children in emergencies toolkit

1. What are children doing during the day – how has this changed since the emergency?

2. What proportion of children were in school before the emergency? (pre-school,

primary, secondary)

3. Has access to school been disrupted by the emergency?

4. Which children are most affected? Why? (e.g. younger children/primary school/adolescents/children with disabilities)

1. Are there any children in this area who have been separated from their usual caregivers since the emergency? (How many?) If yes, what are the main causes of separation?

2. Are there children who are not living with any adults (unaccompanied minors)? (How many?)

3. a) Are there persons unknown to the community who have offered to take

children away from this area promising jobs or better care (e.g. foreigners who

want to provide care for children in another country?)

b) If yes, what happened? How many (if any) girls/boys were taken and what

ages?

4. a) Are there members of the community who have taken or want to take children

away from this community?

b) If yes, who is this person and what does s/he promise? How many children have been taken away? (gender/age)

5. Are there lists of children who don’t know where their parents are, or parents who

don’t know where their children are? (Where are these lists?)

7. Are there institutions/children’s homes that provide care for orphans or separated

children?

1. What risks could lead to death or injury of children in this area?

2. Where are these risks highest for children (which locations)?

3. Which age group/gender of children are most affected by these risks?

1. Have you noticed any changes in children’s behaviour since the emergency? If yes, what have you noticed in girls and in boys? (e.g. unusual crying and screaming, more aggressive, committing crimes, more or less willing to help others, sadness, nightmares or not being able to sleep, withdrawn or isolated, wanting to join armed forces and groups, more or less willing to go to school, spending more time with friends/playing)

2. What do you think are the main causes of stress for boys and girls?

3. Have you noticed any changes in caregivers’ attitudes to their children since the

emergency? If so, what kinds of changes? (Positive/negative?)

4. What are the main sources of stress for caregivers in the community?

1. Are there groups of children who have less access to services than others?

If yes, which groups? (Girls/boys, age-group; children living with HIV/AIDS, children living with elderly, children from poor households, children who are newly arrived, children with a disability, children living with disabled caregivers)

2. Are there children with disabilities and special needs? Are there any services for

these children?

1. Are there any children in this community who are involved in types of work that

are harsh and dangerous for them?

2. If yes, which types: e.g. sexual transactions, farm work, mining, factory work,

domestic labour, transporting people or goods, other

3. Do you think the number of children involved in harsh and dangerous work has

increased since the emergency?

4. Are there new types of harsh and dangerous work that have emerged since the

emergency?

1. Do you know of children working with or being used by armed groups around this

area? E.g. children with guns, operating checkpoints, cooking or cleaning for

military, etc

2. If yes, how many? (Gender, age)

3. Where do you think most recruitment happens?

1. If you come across a child who has suffered from sexual violence, what would you

do?

2. Do you think the number of sexual violence incidents has increased since the

emergency?

4. Who is most affected by sexual violence? Girls/boys; under or over 14s?

5. Who would a child turn to for help if they were sexually abused?

6. Is there a place where people can get help if they have been a victim of sexual

violence?

1. What do you think are the most important needs that should be met to ensure

that children are safe in this area?

2. Who already provides activities/support for children – do they still have capacity

now?

3. Are there people in this area who are capable of organising recreational and/or

educational activities for children?

4. What kind of skills do these people have:

(teaching, organising activities for children, supporting distressed children,

keeping children safe, working with children living with physical disabilities,

teaching children with learning difficulties, other)

5. Do you have community space available for work with children?

6. What activities would you prefer for children in this community?

Give the names of other NGOs / UN Departments / Governments, and the activities they

are carrying out.