Final report, cpie lessons learnt workshop, feb 2009.pdf

FINAL REPORT
Child Protection in Emergencies
Lessons Learnt Workshop on 2008 Flooding
February 10-11, 2009
Organized by: UNICEF Nepal
Executive Summary
The breach of the Koshi dam on the 18th of August 2008 resulted in massive flooding
across Sunsari and Saptari districts in the east of Nepal. Over 60,000 people were displaced, taking refuge in schools, and eventually long-term IDP camps. In September seasonal flooding in the west of Nepal affected a further 30,000 households.1 These two events proved the first real test of the capacity of the child protection-sub cluster, working together, to respond to a large scale emergency. The Lessons Learnt workshop, held in Kathmandu in February 2009, aimed to share experiences from the 2008 floods response, draw lessons and determine priorities for preparedness in relation to potential natural disasters and civil unrest in Nepal. It also aimed to draw up a new Contingency Plan for CPiE for 2009. The main lessons learnt were the following: ? A short training package should be developed to promote mainstreaming of child protection issues in preparedness and response activities by other actors, including key district stakeholders, cluster members from other clusters etc. ? WDOs in at-risk districts should be provided with general management training as well as capacity-building on CPiE, to enhance their overall coordination and leadership of the cluster at the district level ? Clear focal persons need to be identified before and during emergencies to ensure coherent and streamlined information-sharing and response ? The mapping of child protection actors in at-risk districts prior to the next emergency season needs to be carried out by the cluster, with support from OCHA ? Following this, capacity-building for cluster members in those at-risk districts ? District-level cluster contingency plans should be developed before the next emergency season with support from the national sub-cluster ? Monitoring and evaluation tools to be fine-tuned and tested, with orientations Although some of the recommendations have been factored into ongoing programming, some are new ideas, and will require coordinated action, advocacy, fundraising and planning. Further trainings will also be necessary before the beginning of the next emergency season to ensure that the relevant actors are prepared for further emergencies. The lessons learnt have been incorporated into the child protection contingency plan for 2009. 1 OCHA Situation Report, 22 October 2008, quoting NRCS data.
Table of Contents

1. Methodology…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….4
2. Main Lessons Learnt…………………………………………………………………………………………………. 5 A. Coordination, Advocacy and Information-sharing at National Level……………….…………….5 B. Coordination, Advocacy and Information-sharing at Local Level…………………………….………7 C. Rapid Assessment……………………………………………………………….…………………………………….….8 D. Child Protection Rapid Assessment Tool…………………………………………………………………….….9 E. Identification of Target group/beneficiaries………………….………………….……………………….…10 F. Separation, Family tracing and reunification………………….……………….…………………….….…11 G. Gender in emergencies………………………………………………………….…………….……….………….12 H. Gender based violence including SEA …………………………………………………….…………….…….14 I. Psychosocial support…………………………………………………………………………….……….………….…15 J. Community mobilization/Child protection awareness raising………………………….….….….16 K. Capacity enhancement………………………………………………………………….………………………….…17 L. Procurement and Distribution of NFI……………………………….……….……………………….…….…18 M. Monitoring, reporting and evaluation……………………………….……………………….………….……20
Abbreviations
CCCM: Camp Coordination / Camp Management Cluster CMC: Camp Management Committee CPSW: Community Psychosocial Social Workers DDC: District development Committee DDRC: District Disaster Relief Committee DEO: District Education Officer HQ: Headquarters GBV: Gender Based Violence GoN: Government of Nepal IDP: Internally Displaced Person IEC: Information, Education and Communication M&E: Monitoring and Evaluation NFI: Non Food Items NGO: Non Governmental Organisation OCHA: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs OHCHR: Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights SCN: Save the Children in Nepal SEA: Sexual Abuse and Exploitation ToT: Training of Trainers UN: United Nations UNDP: United Nations Development Programme UNFPA: United Nations Population Fund UNHCR: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNICEF: United Nations Children’s Fund WDO: Women Development Officer 1. Methodology
This workshop, held in Kathmandu on 10-11 February 2009, brought together the various actors involved in the child protection sub-cluster response to the flooding in 2008, in order to: 1. Draw Lessons learnt from the various aspects of the floods response The approximately 40 participants included district officials from the disaster-affected districts, national and district cluster leads, humanitarian actors involved in the floods response, including NGOs, and UN agencies, including OCHA. Much of the workshop took the form of group-work, as well as presentations from various actors. The presentations covered general protection in emergency issues, updates from the global Child Protection Working Group, presentations from the field on the Eastern and Western floods response by the WDOs, the most likely disaster scenarios for 2009 in Nepal, and a session on planning for disasters. The two major groups work sessions focused on preparedness and response, based on lessons learnt from the previous 2. Main Lessons Learnt

