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Dear friends and colleagues,
The core question that drives our work at the CPC Learning Network is straightforward: how can those who hope to protect and to care for children in adversity most effectively do so? In this edition of the newsletter, we are proud to present two new studies that tackle this question in different ways. The first study, undertaken on behalf of the Inter-Agency Learning Initiative on Community-Based Child Protection Mechanisms and Child Protection Systems, details the impact of a community-designed and managed approach to reducing teenage pregnancies in Sierra Leone. We hope that work like that described in this study will help guide humanitarian actors to design interventions that communities own, understand, and take responsibility for. In the second study, implemented through a partnership with UNHCR and AVSI, we lay out the learning from our recent efforts to develop an index to measure the protective environment in refugee settings. Indices like this one can serve as critical tools to gauge over time the impact of our efforts to protect children and to stregnthen famillies.
We hope that many of you will join us on September 24, when the CPC Learning Network and the Better Care Network will co-host a symposium entitled, “The State of the Evidence on Children’s Care” at New York University’s School of Social Work. Event details, including how to RSVP, can be found below.
Below you will also find several terms of reference and consulting opportunities in the child protection and family welfare field. To that end, we are hiring a new communications and partnerships consultant. Please do share the job description widely so that we can identify an excellent person for this crucial role. Our esteemed colleague Solome Lemma, who has done extraordinary work to revamp our communications strategy, will be leaving the CPC Learning Network Secretariat in mid-September. We hope you will join us in thanking her for her exemplary work and wishing her well in her new endeavors.
Peace,
Mark Canavera,
Associate Director
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STUDIES, REPORTS, AND RESOURCES
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A Community-Driven Approach to Reducing Teenage Pregnancy in Sierra Leone
Community ownership is one of the primary determinants of the effectiveness and sustainability of interventions by community-based child protection actors. In Moyamba and Bombali Districts in Sierra Leone, the Inter-Agency Learning Initiative on Community-Based Child Protection Mechanisms and Child Protection Systems has since 2012 enabled a process of community-driven intervention to reduce teenage pregnancy. Two clusters of three intervention communities elected to address teenage pregnancy and in 2013 received trainings on family planning, sexual and reproductive health, and life skills. In June 2014, a participatory evaluation workshop was held to assess the effectiveness of these interventions by drawing out the successes and challenges from the perspectives of community members, in line with the central tenets of participatory action research. The findings are promising: a major reduction in teenage pregnancies in all three communities; reductions in school dropout rates; and greater linkages between the communities and the formal health system.
You can read the overview, brief, and midline evaluation documents here.
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MEASURING IMPACT THROUGH A CHILD PROTECTION INDEX
The lack of robust, rigorous methods and tools to measure the outcomes associated with child protection programming in humanitarian settings has, in the past, limited the ability to measure the results of programs and strategies implemented by UNHCR and its partners. In response to these challenges and in recognition of the need to develop and pilot assessment approaches and measurement methods for child protection in humanitarian settings, the CPC Learning Network, UNHCR, and AVSI Rwanda collaborated to design a measurement index, the pilot for which you can read about in “Measuring Impact through a Child Protection Index.” This report presents the methodology, findings and key learnings of the pilot study in Kiziba camp, Rwanda.
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INTER AGENCY GUIDELINES FOR CASE MANAGEMENT & CHILD PROTECTION
Case management is complex in any setting; it is even more complicated in a humanitarian context where risk, injuries, and violence are amplified. These guidelines have been developed at an inter-agency level through the Child Protection Working Group to complement the agreed standard on Case Management in the Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action. They aim to provide a common understanding and step-by-step guidance on how to do case management in emergencies. The primary focus of these guidelines is for use by agencies and practitioners in humanitarian settings. However, these guidelines can also be a useful resource for governments and agencies working in more stable or development situations.
You can read the full guidelines here.
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We’re hiring! Communications and Partnerships Officer
The CPC Learning Network is looking for a Communications and Partnerships Manager to help the secretariat and the broader network to amplify its work, forge new partnerships, and strengthen existing relationships. The position will likely be based in New York City. Interested candidates can submit their cover letter and resume to Mark Canavera at mc3718@cumc.columbia.edu.
APPLY IMMEDIATELY
You can read the full job posting here.
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Doris Duke Fellowships for the Promotion of Child Well-Being
The application period for Cohort Five of the Doris Duke Fellowships for the Promotion of Child Well-Being will open August 15, 2014 and applications will be accepted through December 15, 2014. The fellowships are designed to identify and develop a new generation of leaders interested in and capable of creating practice and policy initiatives that will enhance child development and improve the ability of American policy makers and practitioners to prevent all forms of child maltreatment. Fifteen fellowships are awarded each year to promising doctoral students from a variety of academic disciplines.
More information is available here.
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ChildFund International Consultancies
ChildFund International has two consultancies open that help to strengthen their international programs for emergency preparedness and response. One consultancy is for a psychosocial and child protection technical review, and the second is for a technical review of ChildFund’s child-centered spaces. Interested candidates should email Kiryn Lanning at protection4childrenchildfund@gmail.com, indicating their interest, and qualifications together with their CV. Please include “Psychosocial Technical Review” or “Child Centered Spaces Technical Review” in the subject line of your email.
The application deadline is August 29, 2014
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| Register: Symposium on children’s care on Wednesday, September 24, in NYC
On Wednesday, September 24th, the CPC Learning Network and the Better Care Network will co-host a one-day symposium entitled “The State of the Evidence on Children’s Care.” This symposium will bring together a number of leading academics, policymakers, and practitioners involved in the development or implementation of key initiatives to better measure issues of children’s care at country, regional, or international levels.
The symposium topics will be clustered around three specific areas of related to children’s care: - Efforts to measure trends in families and children’s care and living arrangements;
- Initiatives to measure the impact of policies and programs to strengthen families and to ensure children’s ability to be raised in a family environment; and
- Measurement of situations and outcomes concerning children outside of family care and children in alternative care arrangements.
The symposium will be held at New York University's Silver School of Social Work.
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ISPCAN Global Institute 2015 : Global Institute on Positive Parenting to Improve Outcomes for Children.A full-day event taking place in San Diego, California, on January 25, 2015, this institute will explore international perspectives on aspects of parenting and child care-giving that contribute to positive outcomes for children. ISPCAN members receive discounted registration. You can learn more about the Global Institute and the San Diego International Conference here.
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