A well-supported, appropriately equipped, empowered, and protected social service workforce is essential to mitigating the damaging effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Social service workers can build on their existing strong ties to children, families, and communities to rapidly respond in ways that are effective.This page includes COVID-19 resources specific to mental health and psychosocial support,child protection, case management, alternative care, gender-based violence, service provision to vulnerable populations, working within communities and across sectors, communications and key messages, and webinars and trainings.
Technical Note: Social Service Workforce Safety and Wellbeing during the COVID-19 Response
Our technical note Social Service Workforce Safety and Wellbeing during the COVID-19 Response provides guidance and recommended actions to support the social service workforce and empower them to safely serve children, families, and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The document is a collaboration between the Global Social Service Workforce Alliance, UNICEF, International Federation of Social Workers and Alliance for Children Protection in Humanitarian Action.
A webinar was held to review the technical note and learn from country-specific examples of how they are supporting the workforce by developing remote supervision, criteria for determining in-person or remote case management and advocacy strategies to government for workers to be protected and recognized as essential service providers. The full recording and presentations are now available for download.
Mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) tools:
- Inter-Agency Standing Committee Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) in Emergency Settings
- Interim Briefing Note Addressing Mental Health and Psychosocial Aspects of COVID-19 Outbreak
- Psychological Interventions for People Affected by the COVID-19 Epidemic
- Briefing Note on Addressing Mental Health and Psychosocial Aspects of COVID-19 Outbreak: Version 1.1
- Basic Psychosocial Support Skills: A guide for COVID-19 responders
- Remote Psychological First Aid during the COVID-19 Outbreak
- Mental Health and Psychosocial Considerations During COVID-19 Outbreak
- Caring for Volunteers - A Psychosocial Support Toolkit
- Mental Health and Psychosocial Considerations: Key actions for Caring for Volunteers in COVID-19
- Mental Health and Psychosocial Support for Staff, Volunteers and Communities in an Outbreak of Novel Coronavirus
- Delivering Psychological Treatment to Children via Phone: A set of guiding principles based on recent research with Syrian refugee children
- Interim Guidance: Supportive Supervision for volunteers providing Mental Health and Psychosocial Support during COVID-19
- MHPSS resources from MHPSS.net
- COVID-19 operational guidance for implementation and adaptation of MHPSS activities for children, adolescents, and families
- 14-Day Well-being Kit
- COVID-19: Wellbeing and Self Care Resources for Carers and Practitioners
Child protection resources:
- Moving Towards Children as Partners in Child Protection in COVID-19 Guide from Participation to Partnerships
- Social Protection & Child Protection: Working together to protect children from the impact of COVID-19 and beyond
- Technical Note: Protection of Children during the Coronavirus Pandemic
- Child Helplines and the Protection of Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic
- UNICEF has compiled resources and related information on child protection during COVID-19 on their website.
- Guidance Note: Protection of Children during Infectious Disease Outbreaks
- CP AoR Child Protection Resource Menu for COVID-19, includes links to many resources on the topic
- Child Helpline International: Coronavirus (COVID-19) - website with tools, articles and other resources for children’s rights practitioners
- Save the Children COVID-19 Program Framework and Guidance
- Ethical Considerations for Evidence Generation Involving Children on the COVID-19 Pandemic
- A Reflective Field Guide: Community-level approaches to child protection in humanitarian action
- COVID-19 Global Overview of Child Protection Risks -map and data
- COVID-19 and Its Implications for Protecting Children Online
- Gatekeeping Considerations during the COVID-19 Pandemic
- National Responses to Adjust Child Protection Systems (COVID 19) in ECARO
- Technical Note: COVID-19 and Child Labour
- COVID-19 and Child Labour: A time of crisis, a time to act
- ‘When will I be free’: Lessons of COVID-19 for Child Protection in South Africa
- COVID-19 SYNTHESIS #4 - Children’s Participation
- The Hidden Impact of COVID-19 on Child Protection and Wellbeing
- Protecting Children from Violence in the Time of COVID-19: Disruptions in prevention and response services
Case management resources:
- Child Protection Case Management Guidance during COVID-19. This guidance note details the four priority areas that case management agencies will need to focus on in the coming days and months during COVID-19 for child protection.
