Integrated child protection services for vulnerable children and adolescents in urban and rural locations of Yei River State, South Sudan At the end of 2018, as insecurity intensified, Yei town saw the arrival of vulnerable IDP communities, including children. Among the key unaddressed child protection (CP) concerns identified within these recently displaced communities are the high number of unaccompanied or separated children (UASC), children associated with armed forces amp groups or at-risk of being recruited, victims of sexual violence and exploitation, harmful child labour practices and cases of neglect and abuse. In areas outside of Yei, conflict-affected communities have seen their access to services disrupted. Furthermore, access to education is poor, and CP concerns were exacerbated (SGBV, forced recruitment, family separation). Due to difficult access, few actors have positioned themselves or significantly scaled up to deliver emergency services.
The proposed program fits in an integrated response to the increasing needs of conflict-affected children and adolescents in Yei. Tdh will respond to needs of vulnerable IDP children of Yei town through comprehensive services and adapts CP services to the rural Yei context to reach communities which, due to the recent outbreak of conflict, were cut-off from humanitarian assistance. It has been designed through a community-based approach, incorporating the input and involvement of communities so that activities are responsive to their needs. Sustainability of CP services will be built through strengthening the capacities of the community to draw on their own resources to prevent and mitigate protection risks.

In Yei town, Tdh will continue to provide comprehensive case management for highly vulnerable IDP children, support to alternative care arrangements, deliver structured and age-specific psychosocial support (PSS) in two Child Friendly Spaces (CFS) and strengthen existing community mechanisms. Tdh will support CBCPN members, and train key community leaders to CP concerns and to referral of vulnerable children. The needs of the IDP communities remain high and the access to services difficult and Tdh’s response will contribute to build their resilience.

Outside of Yei, Tdh will implement activities in the counties of Mugwo and Otogo. Specific locations will be selected through safety and security as well as needs assessments. Despite the scarcity of services and difficulty of access to the target locations, Tdh will work with communities to put in place effective community mechanisms to further enhance the holistic focus on CP concerns and individual needs of children, particularly with respect to psychosocial distress and trauma. Vulnerable children and adolescents will see their overall psychosocial well-being improved through access to structured PSS, referrals and community-based CP activities. PSS, PFA and teaching of essential life-skills will be delivered by a mobile emergency team, targeting areas with the highest levels of needs. A specific focus will be given to adolescents, most affected by the interruption of schooling and CP concerns such as Child Labor. Tdh will train teachers in schools in PFA, PSS and CPiE to ensure they are able to identify at-risk children. Implementation of activities outside of Yei relies on sustainable access and no degradation of the security situation.
Tdh has a clear integration strategy with other sectors, with Tdh multisectoral intervention spanning across Education, WaSH, FSL in Yei town. Outside, the proposed program will be highly integrated with Tdh’s ongoing Education response, both projects reaching similar protection outcomes of preventing and mitigating CP risks.
Tdh has strong linkages and acceptance at community level and has been engaging with state and local authorities, community members and other international and national NGOs operating in the area. This program has been developed by Tdh in collaboration and communication with humanitarian partners on the ground to harmonize and complement ongoing and future interventions and avoid duplication