This document features key messages including critical information about keeping children safe and healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic. The content addresses the psychosocial concerns and increased child protection risks that can occur as a result of measures put in place to prevent the spread and negative impact of COVID-19. The messages are designed for use by country child protection actors, such as public child protection officers, directors of residential care facilities and government and civil society actors that work with vulnerable children and families. The information included herein should guide targeting of activities and services for vulnerable children and families. These messages have been informed by existing guidance provided by the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and others, and were originally drafted by an inter-agency Technical Working Group convened by the National Council for Children’s Services and UNICEF in Kenya. The content is framed by applicable international standards, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children and the 2019 Child Protection Minimum Standards.