- Child Protection Case Management Guidance for Remote Phone Follow-up in Covid-19
- Child Protection Case Management Guidance during COVID 19 – Somalia
- Child Protection Case Management - COVID19 Decision-Making on Essential Personal Interactions
- COVID19 Child Protection Case Management Field Guidance
- Tips and Considerations for PEPFAR OVC Remote Case Management in the Context of COVID-19
- Monitoring & Evaluation Tips and Considerations for Remote OVC Case Management
- Case Management Guidance for Disease Outbreak – Iraq Child Protection Sub-Cluster Situations where Access to Affected Communities in and outside of Camps is Limited
- Case Management Preparedness and Response to COVID-19 - Rapid contingency considerations
- COVID-19: Home visits and face-to-face interventions
- Case Management Considerations for Children in Residential Care during COVID-19 Pandemic
- Case Management Considerations for Children at Risk of Separation, including recently reunified children, during COVID-19 pandemic
- Expedited Case Management Process for Permanent Placement in Families after COVID-19 Lockdown
Alternative care and separated children:
- Technical Note on the Protection of Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Children and Alternative Care
- The Implications of COVID-19 for the Care of Children Living in Residential Institutions
- Alternative Care in Emergencies Toolkit
- Advice for Implementing Protections to Guarantee the Right to Family and Community Life in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Field Handbook on Unaccompanied and Separated Children and Toolkit on Unaccompanied and Separated Children
- Guidelines for Virtual Monitoring of Children, their Families and Residential Care Facilities during the COVID-19 Pandemic
- COVID-19: Residential care, supported living and home care guidance
- Technical note: COVID-19 and Children Deprived of their Liberty
- Child Safe Programming in Interim Care Centers
- Prevention and Management of COVID-19 in Child Care Institutions
- COVID 19 Crisis: Talking with and Listening to Children and Young People in Alternative Care
- Prioritising support to kinship care in responses to COVID-19
- A Critical Resource at Risk: Supporting Kinship Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond
- Rapid Return of Children in Residential Care to Family as a Result of COVID-19: Scope, challenges, and recommendations
- Guidance for Alternative Care Provision during COVID-19
Gender-based violence:
- Guidelines for Mobile and Remote Gender-Based Violence Service Delivery
- Gender-based violence resources, including GBV service provision, case management and gender implications
- GBV Case Management and the COVID-19 Pandemic
- COVID-19 and violence against women: What the health sector/system can do
- Violence against women and girls data collection during COVID-19
- Child and Adolescent Survivors of Sexual Violence and COVID-19 Key Considerations and Practical Guidance
- COVID-19: Policy Brief and Recommendations - Strengthening efforts to prevent and respond to school-related gender-based violence as schools reopen
- Responding to the Shadow Pandemic: Taking stock of gender-based violence risks and responses during COVID-19
- COVID-19: Policy Brief and Recommendations - Strengthening efforts to prevent and respond to school-related gender-based violence as schools reopen
Service provision to vulnerable populations:
- Priorities for EU Response to COVID-19 regarding threat to Social Service provision (NACE Code 87-88)
- The COVID-19 outbreak and Support Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities
- Toward a Disability-Inclusive COVID19 Response: 10 recommendations from the International Disability Alliance
- Disability Considerations during the COVID-19 Outbreak
- COVID-19: How to include marginalized and vulnerable people in risk communication and community engagement
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Guidance on vulnerable children and young people
- Child Welfare Supervision During Physical Distancing: Tools and Guidance
- COVID-19: Information and Guidance for Social or Community Care & Residential Settings
- Risk Communication & Community Engagement for COVID-19 - Engaging with Children and Adults with Disabilities
- Strategies and interventions on preventing and responding to violence and injuries among refugees and migrants
- Policy Brief: A Disability-Inclusive Response to COVID-19
Working within communities and across sectors:
- Ethical Challenges Faced by Social Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention and Control in Schools
- Interim Guidance on Scaling-up COVID-19 Outbreak in Readiness and Response Operations in Camps and Camp-like Settings
- What Child Welfare Systems Need to Think About
- Parent/Caregiver Guide to Helping Families Cope With the Coronavirus Disease 2019
- Emergency Child Care: Issues to Consider
- Guidance for Cash Based-Transfers in the Context of COVID19
- Social Work in Multi-Disciplinary and Multi-Agency Contexts during Covid-19
- Inter-Agency Working Group on Violence against Children: Agenda for Action
- Recommendations for keeping children safe and learning, during and after the COVID-19 crisis
- How social workers can tackle the ethical and practice challenges of Covid-19: Guidance from PSWs
- COVID-19 & Immigration Detention: What Can Governments and Other Stakeholders Do?