The following recommendations comprise a summary of the main lessons learnt by the cluster,
both in terms of preparedness and response. They relate to lessons learnt at field and at national level. The lesson learnt were arrived at for each theme, taking into account the successes and challenges agreed upon in the group sessions, as well as the information conveyed in the presentations.

A. Coordination, advocacy and information-sharing at the National Level
One of the main successes identified in relation to national -level coordination and information-
sharing were the preparatory activities which took place prior to the monsoon season. Specifically, trainings conducted by national members of the sub-cluster on child protection in emergencies at the regional and district level had a positive impact on the response capacity of local and national cluster members. The sub-cluster was activated within the protection cluster and regular cluster meetings were held at national level during the emergency, proving to be useful in facilitating information-sharing at the national level and between the field and national actors, identifying gaps, and advocating for the mainstreaming of child rights concerns in other clusters and responses. The cluster also developed a CPiE contingency plan at the beginning of 2008. Challenges to coordination at the national level primarily rested on lack of preparedness, for example a capacity gap due to lack of trainings of district stakeholders; a lack of mapping of child protection organisations in at-risk districts; at times inadequate coordination between field and national clusters; and not enough engagement with and advocacy to government partners at the national level. The contingency plan for CPiE was also underused by the cluster. The following recommendations were made, to be implemented by the national sub-cluster, Preparedness
? Write a more workable contingency plan that will be useful in emergencies and remain a ? Undertake further capacity-building for district-level stakeholders, including support for the development of district-level CPiE response plans, and for mapping of child protection organisations/actors before the emergency ? Undertake mapping of all child protection actors at the national level, and for most at- ? Engage with relevant government stakeholders, including the MoWCSW and DWD, to ? Strengthen inter-agency/cluster coordination and raise awareness of CPiE as a cross- cutting issue within other clusters. A workshop for national level stakeholders from other clusters is one option; the UN Resident Coordinator should be involved in this to increase the effectiveness across UN agencies; the lessons learnt report should be shared with other clusters; a child protection checklist for other clusters, focusing on their specific areas, should be developed before the next emergency; and finally, distribute the Child Protection Code of Conduct across all clusters before/during ? In the first 7-10 days, work to support conduct of a detailed child protection assessment and facilitate dissemination of results to relevant stakeholders ? Finalise training manual on CPiE and pilot in selected districts
Response
? Mobilise national cluster members, including the MoWCSW, DWD, and OCHA to begin ? Provide technical support to district-level sub-cluster during emergencies as needed ? During emergencies, coordinate two-way information-sharing with OCHA to ensure cluster can identify gaps, and advocate for mainstreaming of CPiE issues across clusters ? Activate standby agreements to ensure maximum speed of response. ? Develop staff mobilization to ensure presence and continuation of activities during ? Provide support for rapid assessment and ongoing monitoring of response activities ? Conduct regular meetings during and before emergencies – ensure all members attend these meetings, and district partners share the most up-to-date information and ? Identify up-to-date focal persons and back-up focal persons at the national level for all cluster actors, to ensure continuity of information-sharing and coordination to the fullest extent possible. This would also apply within organisations ? During and before emergency, develop joint proposals for fundraising ? Undertake sensitization and training for key stakeholders at both national and district levels, especially security forces, on Child Protection B. Coordination, advocacy and information-sharing at the local Level
Successes in coordination at the local level included the commitment by local agencies and
NGOs to attend the regular cluster meetings and undertake a range of child protection activities; the development of district response plans; the leadership roles taken by the WDOs; information-sharing with and advocacy to other clusters, resulting in some concrete gains such as some separate bathrooms and lighting within camps; and facilitation of capacity-building activities to district stakeholders. Challenges included the ‘newness’ of child protection as an emergency issue, and the implications of this in terms of conveying child protection message and clarifying child protection issues both within the cluster and to other clusters; no reliable mapping of organisations working on child protection at the district level; difficulty in mainstreaming child protection issues uniformly across other clusters and to district stakeholders; a lack of involvement of central-level actors in preparatory planning; inadequate inter-agency coordination at the district level, resulting in ad hoc responses (e.g. in movement of IDPs from schools to camps) and inadequate resource distribution and monitoring; and not enough involvement of local communities in protection planning and response. The following recommendations were made, to be implemented by district sub-clusters, with Preparedness
? Develop district level contingency plans with the support of the national sub-cluster ? Conduct mapping exercise of child protection actors in each district ? Mainstream CPiE into the regular child protection programme overseen by the WDO
Response
? Develop staff mobilization to ensure presence and continuation of activities during ? Conduct regular cluster meetings during emergencies and share information/coordinate with national cluster and other district-level clusters and stakeholders, such as the DDRC ? Ensure that once response or action plan are developed, clear responsibilities are allocated to avoid duplication and ensure all areas of response are covered ? Raise awareness of CPiE issues among other clusters through attendance and information-sharing at regular inter-cluster meetings, and dissemination of Code of ? Share findings of assessments and coordinate resource allocation and distribution of ? Conduct ongoing monitoring, evaluation and follow-up with beneficiaries and of cluster ? Share government policy guidelines on emergency response with cluster members ? Identify up-to-date focal persons and back-up focal persons at the district level for all cluster actors, to ensure continuity of information-sharing and coordination to the ? Support capacity-building activities within sub-cluster and to other district stakeholders C. Interagency Rapid Assessment- Nepal:
The interagency rapid assessment was successful in a number of areas. The form covered all the
necessary child protection issues as well as general information – child protection agencies were consulted on its design –and working in a group made it easier to fill in, as did the fact that it was translated into Nepali and written in simple language. The compilation of issues also helped in planning response. However, the assessment was time-consuming, and assessors needed to have training to be able to complete it. Lack of data analysis skills, and overall analysis of the results, was another problem. In addition, different organizations used different forms to collect data, and the form did not specify a methodology for data collection or a target group. Finally, no provisions were made to ensure that the interviewer was aware of the local language and culture issues, as well as the sensitivities associated with some of the issues raised in the form, The following recommendations were made regarding the IRA in general, and the WDO leading
Preparedness
? A roster of trained members should be developed in each district to ensure IRA groups can gather all required information, with agencies contributing human resources as
Response
? Use one form for all actors to ensure uniformity; in addition, this form should have clearly stated objectives, methodology and target group identified. ? Orientations on using the form, data collection, and sensitive issues should be provided ? One organization should be designated to compile, analyze and disseminate the ? Information on the child protection implications of certain questions/methodologies should be shared with other members of the IRA teams by the WDO/child protection ? The WDO should share the report of the IRA with cluster members and use this in ? Groups collecting data should have appropriate composition to address the needs of vulnerable populations. The sub-cluster should do advocacy to this end and participate in the IRA, as well as conducting a detailed child protection rapid assessment D. Child Protection Rapid Assessment Tool- Global

