Child safe space

A Child Friendly Space is a safe place set up in a disaster-affected community where children's unique needs can be met. These spaces help children return to a normal routine by offering activities, games and informal education.

What makes Children feel Safe: Child Safeguarding Participation Guidelines and Tools
Participants:

Save the Children aims to work with all children, including the most vulnerable and hardest to reach. It is therefore paramount that any child participation should reflect all the children that we work with the expected learning outcomes:
• To increase knowledge and understanding on what makes children feel safe while on our programmes
• Identify what behaviours children think Save the Children staff should and shouldn’t do
• To gain an increased understanding of the likely safety concerns children may have and establish key risks from the children’s perspective
• Establish trust and a relationship with children so that if they had something worrying them, they would be more likely to report it
Consultation methodology
• A combination of Child Participation Tools – Body Mapping exercises, Risk Mapping and Focus Group Discussions (FGD’s)
Considerations:
• Please note select the tools you wish to use based on age, relevance and context. As there is some overlap, you do not need to use ALL of the tools.
• Risk Assessments should be conducted before all consultations
• Please remember to get signed consent forms from carers if required and do not take photographs in sessions without informed consent
Child Safeguarding:
• Sometimes sessions like this can allow children to tell us about abuse or exploitation they have experienced
• Remember to follow your local procedures in the event of a disclosure and:
o Ensure the child is not in immediate danger;
o Allow the child to speak without interruption and accept what they say;
o Be understanding and reassuring but do not give your opinion;
o Do not promise to keep secrets, but do say you need to tell someone who can help;
o Write careful notes of what was said, using the actual words wherever possible

o Contact a Child Safeguarding Focal Point immediately