Community Based Psychosocial Support: A response strategy (Draft)

Safe Spaces, or Child Friendly Spaces (CFS), have come to be an important vehicle to address issues of child protection, gender based violence and psychosocial support, during emergencies. There is considerable variation across agencies in the set-up, design, mode of operation and quality of child friendly spaces. While variation itself is welcomed, some agreement on basic principles and practice is essential. Also, while considered to be a community based intervention, Safe Spaces/CFS can often end up being a place for play and recreation or a vehicle for service delivery in isolation. There is an acknowledgement that Safe Spaces should be grounded in a more community based psychosocial support strategy. This note is intended to help country offices think towards putting in place a more robust and comprehensive community based psychosocial support in responses to emergencies.