Several successes were identified in relation to the child protection rapid assessment tool,
including that it addresses all child protection issues; was a useful guide for developing response plans; and results of the assessment could be shared with other clusters and used for advocacy purposes. Challenges were that the tool was not practical for a truly rapid assessment as it was too detailed and time-consuming to fill out. The tool was not translated into Nepali and neither was the assessment report, and there was no proper orientation before its use. Recommendations included:
Preparedness
? Streamline the questions to make the tool more suited for rapid assessment
Response
? Translate the tool and final assessment report into Nepali ? Providing an orientation to the people charged with filling out the assessment forms ? Management of logistics, and finance for assessment, as well as dividing responsibility/groups should be done by the WDO in coordination with other cluster ? Assigning one organization to analyze the data and using this analysis to inform the child E. Identification of Target group/beneficiaries:

Successful identification of children was made possible through mobilization of existing local
structures, including Paralegal Committees, Community Based Organisations and the NRCS. However, the high mobility of the population made identification of children difficult, as did the proliferation of informal camps, the difficulty of tracing families staying with host communities, and the fact that some children were sent away from their families to host communities. An ongoing lack of age -disaggregated data about children in general made targeting and designing programmes difficult, and complicated efforts to trace and reunify missing or separated children. The presence of Indian citizens and the resulting cross-border issues also complicated targeting and identification of beneficiaries. Recommendations for the cluster included:
Preparedness
? Mapping and disaggregating of population data in at-risk districts to be conducted in preparation for emergencies, in cooperation with district stakeholders such as VDCs and
Response
? Any rapid assessments and ongoing data collection by the sub-cluster or other clusters should disaggregate data by age, with uniform age categories agreed upon in advance ? Greater efforts should be made to use existing data to trace displaced children, living with their families or not, who fall outside of the formal camp structures F. Separation, Family tracing and reunification:

Efforts at tracing and reunifying missing and separated children during the flooding in the East
were successful in that a mechanism to identify, trace and reunify children, as well as following up on them, was developed, with various awareness-raising activities on the risks of separation taking place in IDP camps. However, the response relating to tracing in the East suffered from a number of key challenges. Though identification of missing and separated children took place early, efforts at tracing and reunification took much longer, due to the unavailability of funds and trained personnel, an unclear allocation of responsibility (which was later rectified, though there remains a serious need to undertake capacity-building on the issue), and the difficulty of cross-border identification and reunification of Indian children. Recommendations for improving tracing and reunification efforts, to be led by the WDO with support from the sub-cluster, included:
Preparedness
? Tracing personnel need to be oriented/trained on tracing and reunification before
Response
? The focal organization should compile frequent reports on progress made and share updates with the cluster through email and at meetings ? Reports should be shared with other clusters – other clusters should be made aware of tracing efforts and that they should refer any cases which come to their attention ? Local media should be mobilized for awareness-raising and support for tracing of ? Regular awareness-raising activities in IDP camps, such as street drama, public messages, posters etc., should be conducted ? Involve ICRC and government, with continuous follow-up by tracing agency, on cross- ? When issues due to mobility arise, e.g. returning IDPs, IDPs moving from schools to camps, the cluster needs to be involved in planning to prevent likelihood of separation ? Follow-up on reunified children and on children who cannot be reunified should be conducted regularly and referrals made to appropriate support services (e.g. children’s ? Information desks and free phone services should be established in all camps and/or affected areas to help families make contact and to aid information-gathering efforts ? One focal organization should be identified and mobilized to take responsibility for all tracing efforts, with support from sub-cluster members on awareness-raising, information-sharing, and identification of appropriate support services for children while they are separated and for children who cannot be reunited with their families. G. Gender in emergencies:
