Social and Emotional Support for Children and their Caregivers Post-Disasters

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to share Save the Children’s responses to Hurricane Harvey in Texas, Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, and Hurricane Irma in Florida in 2017. Save the Children’s response and recovery efforts in the aftermath of these disasters consisted of a wide range of services for the affected children and their caregivers, including assistance to childcare centers and organizations, and providing child-focused services, such as psychosocial support. This paper will particularly focus on the psychosocial support element of the responses. Key Take Away Points Save the Children gives children in the U.S. and around the world a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. The paper focused on Save the Children’s psychosocial support in the aftermath of Hurricanes Harvey, Maria and Irma. As mentioned, the psychosocial support programming was divided in two phases. First, Save the Children worked to meet the immediate needs of children and their caregivers, while assessing and preparing for long-term recovery programming. Second, the organization implemented high-quality psychosocial support programs to address the social, emotional and practical needs of children and their caregivers. As noted by a facilitator: