Psychosocial Aid Coordination Meeting

PSYCHOSOCIAL WORKING GROUP
4 September 2001

MINUTES

1. Introduction of new participants/adoption of minutes.

Participants present were representing: ARC, Safe Childhood, IOM, CPCA, CARE, CRS, AAR JAPAN, European Perspektive and UNICEF. Minutes of the last meeting were adopted.
Short introduction of the way of working and rationale of the Psychosocial Working Group to the new participants.

UNICEF will share in soft version the psychosocial matrix to be updated by the organisations as well as the English version of the IDP and Host Family questionnaires.


2. Update on ongoing vulnerability assessment of IDP and host family population

Ms. Suzana Peseva presented the findings from the field from the assessment of IDPs in Collective Centres and areas of concern reported by the assessment teams, were: a) need for urgent crisis intervention; b) need for individual psychological interventions c) establishment of a referral mechanism; d) lack of security measures in the Collective Centers; e) gaps in distribution of the humanitarian assistance to the Collective Centres; f) addresses provided by the MRC were not accurate.

Further to these preliminary needs coming out of the assessment, the following issues were discussed and agreed:

• establishment of referral mechanism for children and their families suffering from trauma and establishment of initial framework for mobile teams by next week on Tuesday. (Action: UNICEF, Safe Childhood, CPCA, ARC)
  

This includes:

• mapping of local institutions, identification of local professionals able to provide experienced psychosocial counselling services, establishment of SOS telephone line, development of leaflet of information about referral services (to be further developed by ARC):
  
  
• as response to immediate calls requesting psychosocial support, a response is being developed by next week's meeting with the notice that this kind of response should not be once and ad hoc but a serious approach embedded within a longer term support structure.
  
  
• it was noted to enhance safety, security and confidence building measures within the collective centres through the creation of an enabling and empowering environment by the IDPs living in the CCs themselves with support from outside facilitators (action ARC);
  
  
• increase support to families and their children through group work, recreation, play and discussions groups.
  
  
• Issues of further concern were raised by pregnant women living in CCs about their newborns and no accurate accommodation for these babies in the CCs; repetition of concern by IDP parents on continuous education for their children; gaps in distribution system to meet all rights and needs of IDPs in CCs. All these matters were discussed at the WG and will be also reported and taken to host family working group meeting, health coordination meeting and education meeting.
  
  
• IDPs noted a lack of security in the CCs and that will be referred to at the government meeting on Thursday at 13,00.
  
  
• The assessment teams complained on inaccuracy of data and addresses with regard to host families and IDPs living with host families: UNICEF will take this matter up urgently with ICRC and MRC.
  
  
• For the rest, the ongoing assessment of IDP and host family population is going on well. Interviewers seek support among themselves with the support of the debriefings to face the enormous trauma they are confronted with in the field.
  As was mentioned on the debriefing on the ongoing assessment, there is a high need of psychological aid and UNICEF shared that SDR is willing to pay financial incentives to the host families to support them in hosting IDPs. The assessment teams, as discussed at the host family WG, will mention this initiative to the host families that are being interviewed.
  
  
• On Friday, ARC, CPCA, UNICEF and Safe Childhood will work on referral mechanism, mobile teams and training scheme and on info leaflet.

3. Need for Mobile " Counselling " Teams
4. Discussion on ongoing and future activities (debriefing by UNICEF on Conference in Istanbul)

Items 3 and 4 were covered with the above discussions. In addition Mayke Huijbregts briefed the participants about the VIII European Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect, especially about the sessions on impact of armed conflicts on the well-being of children and problems of children in a post war period.