Successes relating to gender in emergencies included good efforts at coordinating activities and
avoiding duplication, cooperation among cluster members, provision of support to pregnant and lactating women, orientations held on gender for IDP groups, and security personnel, and advocacy to other clusters resulting in concrete changes – for example the successful efforts to ensure the WASH cluster built latrines according to the security needs of women. The fact that some women felt comfortable enough to come forward with their problems is a testament to this success. Some challenges in this area included limited capacity/knowledge across the sub- cluster and partner organizations on gender issues; lack of initial involvement of women in CMCs, reluctance among women from some ethnic groups to participate in CMCs, and entrenched gender inequality within families; the vulnerability of female-headed households; lack of awareness of women and girls’ sanitation needs; needs assessments which did not adequately account for women’s needs and information dissemination, especially on health, which did not reach women effectively; and the danger represented by some security personnel
The following recommendations were made for improving the gender response in emergencies,
to be led by the WDO with the support of cluster members, particularly UNFPA:
Preparedness
? Establish guidelines for gender balance in CMCs to ensure women’s participation in ? Include gender issues in any preparatory capacity-building within cluster and to other ? Establish clear guidelines on gender needs related to WASH, to ensure that the WASH cluster provides the appropriate materials, planning etc. ? Map capacities of existing services (before emergency), including police, hospitals etc. in ? Ensure gender is mainstreamed into the inter-agency rapid assessment
Response
? Conduct awareness-raising activities about participation and gender among the target ? Implementation of services, referral mechanisms, women’s participation, and coordination should be subject to ongoing review by the cluster ? Distribute guidelines/codes of conduct in camps, to cluster members and other clusters, ? WDO to liaise with WASH cluster lead to ensure ongoing provision of gender-sensitive ? Liaise with Health cluster to ensure health information is disseminated by locally mobilized personnel to women, and that such information targets illiterate women ? Conduct ongoing needs assessments in terms of financial and materials resources – safe spaces, warm clothing, access to medical care etc. ? Form Watch Groups and Peer groups, and orient them on gender issues ? Establish referral mechanisms for IDPs on gender issues (from camps to relevant ? Ensure security personnel are present in camps day and night ? Orient cluster members, district stakeholders (including security personnel) and other clusters on gender issues in emergencies. Advocacy to these actors on gender issues H. Gender based violence including SEA:
The response relating specifically to GBV, including SEA, succeeded in setting up some
counseling centres and shelters/safe spaces, investigating allegations of abuse and ensuring confidentiality for survivors, raising awareness among the cluster and other actors on the SEA code of conduct, and raising awareness among IDPs on their options for reporting abuse. However, some shelters were not easily accessible, specific GBV/SEA services were not always available, staff were not trained in dealing with SEA cases and counselor numbers were insufficient, PEP kits were not available in all locations, more safe spaces for women and girls were needed, and, understandably, women were reluctant to report SEA cases. Recommendations for improving the GBV/SEA response include:
Preparedness
? Include GBV/SEA issues in any preparatory capacity-building within cluster and to other Response
? Increase the presence of security personnel, including female personnel, at all times in camps, and ensure that these personnel are all trained on GBV/SEA ? Train frontline field staff to facilitate more referrals and identification of abuse ? Orient cluster members, district stakeholders and other clusters on GBV/SEA and the SEA code of conduct, and distributing the SEA code of conduct to all stakeholders and in ? Form Watch Groups and Peer groups, and orient them on GBV/SEA ? Establish reporting/referral mechanisms for IDPs on GBV/SEA (from camps to relevant organization), and review the efficacy of such a mechanisms ? Conduct ongoing awareness-raising activities among male and female IDPs on GBV/SEA ? Conduct ongoing needs assessment on, and advocacy for, more safe spaces, shelters, ? Ensure women participate in CMCs, camp planning, and other decision-making bodies I. Psychosocial support:

The successes in providing psychosocial support rested on the mobilization of counselors and
CPSW who could speak local languages; the provision of some orientations to affected communities, and to CMCs, teachers and parents on basic psychosocial issues, which helped in early identification of cases,; the mobilization of government and private sector health personnel; the use of safe spaces to target support to pregnant and lactating women; the formation of self-help groups; and the value of psychosocial assistance in helping to identify other child protection issues. However, coordination among psychosocial service providers was lacking, there was a lack of counselors and social workers available from the local community, and a lack of continuity of counselors due to high staff turnover. In addition, support for psychosocial initiatives was lacking among district stakeholders, and among the beneficiaries themselves, who preferred material support. Difficulties in follow-up of cases due to high mobility of the IDP population was also a problem, as was the lack of a proper recording and information-sharing system for cases. Finally, a lack of private spaces for counseling resulted in confidentiality issues, and possibly prevented some people from seeking support. The following recommendations for improving psychosocial services were made, to be implemented by TPO, with the support of the WDO, DPHO and other cluster members:
Preparedness
? More counselors and CPSW at the community level (in at-risk districts) should be trained as preparation in the provision of psychosocial services, and referral of cases to
Response
? All psychosocial service providers active during an emergency should be consulted in the ? Awareness-raising activities should be conducted to sensitize IDPs on the importance ? Orientations on psychosocial care should be provided to teachers, Watch and Peer Groups, CMCs, as well as training and support to families of affected children, including fathers. Guidelines on psychosocial support should be developed for this purpose, to assist community-based identification and referral of psychosocial issues ? Psychosocial services should be made available in designated and confidential spaces, preferably for 7 days a week in IDP camps, and if the resources for this are not available, at the least communication channels should be established for referral of serious cases that arise when counselors are not available on-site. ? Psychosocial activities should be integrated into other area, such as safe spaces, where the focus is more on recreational and educational activities for children ? General orientations or training on child protection to other clusters and district stakeholders should include a component on psychosocial counseling and its J. Community mobilization/Child protection awareness raising:

Successes relating to community mobilization and child protection awareness-raising included
local participation in service provision (such as teachers, CPSW, safe space facilitators); formation of Watch and Peer groups, and involvement of CMCs in referral linkages; awareness- raising for CMCs, Watch Groups and Peer Groups, teachers, parents etc.; and increased women’s participation in decision-making. One challenge to community mobilization in particular were the exclusion of the host community from the relief process, which led to tensions between IDPs and the host community that created some child protection issues (especially relating to IDPs being forced from schools before any camps were ready to take them). Another problem was the discrepancy between incentives/services and the targeting of community mobilization to particular camps, which were easier to access. This led to an imbalanced child protection response for IDPs in different locations, contributed to increased tensions between IDPs. Finally, the lack of involvement of the host and IDP communities in local resource mapping resulted in some poor decision-making, most notably in relation to the Recommendations for improving community mobilisation and awareness-raising, to be led by
Preparedness
? Initiate long-term emergency planning with community input in at-risk districts, including mapping of resources, and vulnerable areas and populations. Use the national level cluster contingency plan as a guide for district contingency planning
Response
? Advocate for involvement by the private sector, and discourage political interference, ? Standardize response to ensure all affected communities receive packages ? Ensure that during emergencies, affected communities are informed of decisions affecting them, and involved in data collection where possible ? Form and strengthen existing groups, including CMCs, Watch Groups, Peer Groups etc., through awareness-raising and capacity-building ? Ensure recreational activities are carried out, perhaps with the leadership of Peer groups, to keep youth and children in camps stimulated and occupied and prevent their drifting into dangerous situations (such as membership of armed groups) ? Ensure any capacity-building activities have a community mobilisation component K. Capacity enhancement:
Successes in capacity-building came at both the central and the district level. Training on child
protection carried out at central and regional level had a marked effect on the response capacities of cluster members who benefited from the training. The interest of new district actors in the child protection response, and the capacity enhancement of security personnel and community groups such as Watch and Peer Groups were also carried out successfully. However, not all the relevant district cluster members and district stakeholders were oriented before the seasonal f looding, and the involvement of government authorities in preparedness was lacking. Recommendations for improving capacity-enhancement include:
Preparedness
? Integrate CPiE preparedness into the regular child protection program of WDOs and ? Provide CPiE training to cluster members in at-risk districts, using the training manual developed at the national level, including follow-up of the effectiveness of training ? Provide WDOs in at-risk districts training which goes beyond child protection and encompasses management/coordination skills ? Capacity-mapping of child protection organisations should take place before emergencies to identify training needs and undertake timely capacity-building
Response
? Capacity-building activities during emergencies to various groups should be coordinated by the cluster to ensure gaps are identified and duplication avoided ? The COC and protection checklist should be shared within the cluster and with other ? Security forces should be oriented on CPiE prior to, or at the beginning of, emergencies L. Procurement and Distribution of non food items:
Procurement and distribution of child protection-related NFI was successful in a number of
ways. Many donor agencies made rapid commitments to contribute supplies; some agencies, including NRCS and UNICEF had pre-positioned stock at central, district and VDC level; flexible policies for some agencies meant supplies could be purchased on local markets where necessary; the ‘one-door’ policy of the DDRC made distribution easier, where it was in place; training to distribution volunteers proved effective, with real -time assessments of distribution methods lead to improved practices; and within agencies and the cluster, distribution and needs assessment was coordinated. Challenges to procurement included slowness by donor agencies of delivering supplies which had been committed; lack of support by donors for transport and other costs when committing supplies; not enough pre-positioned supplies; slow centralized procurement processes, and difficulties in delivering supplies over long distances; lack of local purchasing by DRC, despite their power to do so; lack of local market surveys by some agencies, which also delayed procurement; and lack of capacity by suppliers to deliver on their commitments. Challenges in distribution included interference and diversion by political parties; no standardized supplies, making packaging/distribution planning difficult and creating tensions between recipients; unavoidable delays through bandhs, and difficulties delivering supplies due to poor terrain; duplication and gaps in supplies due to poor coordination; lack of distribution planning and volunteer orientations lead to poor distribution and unsecured supplies ending up in the wrong hands; and a lack of ‘one-door policy in some districts also creating confusion, and Recommendations for improving NFI procurement and distribution include:
Preparedness
? Donor agencies should assess whether their current stockpiles of child-related NFI are sufficient for projected emergency scenarios ? Supply pre-positioning at district level needs support from donor agencies. ? Donor agencies should streamline their procurement processes ensure supplies arrive ? NRCS should institute a policy that allows them to purchase supplies locally to increase ? The cluster should support the DDRC in each district to undertake preparedness activities, and implement the ‘one-door’ policy, coordinating supply distribution. The DDRC should be supported by the clusters to develop a matrix which maps which agencies/clusters are distributing what supplies, and where, to avoid duplication, identify gaps, and keep records of what has been distributed.
Response
? Donor agencies should make provisions for transport costs and human resource costs when contributing supplies to agencies, e.g. NRCS. ? All distribution volunteers should be oriented and distribution plans drawn up by the cluster to minimize insecurity and maximize efficiency of delivery ? Political parties need to be sensitized on the distribution process and the needs of children emphasized, to prevent their diversion of supplies ? Before distribution, data should be gathered from various sources such as the NRCS sub- chapters, the CCCM etc. to enable procurement and distribution planning ? Supplies should be standardized and packaged in a uniform manner before they are ? The sub-cluster should coordinate with other clusters distributing NFI, to ensure that children’s needs are taken into account ? Market surveys should be conducted by donor agencies and the NRCS in advance to determine gaps in supplies and supplier capacity, and during emergencies as needed ? The cluster, in cooperation with other clusters, should lobby for a uniform ration-card to M. Monitoring, reporting and evaluation:

The establishment of joint monitoring teams by the cluster during the emergency provided
some useful data and allowed for resource-sharing. Coordination with other clusters, such as the CCCM cluster which was collecting data regularly, resulted in some targeted information on beneficiaries. Reporting during the emergency was largely effective, due to the regular cluster meetings and, which acted as an information-sharing forum. However, monitoring, reporting and evaluation were largely informal during the emergency – there was no systematic monitoring or evaluation of the child protection response. A monitoring and evaluation tool was developed for use by the clusters in Sunsari and Saptari, however the tool was not used, as it required fine-tuning and testing, and there was not enough momentum to this end. Joint monitoring teams did not go out regularly, nor was responsibility for information-gathering and reporting allocated. This reflected wider issues, that when problems were identified, this did not always lead to action, as responsibilities were not clearly allocated. Difficulties in gathering data on target populations affected the quality of response throughout. Recommendations for improving monitoring, evaluation and reporting include:
Preparedness
? Develop clear child protection indicators at the national level along with fine-tuning and testing the monitoring tool, to enable standardization and assessment of the child protection response. Any monitoring tool should allow for random spot-checks asking beneficiaries, especially children, how they perceive the response/programme. The cluster will also require orientation on how to use monitoring tool as part of general CPiE training, with refresher orientations for monitoring teams during the emergency
Response
? Coordinate with the CCCM data-collection efforts to ensure up-to-date information on ? Joint monitoring teams need to be established right at the beginning of the emergency to go out regularly to monitor the response, using the indicators and monitoring tool. The response should be evaluated against this data and the action plan developed by the cluster. If necessary, the action plan and response should be adapted ? Monitoring reports should be regularly shared with the national sub-cluster to inform ? Information should be shared with OCHA, district stakeholders and other clusters to mainstream child protection issues and promote comprehensive child protection ? Once reports are made to the cluster from various organisations, clear responsibilities should be allocated where possible to ensure reporting leads to action (WDO) ? The child protection national sub-cluster lead could use the 3W model and on this basis facilitate better coordination of activities, and dissemination of information to field and 3. Contingency Plan by the Sub-Cluster

The participants discussed the child protection contingency plan to be developed, aimed at improving response
to future floods, and to strengthen preparedness to this end. The contingency plan is detailed below:

Annex 1: Child Protection Contingency Plan -2009


Annex 2: List of Participants
S.N.
Organization
Designation
9859050979 yamuna.shrestha@nepal.theirc.org
bhattakd@gmail.com
krish_chandra2007@yahoo.com
ysaptari@yahoo.com
Krishna@abhiyannp.org.np
kkhanal@ohchr.org
arajbhandari@unicef.org
dmahonde@unicef.org
ashai@unicef.org
rgurung@unicef.org
ukoirala@unicef.org
mupadhyaya
anup_rana@wvi.org
h.shabnam@savechildren-
norway.org.np
childrights@worecnepal.np
Annex 3: Workshop Agenda

