Do Child Friendly Spaces (CFS) really improve children’s mental health?

Child-Friendly Spaces (CFS) are safe, structured places established quickly in emergencies where children can play, learn, and receive psychosocial support, to promote protection and wellbeing.

In this second episode, Sarah Harrison, Acting Director of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement MHPSS Hub, speaks with Professor Alastair Ager, Queen Margaret University and Columbia University and Phiona Koyiet, MHPSS Lead, World Vision International, for a practitioner-focused reflection.

Together they examine what the evidence says about effectiveness and impact of CFS for children’s wellbeing, protection and mental health, drawing on rigorous research (see below) and unpack what this means in practice: setting and monitoring quality indicators, ensuring skilled facilitators (“animators”), and the importance of integrating CFS within a tiered system of care with clear referral pathways - since CFS are not ‘silver bullets’. They discuss field adaptations, cultural relevance, costs and staffing, and how evidence has shaped World Vision’s programming guidance.

Key resources for practitioners

Tools and guidance for monitoring and evaluating Child Friendly Spaces

The Toolkit for Child Friendly Spaces in Humanitarian Settings

Read more about the research:

Evaluating the longer-term mental health, developmental and systems impact of Child Friendly Spaces in humanitarian emergencies

An RCT of enhanced Child Friendly Space interventions for children affected by conflict and displacement

Evidence from the Frontline: Mental Health in Crisis-Affected Contexts is a six-episode mini-series produced in collaboration between the MHPSS Hub and Elrha, designed for practitioners working in humanitarian and crisis contexts, the series highlights impactful interventions and practical insights from experts in the field.

How do we adapt an evidence-based mental health intervention for different communities in crisis-affected settings?

In this first episode Sarah Harrison, Acting Director of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement MHPSS Hub, interviews Ken Carswell a Mental health Specialist from WHO and Lidiia Kasianchuk a psychologist from Ukraine with experience of implementing SH+.

Together they unpack what practitioners need to know about implementation of both the book and group-based SH+ approaches, including field use and adaptation experiences; the impact of SH+ on service users and staff (the role of group facilitators is key). The importance of practice-based evidence and community engagement are explored, and the need for monitoring and evaluation, as well as more rigorous research to inform scaling and to explore motivation aspects.

SH+ is a stress management course developed by WHO supported by Elrha’s Research for Health in Humanitarian Crises (R2HC) and the EU Horizon2020 programme.

Key resources for practitioners

• Psychological interventions implementation manual: integrating evidence-based psychological interventions into existing services
• Self-Help Plus (sh+): a group-based stress management course for adults
• The Self-Help Plus (‎SH+)‎ training manual: for training facilitators to deliver the SH+ course
• Self-Help Plus (SH+) online orientation course
• Doing What Matters in Times of Stress

Research and further reading

• Self-Help Plus (SH+): a new WHO stress management packageGuided self-help to reduce psychological distress in South Sudanese female refugees in Uganda: a cluster randomised trial
• Effectiveness of a WHO self-help psychological intervention for preventing mental disorders among Syrian refugees in Turkey: a randomized controlled trial
• Effectiveness of a WHO self-help psychological intervention to alleviate stress among healthcare workers in the context of COVID-19 in China: a randomised controlled trial
• Effectiveness of Self-Help Plus in its digital version in reducing anxiety and post-traumatic symptomatology among nursing home workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: secondary analysis of randomised controlled trial data
• Highlighting Complementary Benefits of Problem Management Plus (PM+) and Doing What Matters in Times of Stress (DWM) Interventions Delivered Alongside Broader Community MHPSS Programming in Zummar, Ninewa Governorate of Iraq

Evidence from the Frontline: Mental Health in Crisis Affected Contexts is a six-episode mini-series produced in collaboration between the MHPSS Hub and Elrha, designed for practitioners working in humanitarian and crisis contexts, the series highlights impactful interventions and practical insights from experts in the field.

In this short teaser, Acting Director of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement MHPSS Hub Sarah Harrison introduces a coming podcast series on the Heartbeat of Humanity channel.

The six-episode podcast series is called Evidence from the Frontline – mental health in crisis affected contexts and it is produced in a collaboration between the MHPSS Hub and Elrha - Enhancing Learning and Research for Humanitarian Assistance.

Designed for MHPSS practitioners working in humanitarian and crisis contexts, the series highlights impactful interventions and offers practical insights from experts in the field. It will explore critical topics including effectiveness, implementation, adaptation, integration into existing programmes, human resources, costs, and the importance of cultural and contextual relevance.

So, if the Heartbeat of Humanity channel sometimes look, sound, or feel a little different in the coming months – don’t worry. If you’ve found value in Heartbeat of Humanity, Evidence from the Frontline will also be for you.