- Working with Communities to Keep Children Safe
- COVID-19 Checklist for Child Welfare Leaders
- Mourning for a loved one when you cannot attend funeral services
- COVID-19 Multi-Sectoral Needs Assessment
- Practical ways to address COVID-19 stigma and manage its effects
- Ethical Challenges Faced by Social Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Communications and key messages:
- Social Behavior Change/Community Engagement and Risk Communication Operational Checklist in Outbreaks
- Pacific 2020 Protection Messages Measles Outbreak
- COVID-19: How to include marginalized and vulnerable people in risk communication and community engagement
- Messages on Psychological Coping during a Disease Outbreak - For families, friends, colleagues of those in quarantine or self-isolation
- Resource pack: six one-page tips on positive parenting during COVID-19
- COVID-19 Social Media Kit
- Guidance for Child Protection Case workers to share with Children or Caregivers on COVID-19 Preventive Safety Measures when doing Case Management Work
- Messages for Governments: Coordinating the Protection of Children during the COVID-19 Response
- Leaders Statement: Call for Action to Protect Children from Violence and Abuse during COVID-19
- Policy Brief from the UN: The Impact of COVID-19 on Children
- COVID-19 and its Implication on Children’s Rights and Welfare - Guiding Note to Member States of the African Union
- Advocacy Messages for Child Protection Actors: Prioritizing Child Protection in COVID-19 Response Plans
- Keeping Children Safe in Uganda's COVID-19 Response
- Policy Brief: Child labour in Lebanon - The economic crisis and the compounding impact of COVID-19 pandemic
Webinars and Online Trainings
- GBVIMS+ podcast on remote supervision and staff support
- Supporting the Virtual Workforce webinar series from the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute
- Case management and child protection during COVID-19
- COVID-19 Special: How to Use Evidence in Policymaking
- Ethical Challenges for Social Workers during Covid-19
- COVID-19 Social Work Response in Africa: Transformational leadership in Emergency
- Protecting Children from Violence, Abuse and Neglect in the Home
- Strengthening Family & Caregiving Environments—CPMS Standard 16 in the Context of COVID-19
- Adapting Child Protection Case Management to the COVID-19 Context
- Tackling COVID-19’s Hidden Crisis: Violence Against Children
- Child Protection and COVID-19 (including considerations for refugee populations) - webinar recording from the Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action
- Child Protection and COVID-19 - webinar recording from ECDAN and the Global Partnership to End Violence
- Care Workforce and Social Connectedness - video from REPSSI
- Strengthening Families Webinar Recording: During a Pandemic and Beyond - Center for the Study of Social Policy
- Managing the Psychological Impact of COVID 19 - Strategies for professionals working with youth
- Social Services Prepardedness in time of Crisis - European Social Network webinar
*We are updating this page as new resources are made available.
