From May to September 2013, the Child Protection in Crisis (CPC) Network conducted a structured analysis of field learning regarding the Child Protection Rapid Assessment (CPRA) toolkit, in order to identify key findings, lessons learned, and recommendations for its future use and implementation. The review covered use of the CPRA toolkit in 15 countries: Burkina Faso, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Mali, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Somalia, Syria, Thailand, Tunisia, and Yemen. This study found that the CPRA toolkit was a valuable addition to the field and a means of increasing the methodological rigor with which child protection assessments are carried out. However, findings suggest the tool is often dependent on technical assistance, it is used outside of the recommended time frame, and that additional approaches were often used in conjunction with the tool.

The research brief and full report are below.

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This report, conducted for the Child Protection Working Group (CPWG) and Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Reference Group,  maps the current repertoire of tools and approaches available for measuring children’s psychosocial wellbeing. There are three major challenges with regard to measuring mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of children in humanitarian emergencies: cultural validity, reliability, and feasibility. A review of the 48 tools that met inclusion criteria led to 4 conclusions. First, there is a varied array of measures available for use in humanitarian settings. Second, measures are often not framed with respect to the comprehensive approach to MHPSS needs put forth in the IASC Guidelines. Third, the majority of measures originate in high-income countries. And last, determining age-appropriateness and the appropriateness of self- versus parental-report presents additional complexities.

This represents a key step in providing practical guidance to practitioners for the development of initial assessments and ongoing monitoring and evaluation tools in humanitarian settings.

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This article, published in Intervention, describes a participative ranking methodology for identifying local understanding of reintegration and adjustment of potential value in program planning and evaluation. It was applied in the context of girls formerly associated with fighting forces in Sierra Leone. Fourteen discussion groups, utilizing spontaneous listing and participative ranking activities, within a focus group framework, were conducted in 10 communities. Discussions served to identify family support, marriage, involvement in communal activities and income generating activities as locally seen indicators of a girl’s successful reintegration after the war.

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Current methods to estimate the incidence of gender-based violence in complex emergencies tend to rely on nonprobability samples. Population-based monitoring is undertaken relatively infrequently. This article published in Trauma, Violence and Abuse provides a systematic review of published literature that represents attempts to quantify the magnitude of gender-based violence in emergency settings. Searches adopted a Boolean procedure, which led to initial selection of material that was then reviewed against set criteria. Only 10 studies met the final criteria for inclusion. Intimate partner violence, physical violence, and rape were the three categories of violence most frequently measured. Rates of intimate partner violence tended to be quite high across all of the studies—much higher than most of the rates of wartime rape and sexual violence perpetrated by individuals outside of the home. Direct comparisons of rates of violence were hindered by different case definitions, recall periods, and other methodological features. Recommendations for future studies are offered based on lessons learned from the studies reviewed.

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This article, published in Conflict and Health, reports on the use of a “neighborhood method” to measure the nature and incidence of violence against women and girls in post-conflict Liberia. The study population comprised females in Montserrado and Nimba counties. Study participants were randomly selected for interviews using multi-stage cluster sampling. 30 clusters of households were sampled in each county. Information on incidents of domestic violence and rape within the preceding 18 months was collected with regard to females of all ages in the respondent’s household, and those of her four closest neighbors to make up the full sample. In the previous 18 months 54.1% (CI 53.1-55.1) and 55.8% (CI 54.8-56.8) of females in Montserrado and Nimba respectively were indicated to have experienced non-sexual domestic abuse; 19.4% (CI 18.6-20.2) and 26.0% (CI 25.1-26.9) of females in Montserrado and Nimba respectively to have been raped outside of marriage; and 72.3% (CI 70.7-73.9) and 73.8% (CI 72.0-75.7) of married or separated women in Montserrado and Nimba respectively to have experienced marital rape. Husbands and boyfriends were reported as the perpetrators of the vast majority of reported violence. Strangers were reported to account for less than 2% of the perpetrators of rape in either county. Incidents were most commonly disclosed to other family members or to friends and neighbors, and less often to formal authorities such as the police, court or community leaders. Programming needs to address the fact that this violence is primarily occurring in the household, where most incidents go unreported outside the immediate family or social circle.

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The article, published in Child Development, features the findings from a 3-phase Delphi consultation featuring thirty specialists in humanitarian work supporting the care and protection of children in crisis settings. Proposals of best practice were elicited, reviewed, and rated by participants. A high level of consensus support was reached for 55 statements. These statements emphasized utilization of existing resources, participation, and inclusivity. The influences of resilience theory, social ecology, and cultural sensitivity were clearly evident. The utilization of developmental theory could be strengthened in relation to more differentiated understanding of the operation of protective influences and conceptualization of such influences in terms of ‘‘adaptive systems.’’ Wider research engagement by development scientists in diverse cultural settings and clear formulation of findings for practitioners and policy makers would further support evidence-based humanitarian practice.

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This is a practical guide to the Participatory Ranking Methodology (PRM). PRM is a ‘mixed methods’ approach to data collection, in which a group of knowledgeable participants are guided in generating responses to a specific question or set of questions. It is a ‘mixed methods’ approach in that it draws on both quantitative and qualitative methodologies to generate rich, contextualized data that can nonetheless be counted, ranked, and compared across or within groups. This methodology promotes an engaged and participatory process, which rapidly highlights key findings while providing the opportunity for deeper analysis as resources permit.    Collected in a structured manner, results can be swiftly consolidated and used to develop action plans addressing identified priorities.

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Integration has become both a key policy objective related to the resettlement of refugees and other migrants, and a matter of significant public discussion. Coherent policy development and productive public debate are, however, both threatened by the fact that the concept of integration is used with widely differing meanings. Based on review of attempted definitions of the term, related literature and primary fieldwork in settings of refugee settlement in the UK, this article in the Journal of Refugee Studies identifies elements central to perceptions of what constitutes ‘successful’ integration. Key domains of integration are proposed related to four overall themes: achievement and access across the sectors of employment, housing, education and health; assumptions and practice regarding citizenship and rights; processes of social connection within and between groups within the community; and structural barriers to such connection related to language, culture and the local environment. A framework linking these domains is presented as a tool to foster debate and definition regarding normative conceptions of integration in resettlement settings

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This article in Disasters documents the significant threats to children’s well-being directly linked to the political conflict in Darfur, Sudan. It demonstrates the role of non-conflict factors in exacerbating these dangers and in promoting additional protection violations and it uses the ‘protective environment’ framework to identify systematic features of the current environment that put children at risk. This framework is shown to provide a coherent basis for assessment and planning, prompting broad, multidisciplinary analysis, concentrating on preventive and protective action, and fostering a systemic approach (rather than placing an undue focus on the discrete needs of ‘vulnerable groups’).

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Over the course of a consultation meeting on best practice in care and protection of children associated with fighting forces, consensus methodology was used to identify areas where research was required to strengthen the knowledge base supporting programming policy. Key areas of priority for research and practice development were: livelihood interventions; integration of girls formerly associated with fighting forces; improved monitoring and evaluation strategies; and documenting the comparative effectiveness of community-based psychosocial and clinical interventions.

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