust child protection programs in the context of infectious disease outbreaks

This course will equip child protection practitioners with knowledge and skills to implement evidence-based crisis response and prevention strategies to protect children during infectious diseases outbreaks.

Identify the child protection risks caused by infectious disease outbreaks

COVID-19 impacts children through:

• Infection with the virus/disease
• the impact of social and economic infection prevention measures
• the potential longer-term effects on mental health and psychosocial wellbeing

In this course, you will reflect on how infectious diseases outbreaks impact children, families, and communities through disruptions to families, friendships, daily routines, community dynamics, and income.

You will learn about the resulting negative consequences for children’s protection, wellbeing, and development and discover ways to adapt child protection strategies to the disruptions.

Adapt child protection strategies and programming during infectious disease outbreaks

As you explore the social and developmental consequences of infectious disease outbreaks for children, you’ll learn to adjust child protection programming in the context of Infectious Diseases Outbreaks keeping children at the centre. You will also learn about joining up with other sectors to implement strategies for protecting children and strengthening partnerships with governments.

Learn with experts at the Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action (The Alliance)

The course is designed to help child protection practitioners navigate infectious disease contexts. You will learn via technical notes produced by The Alliance and endorsed globally and how these have been used by colleagues on the ground.

This course is designed for child protection professionals around the world rising to the challenge of finding creative ways to support the most vulnerable children, families, and communities in the context of public health measures associated with infectious disease outbreaks that span from physical distancing to lockdown measures.

This may include child protection advisors, coordinators, managers, officers, field managers of national and international NGOs, UN agencies, representatives of government institutions, and child and family-focused members of the social service workforce.

Please note that this course is for practitioners with experience in child protection and child and family-focused programming in development and/or humanitarian settings. It is not a comprehensive child protection or child protection in humanitarian action capacity building course.

• Framing Infectious Disease Outbreaks for Child Protection Workers
• Welcome to the Course “Protecting Children during Infectious Disease Outbreaks”
• About Infectious Disease Outbreaks
• Situating Child Protection Interventions in the Context of Preparedness and Response to Infectious Disease Outbreaks
• Guiding Principles for Child Protection Interventions in Infectious Disease Outbreaks
• Centrality of the Child: Risks, Protective Factors and Participation
• Welcome to Week 2 — Centrality of the Child: Risks, Protective Factors and Participation
• Exploring Child Protection Risks and Protective Factors during Infectious Disease Outbreaks
• Child Participation at the Center — Working with Children during Infectious Disease Outbreaks
• Supporting Children's Engagement in Responses to Infectious Disease Outbreaks
• Children with Disabilities in Infectious Disease Outbreaks
• Child Protection Strategies to Protect Children during Infectious Disease Outbreaks Part I
• Welcome to Week 3 — Child Protection Strategies to Protect Children during Infectious Disease Outbreaks Part I
• Prioritizing Safety: Online and Offline Adaptations to Safeguarding in Infectious Disease Outbreaks
• Adapting Activities for Child Well-being during Infectious Disease Outbreaks
• Adaptations for Protecting Children from Violence, Abuse and Neglect in the Home during Infectious Disease Outbreaks
• Adaptations for Protecting Children Deprived of Their Liberty during Infectious Disease Outbreaks
• Child Protection Strategies during Infectious Disease Outbreaks (Part II)
• Welcome to Week 4 — Child Protection Strategies during Infectious Disease Outbreaks (Part II)
• Adaptations for Community-Level Child Protection in Infectious Disease Outbreaks
• Adaptations to Awareness Raising during Infectious Disease Outbreaks
• Adapting Child Protection Case Management during Infectious Disease Outbreaks
• Safe Identification and Referral during Infectious Disease Outbreaks
• Adapting Alternative Care Services during Infectious Disease Outbreaks
• Working with Teams during Infectious Disease Outbreaks — Well-being and Project Management
• Welcome to Week 5 — Working with Teams during Infectious Disease Outbreaks – Well-being and Project Management
• Social Service Workforce Safety and Well-being
• Remote Monitoring
• Adapting Data Collection Approaches to Inform Situation Analysis during Infectious Disease Outbreaks
• Empowering Local Partners and Accountability
• Child Protection Capacity Building, Intesectoral Coordination and Government Advocacy
• Welcome to Week 6—Child Protection Capacity Building Intersectoral Coordination and Government Advocacy
• Good Practice in Remote Capacity Building
• Towards a Multi-Sectoral Response: Engaging with Other Sectors
• Government Engagement: Advocacy for Child Protection Outcomes
• Course Reflection and Concluding Thoughts
• Certification and Acknowledgments