PFA II: Dealing With Traumatic Responses in Children

The PFA II, Dealing with traumatic responses in children manual provides guidance for staff working with children who are severely affected psychologically by acute crisis. It is not a clinical tool and does not in itself qualify staff to engage in clinical interventions. Save the Children’s Psychological First Aid Training for Child Practitioners, which is currently being rolled out in several regions, lays the foundation for providing PFA as a basic psychological support. However, in some situations, it appears that methods such as comfort and stabilization are not sufficient. PFA II is supplementary to the basic PFA training. It provides advice for non-psychologists, based on field experience, research and the latest theories on child trauma, resilience and recovery. It provides advice to staff dealing directly with children who are showing concerning behaviours (beyond what is perceived as common reactions to traumatic events). The training has been developed as a response to the need for guidance expressed by field staff involved in the Syria response, but it can be used in all contexts where children are displaying behaviours that require extra attention. The advice applies to children of all age groups unless otherwise indicated. It is recommended that staff complete PFA training before doing the PFA II training. In certain circumstances, it may be appropriate to integrate PFA II training with the main PFA training for child practitioners.

The manual is available in both English and Arabic.