Child Protection and MHPSS responses for girls, boys and  families most affected by the recent escalation of violence in Gaza Save the Children is proposing an integrated Child Protection and Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) response targeting girls, boys and caregivers affected by the recent escalation of violence in Gaza. The project will provide mental health and psychosocial support services and child protection case management and referrals to conflict-affected children in all governorates in the Gaza strip.

SC and Maan Development Centre will build on their common experience in addressing mental health, psychosocial and protection needs of children affected by crisis. In line with previous interventions we will keep supporting the Governorate Protection Focal Points and their role in assessing children and family needs, provide them with immediate emotional support, follow up visits and referrals to specialized services as needed. – The Focal Points will implement Save the Children’s home-based MHPSS model, a structured home-visiting intervention that was initially designed to respond to the needs of children and families affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The model was then adapted to respond to the MHPSS needs of children and caregivers affected by exposure to conflict and other extreme stressors, and it will be further contextualized for implementation in the current response.
Children facing specific protection concerns will be referred to Maan case managers and a comprehensive plan will be developed to address their needs, aligning with international case management guidance, existing inter-agency SOPs for Gaza and the latest guidance on remote case management developed in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The intervention will include a tailored response for girls and boys facing gender-based violence in close coordination with specialized actors and civil society. Home visits and group activities will identify children facing specific CP risks and gender considerations, with outreach and identification strategies adapted to reach those who may be ‘invisible’ in the target communities. The results of the joint CP/MHPSS/GBV assessment planned by SC and War Child Holland will help define these strategies and further tailor project interventions.
Children identified in need of structured psychosocial support will participate in a series of group-based sessions, following SC’s Child Resilience Programme approach already trialled successfully in Gaza. The MHPSS sessions will provide additional opportunities for the facilitators to identify the children in need of further support and to refer them if necessary for individual counselling, case management or other support. 
Structured parenting support sessions will assist caregivers in how to protect and support their children, how to understand their behaviour in time of stress and to develop positive parenting skills. Caregivers who participate in the group sessions are mainly those whose children are participating in structured PSS activities. This ensures that those children will receive the needed support at home and encourages a sustainable positive change in family relations.
The project will also support children’s summer camps, providing children with space to express themselves and release stress through a range of age and gender appropriate recreational activities, while supporting their mental, physical and emotional well-being. The summer camps will also actively promote gender equality by enabling girls, who are often denied the opportunity, to participate in sports and recreational activities, with a unique and safe space within which to engage in physical activity. 

Finally, we will distribute 672 family recreations kits that are designed to help children have fun, engage in safe activities as a way to release their stress.

The activities proposed in this project are all aligned with the CP/MHPSS sub-cluster scale up plan for the emergency response and agreed in coordination with other relevant CP/MHPSS actors in Gaza.