COVID-19 Response: Education and Child Protection Collaboration

Countries in Focus

Building on the ongoing work between the GEC and the CPAoR started at the Annual Partners´ Meeting in 2019, the collaboration has intensified during the COVID-19 response. Protection risks have increased in most contexts with some exponential risks in contexts affected by ongoing crisis.

We have developed a Tip sheet for CP-EiE Collaboration in times of COVID-19 to support coordinators during their COVID-19 Response planning and HRP revisions, which follows the structure of the general collaboration framework, which is under development. 

Extended school closure is having adverse effects on children’s protection, wellbeing and learning. Reopening schools not only provides learning, but also the critical opportunity to address the risks to children’s protection and wellbeing experienced during periods of lockdown. This will require strong collaboration between education and child protection sectors more than ever. The CP AoR & GEC Checklist for reopening schools outlines key steps for Child Protection and Education sectors to take as schools prepare to re-open to ensure a coordinated response for children returning to school.

Country Snapshots

COVID-19 has required new ways of working and adjustments of the humanitarian responses, and some strong examples of collaboration have emerged between Child Protection and Education sectors.

In Somalia, the Education Cluster and Child Protection Sub-Cluster have teamed up with their members to find innovative ways of providing remote mental health and psychosocial as well as protection support to children through a network of Head Teachers, and other teachers in their schools. The two sectors jointly developed guidance on identifying signs of protection concerns, how to communicate with children sensitively, and the operational roles of teachers and head teachers in this network. Through this model, partners will engage the Head Teachers in their supported schools, providing an orientation on Psychological First Aid (PFA) and tools for talking with children on sensitive protection topics. Head Teachers then create networks among the teachers in their school to cascade the same orientation. Teachers check in on children individually via remote means, feeding up any concerns that they were trained to identify and report. This network offers multiple levels of support, not only to the children, but for the head teachers to check in on their teachers’ wellbeing, and the partners also providing support to the Head Teacher in these unprecedented times.

In Mozambique, Child Protection and Education Sectors have adapted a pre-existing feedback hotline to receive information from children on their remote learning as well as their wellbeing and protection at home. The plan is for children to be able to call to report their concerns either directly, or via friends who can report to teachers or protection focal points in the community.