From place to space: field insights on adapting child-friendly spaces during COVID-19. (Special Section: Mental health and psychosocial support.)

This article reported the development of four sets of recommendations for the adaptation of CFS programming and the identification of different learning modalities in use or accessible to children within communities Over one third of children and caregivers surveyed reported new stressors for caregivers or related to caregiving in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic Some of these include closed churches, closed borders (restricting movements back to South Sudan), economic insecurity, lack of material goods to support basic needs, lack of support from relatives, and fear of the coronavirus itself New COVID-related stressors were also reported for caregivers where children's exposure to friends was reduced The two most frequently reported stressors related to lack of food and education With access to the community now more difficult due to COVID-19 restrictions, several community-based groups have been leading efforts to reduce disease transmission and identify families in need of general psychosocial and specialised mental health support Trained health workers and community volunteers have been working together to support dissemination of COVID messaging This initiative can be extended to develop and disseminate child-friendly MHPSS messaging and capacity-strengthening efforts for community groups, child protection committees (CPCs) and faith leaders already working to provide information to prevent the spread of the virus and address stigma and other misconceptions Overwhelmingly, children surveyed reported not being able to go back to school and be with friends as the primary source of their concern Prior to the closure of CFS within the settlement, children and youth clubs (CYCs) were able to bring children together and to promote social cohesion, peacebuilding and child protection, and were also useful for enabling child-led advocacy In the absence of CFS, these smaller CYCs have thrived outside the confines of their formerly place-based home Facilitated by community groups and faith leaders, activities include opportunities which they would normally have in the CFS The groups follow a set of sessions adapted from a child-led peacebuilding curriculum Child club members trained in journalism have also been helping with COVID response activities through promoting child-friendly information on coronavirus prevention and personal hygiene, either face to face or through mobile phones, sharing information on child protection through the radio and during community meetings, and promoting children's safety from violence Members of the clubs also reach out to child-headed households to provide basic child protection and psychosocial support messages