Addressing Capacity Gaps in Child Protection in Emergencies (CPIE): A scoping exercise on child protection in emergencies staff capacity with career development programme options for mid-level CPIE specialists

The aims of the Child Protection Working Group (CPWG), the global Child Protection Sub-Cluster, are to “facilitate a more predictable, accountable and effective child protection response in complex emergencies, disasters and other such situations.” Achieving a predictable, accountable and effective response relies heavily on the availability of experienced, technical Child Protection specialists to support with the design and delivery of the interventions. The ability of CPWG members to adequately and consistently meet the staffing needs of humanitarian responses, particularly of mid- and senior-level staff, has been put to the test over the past few years and has been challenged.

The purpose of this scoping exercise is to get a better understanding of why this is and develop ideas for how this might be addressed. What are the main gaps in child protection in emergencies staff capacity? What could a career development programme that aims to address these gaps look like? To research this, 50 Child Protection specialists of mid- and senior level who have worked in emergencies were asked about their experiences and thoughts regarding child protection in emergencies staff capacity through a written questionnaire and interviews. In addition, over 20 other key informants working in human resources, as programme managers and from various academic and training institutes were consulted about their experiences recruiting for child protection in emergency positions, about the capacity building programmes they are managing and what lessons learned they have encountered. Lastly, a review of humanitarian response evaluations and other relevant literature was also carried out and key points captured that relate to child protection in emergencies staff capacity.

The report presents the results of these discussions and the brief literature review in two parts: Part I presents the findings of a scoping exercise carried out and Part II presents three options for Child Protection Career Development Programmes that can be considered to address some of the gaps highlighted.