Moving Towards Children as Partners in Child Protection in COVID-19 Guide – From Participation to Partnerships
This practical guide, produced under the Child Protection Area of Responsibility (CP AoR) with support from the Care and Protection of Children (CPC) Learning Network, addresses how child-focused organizations can maintain and strengthen children’s participation in child protection programming during the COVID-19 pandemic. Developed in response to the unprecedented disruptions caused by quarantine measures, school closures, and physical distancing requirements, the guide reframes children not as passive recipients of protection but as active partners and leaders in humanitarian response.
The guide is structured as a progressive journey from rapid engagement to meaningful partnership, organized across four modules: adapting participatory tools during COVID-19; rapid engagement of children in COVID-19 response; ethics and safeguarding during COVID-19; and meaningful child participation and child leadership. It is designed to be used flexibly—organizations can begin with quick tips and practical tools for immediate application, then move toward deeper reflection on how to genuinely center children’s voices and leadership in their work over the longer term.
This resource is relevant for child protection practitioners, program managers, and organizations working with children in emergency and development contexts who are seeking to adapt their participatory approaches to remote and physically distanced realities while upholding ethical safeguarding standards.