Protecting Children during Infectious Disease Outbreaks
How to adapt child protection programming to support the wellbeing and development of children during infectious disease outbreaks
Duration
6 weeksWeekly study
3 hours100% online
How it worksDigital upgrade
Free
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.
Syllabus
Week 1
Framing Infectious Disease Outbreaks for Child Protection Workers
Welcome to the Course “Protecting Children during Infectious Disease Outbreaks”
Let’s get started! Learn about the course and the team and get ready for Week 1 – Framing Infectious Disease Outbreaks for Child Protection Workers!
About Infectious Disease Outbreaks
Together, let’s explore key concepts on infectious disease outbreaks and their transmission. (Image © UNICEF)
Situating Child Protection Interventions in the Context of Preparedness and Response to Infectious Disease Outbreaks
Let’s explore the infectious disease outbreak cycle and relevant public health and social measures before looking at infectious disease outbreaks from a socio-ecological perspective.
Guiding Principles for Child Protection Interventions in Infectious Disease Outbreaks
Together, let us recall the importance of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in guiding our actions and learn about the guiding principles that should be the foundation of any intervention. (Image © UNICEF)
Week 2
Centrality of the Child: Risks, Protective Factors and Participation
Welcome to Week 2 — Centrality of the Child: Risks, Protective Factors and Participation
Welcome to Week 2! Let’s learn about the centrality of the child: risks and protective factors and child participation during infectious disease outbreaks!
Exploring Child Protection Risks and Protective Factors during Infectious Disease Outbreaks
Learners use the socio-ecological and development perspectives to explore how infectious disease outbreaks may impact risks and protective factors for children - in addition to exploring the gendered dimensions of outbreaks
Child Participation at the Center — Working with Children during Infectious Disease Outbreaks
The importance of child participation at all times, including before, during and after infectious disease outbreaks, is highlighted. Learners explore adaptations to engaging children as partners.
Supporting Children's Engagement in Responses to Infectious Disease Outbreaks
Children from around the world introduce examples of engagement and participation during COVID-19. Learners are then invited to reflect on the situation of children and their engagement in their own contexts.
Children with Disabilities in Infectious Disease Outbreaks
Learners explore how children with disabilities may be impacted by infectious disease outbreaks and key considerations for inclusion.
Week 3
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
Welcome to the third week of the course and its content. Week 3 explores online and offline adaptations to safeguarding measures and child protection strategies during other infectious disease outbreaks.
Prioritizing Safety: Online and Offline Adaptations to Safeguarding in Infectious Disease Outbreaks
Learners consider the centrality of safeguarding and explore key organizational considerations for supporting safe online engagement. (Image © UNICEF)
Adapting Activities for Child Well-being during Infectious Disease Outbreaks
Hear from field practitioners and explore ways to adapt individual and group activities to support child well-being.
Adaptations for Protecting Children from Violence, Abuse and Neglect in the Home during Infectious Disease Outbreaks
Learners are introduced to prevention and response measures to violence, abuse and neglect in the home, including measures to adapt child helplines.
Adaptations for Protecting Children Deprived of Their Liberty during Infectious Disease Outbreaks
Learners are introduced to key considerations and actions specific to the care and protection of children deprived of their liberty during infectious disease outbreaks.
