Adjust child protection programs for each stage of the COVID-19 crisis

This course will equip experienced child protection practitioners with the skills to implement evidence-based crisis response and prevention strategies to protect vulnerable children during the evolving COVID-19 crisis.

Identify the child protection risks caused by COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting children through:

infection with the virus itself
the social and economic impacts of measures to stop virus transmission
the potential longer-term effects like the economic downturn.

On this course, you’ll examine the ways vulnerable children, families, and communities are being impacted by COVID-19 through disruptions to families, friendships, daily routines and wider community dynamics.

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

Adapt child protection strategies and programming during COVID-19

As you explore the social and developmental consequences of COVID-19 for children, you’ll learn to adjust child protection programming as the crisis evolves using Child Protection Minimum Standards (CPMS) and keeping children at the centre.

You’ll be introduced to suggestions for joining up with other sectors to implement strategies for protecting children, as well as actions to strengthen partnerships with governments.

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

The Alliance designed this course to help child protection practitioners navigate this new context.

You’ll learn using technical notes, key messages, webinars, and other resources produced by The Alliance that are endorsed at a global level.

What topics will you cover?

How the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting children, families and communities’ lives and the potential medium-long term impact of the pandemic
What actions you can take to adapt ongoing child protection prevention and response programming to the context of COVID-19 pandemic in line with CRC and CPMS principles and standards
How you can collaborate with other sectors to promote children’s protection and well-being in the context of COVID-19
The experience of other child protection practitioners in a variety of contexts affected by the COVID-19 pandemic

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 to COVID-19
Describe the main child protection risks during the COVID-19 pandemic in your context through a socioecological and developmental lens
Explain ways to adapt child protection prevention and response programming in line with CPMS principles and standards
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 shock and health pandemics

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 continue to support the most vulnerable children, families, and communities in a new context of public health measures 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 significant 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?

Achieng Kokonya

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

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

US Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration

supported by

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:

Unlimited access to this course

Includes any articles, videos, peer reviews and quizzes

A PDF Certificate of Achievement to prove your success when you’re eligible

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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