Child friendly spaces impact across five humanitarian settings: a meta-analysis

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• International Development
• Humanitarian Studies

Background:

• Humanitarian crises severely impact children's wellbeing, increasing risks of violence, abuse, and developmental disruption.
• Psychosocial programming is a common response, but systematic reviews indicate a weak evidence base for its effectiveness.
• Child Friendly Spaces (CFS) are frequently implemented interventions in post-emergency settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of Child Friendly Spaces (CFS) on children's protection concerns, psychosocial wellbeing, and developmental assets in humanitarian emergencies.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of CFS interventions across different age groups and geographical locations.
• To determine if CFS interventions enhance connections between children, carers, and community resources.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study involving 1010 children and 1312 carers across five countries (Ethiopia, Uganda, Iraq, Jordan, Nepal).
• Baseline and endline assessments (3-6 months post-baseline) measured protection concerns, psychosocial wellbeing, developmental assets, and community resources.
• Intervention effect sizes were estimated using Cohen's d, with pooled meta-analysis to summarize overall impacts.

Main Results:

• For children aged 6-11, site-level analyses showed significant impacts on protection, psychosocial wellbeing, and developmental assets in specific locations.
• Pooled analysis for 6-11 year olds revealed significant intervention impact solely on psychosocial wellbeing (d=0.18).
• For adolescents aged 12-17, site-level analysis indicated an impact on protection concerns in one location, but pooled analysis showed no significant overall impacts.

Conclusions:

• Child Friendly Spaces (CFS) can offer a protective and promotive environment for younger children, though inconsistently.
• CFS interventions demonstrate no significant impact on older children or in connecting them with community resources.
• A critical reappraisal of CFS programming strategies and quality assurance is essential for effective humanitarian response.