Today’s humanitarian crises disproportionately affect children and women. Conflict has moved from the ”front line” to the backyard, with more children exposed to extreme violence and loss as their entire community is affected. These events mark children, whether they witness events directly or indirectly, whether they suffer as victims of violence or are pulled into the conflict as perpetrators of violence themselves. While the humanitarian community knows how to meet their survival needs of food, water, and shelter, how do we help children and their communities recover from these other invisible wounds? 

In situations that pose a violent, extreme or sudden threat to the survival and well-being of children and women, Save the Children’s basic objectives are to ensure the survival of the most vulnerable children and women; assure protection against violence and exploitation; support the rehabilitation and recovery of children, families and communities; and promote lasting solutions by creating and strengthening the capacity of families and communities to build an environment in which children can thrive. 

Psychosocial care and support in emergencies is an integral component in the rehabilitation of communities and in restoring children’s normal and healthy development. This Field Guide has been designed to provide useful strategies in responding to psychosocial needs and a means of operationalizing such an approach. It is an important element in building Save the Children’s capacity in this challenging area of emergency response, and as such complements the other program field guides in this series. 

We hope that it will prove a valuable tool to all field staff and foster the development of even more effective programming for children in complex emergencies.