Week 4
Child Protection Strategies during Infectious Disease Outbreaks (Part II)
Welcome to Week 4 — Child Protection Strategies during Infectious Disease Outbreaks (Part II)
Welcome to Week 4 of the course and its content. Week 4 considers adaptations to support the safe continuation of child protection services and programs during infectious disease outbreaks © Image UNICEF
Adaptations for Community-Level Child Protection in Infectious Disease Outbreaks
Explore considerations for working with community members and groups to keep children safe during infectious disease outbreaks. © Image Plan International
Adaptations to Awareness Raising during Infectious Disease Outbreaks
Explore adaptations for safe and effective child protection awareness-raising activities to enable continuity during infectious disease outbreaks. © Image UNICEF
Adapting Child Protection Case Management during Infectious Disease Outbreaks
Explore adaptations and contingency planning to enable essential case management services to continue during infectious disease outbreaks. © Image UNICEF
Safe Identification and Referral during Infectious Disease Outbreaks
Hear from field practitioners how safe identification and referral was put into practice during the COVID-19 pandemic and reflect on key considerations around safe identification and referral in your own context. © Image UNICEF
Adapting Alternative Care Services during Infectious Disease Outbreaks
Children in need of alternative care increases in outbreaks due to containment measures and long term impacts. Join us to consider actions to prepare and adapt alternative care systems outbreaks © Image Plan International
Week 5
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
Welcome to Week 5! Let’s learn about Working with Teams during Infectious Disease Outbreaks. We will consider workforce well-being and project management, monitoring, data collection and working in partnership © Image UNICEF
Social Service Workforce Safety and Well-being
Consider the challenges and reflect on the risks, as well as protective measures, that can be taken to ensure the safety and well-being of the social services workforce during infectious disease outbreaks.
Remote Monitoring
Revisit the definitions and approaches to remote program monitoring and explore actions for adapting monitoring in infectious disease outbreaks such as COVID-19, Ebola or cholera.
Adapting Data Collection Approaches to Inform Situation Analysis during Infectious Disease Outbreaks
Explore key considerations when adapting data collection methodologies for situation analysis during infectious disease outbreaks such as COVID-19, Ebola or cholera. © Image UNICEF.
Empowering Local Partners and Accountability
Consider and reflect on: 1. how best to engage with local partners to ensure long-lasting, empowering interventions and 2. adaptations for effective feedback, reporting and complaint mechanisms in infectious disease outbreaks?
Week 6
Child Protection Capacity Building, Intesectoral Coordination and Government Advocacy
Welcome to Week 6—Child Protection Capacity Building Intersectoral Coordination and Government Advocacy
Welcome to the final week of the course. In Week 6 we learn about Child Protection Capacity Building, Intersectoral Coordination and Government Advocacy for child protection outcomes in infectious disease outbreaks.
Good Practice in Remote Capacity Building
Explore adaptation measures to support the continuity of capacity-building efforts through remote approaches during infectious disease outbreaks. © Image UNICEF
Towards a Multi-Sectoral Response: Engaging with Other Sectors
Protection outcomes for children are best achieved when working holistically across sectors. Review good practice and consider the importance of cross-sectoral cooperation and coordination in protecting children during outbreaks
Government Engagement: Advocacy for Child Protection Outcomes
Explore the importance of working with governments to achieve child protection outcomes. © Image UNICEF.
Course Reflection and Concluding Thoughts
Review your learning journey and share your concluding thoughts before celebrate course completion and gaining your certificate of achievement! © Image UNICEF.
Certification and Acknowledgments
Final step of the course to acknowledgement all participants and award certificates
When would you like to start?
Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.
Available now
Learning on this course
On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.
What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...
- Assess the context set through public health measures and elaborate on how this affects protective and risk factors for children in preparedness, response, transition and recovery from infectious disease outbreaks.
- Describe the main child protection risks during major outbreaks of infectious diseases in your context through a socioecological and developmental lens
- Explain the centrality of child participation through all stages of the programme cycle and identify ways to foster safe child participation
- Describe how to jointly implement with other sectors to protect children
- Identify key actions to support risk informed programming and contribute to system strengthening in future infectious disease outbreaks
- Summarise ways to adapt child protection prevention and response programming in line with CPMS principles and standards
Who is the course for?
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.
Who will you learn with?
My name is Achieng, from Kenya. I am a Child Protection Specialist at the Alliance. I have more than 10 years experience in CPHA and have worked in Africa and Asia, predominantly with a focus on UASC
I am a child protection and humanitarian specialist working in the field of child rights, protection and humanitarian coordination in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and North and East Africa since 2003
Who developed the course?
The Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action
The Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action is a global, interagency group. We set standards and provide technical support to ensure that efforts to protect children from violence and exploitation are of high quality and effective.
Endorsers and supporters
supported by
supported by
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What's included?
The Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action, with funding from USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance are offering everyone who joins this course a free digital upgrade, so that you can experience the full benefits of studying online for free. This means that you get:
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