Child Protection in Emergencies Sub - Cluster
Lessons Learnt Workshop
10th and 11th February 2009
Katmandu
Objectives of the workshop:
? Identify lessons learned from the child protection sub cluster emergency preparedness and responses activities during the Koshi/ Kailali and Kanchanpur floods in 2008 ? Preparation of child protection in emergency contingency plan for 2009 in relation to agreed scenarios Expected outcomes
? Successes, challenges and gaps in the preparedness and responses activities are identified and key recommendations on the way forward are formulated ? Draft child protection in emergency contingency plan for 2009 developed based on lessons learned
Participants:
Sub cluster members at both national and district levels
Government: MoWCSW, DWD, WDOs, Ministry of Home Affairs, Nepal Police, Nepal Army, LDOs/CDOs (I)NGOs: TPO, CVICT, NRCS, IRC, Oxfam, SCA, WOREC, YET, Abhiyan Nepal, Enlighten, SFGC UN agencies: OCHA, UNPFA, OHCHR, UNIFEM, UNICEF
Lists of Documents to be shared during the meeting:

Important : Professional translation nepali/english
Facilitation
Overview of humanitarian reform including protection Overview and update on child protection in emergency and sub cluster approach (UNICEF and IRC)- 30 mins Sub cluster sharing of experiences from the responses in Saptari, Sunsari, Kailali and Kanchanpur by WDO/UNICEF Group work:
Analysis of what has worked well and what has worked less and recommendations on areas of improvement on following 2. Separation, Family tracing and reunification Group 2: 3. Gender in emergencies
6. Community mobilization/ Child protection 7. Coordination/ information sharing (within sub cluster, other clusters and government stakeholders) 9. Procurement and Distribution of non food Facilitation
Presentation and discussions on the most likely Overview of the contingency plan of 2008 Group work: draft exercise on the contingency plan for Work group presentation and discussions in plenary Way forward – activity plan (time and responsibilities) Annex 4: Action plan and timeline
National Level
? Finalise report on lessons learnt workshop, UNICEF, end of March ? Finalise 2009 Contingency Plan for CP, UNICEF, by mid-March (feedback from field by 7 March) ? Review protection contingency plan and integrate CP plan, OHCHR, end of March ? Finalise training manual, UNICEF, end of March (translate relevant parts) ? Finish development of monitoring indicators and finalize/pilot monitoring tool, UNICEF, end of April ? Stand-by agreements, or relevant agencies, end of April ? Develop a child protection checklist for other clusters, focusing on their specific areas May: ? Pre-positioning of supplies, agencies, end of May ? Training for WDO from vulnerable areas and government (MoWCSW, DWD, MPR, CCWB etc.) on managing of clusters, OHCHR/UNICEF/UNFPA, before June ? Ongoing advocacy/lobbying to government, cluster and OCHA (after cluster agrees on common statement/position), ongoing (e.g. on clear policy guidelines/allocation of leadership/accountability ? Fundraising relevant agencies, ongoing
Field Level
? Follow-up on effectiveness of Koshi and Western flooding CP/P response, UNICEF, end of March. ? Provide selected districts with help on district contingency CP plans April: ? Mapping of resources/existing capacities, UNICEF/WDO, March ? Mobilisation of resources, WDO/DDC/cluster leads, end of May June: ? Training for field cluster and WDO on monitoring and evaluation tool for CP/Protection response, ? Orientation on rapid assessment tool and COC for district stakeholders, UNICEF, end of June ? Training for WDO on management of cluster, UNICEF, end of June ? General capacity-building on CP, UNICEF ? Establish updated information system on CP, WDO with cluster support, ongoing ? Facilitate setting up of psychosocial counseling centre/shelter, TPO, WDO etc, end of 2009. This should be part of a wider protection in emergencies preparedness plan targeting those districts which are likely to be affected this year (refer to OHCHR/OCHA)

Source: http://un.org.np/system/files/report/tid_188/2009-04-02-UNICEF-lesson-learnt-workshop.pdf