R.A.P.I.D.
RESPONSE FRAMEWORK
A COVID-19 Emergency Response Guide for Child Welfare Practitioners
What is RAPID Response?
This framework was developed to guide practitioners that are quickly responding to the growing needs of children and families resulting from COVID-19. In some countries, reintegrations that ought to take place over weeks and months are now being mandated to happen in a matter of days. In most countries, case workers are facing challenges in providing support to families due to social distancing. The framework promotes family based care through adapted support, guidance and counseling.
Special thanks to Agape Children’s Ministry and SFAC for significant contributions to the creation of RAPID.
REINTEGRATE
Responsibly reintegrate when in child’s best interest
ASSESS
Evaluate and strategize for your caseload
PROTECT
Stop the spread while protecting yourself and others
INTERVENE
Manage cases and provide support in a changing time
DEVELOP
Plan for the future in a post COVID-19 world
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are children reintegrating?
COVID-19 is a highly contagious virus that makes large group settings a risk for spreading the disease from one person to another. Due to this, some governments have mandated children in residential settings to be reintegrated into family care. In other countries, some organizations are electing to reintegrate when it is safe and in the child’s best interest. Reintegration should be determined case-by-case, but some communities are being subjected to large scale reintegrations that poses risks for children.
How do I conduct family tracing?
Due to the pandemic, efforts should be made to expedite family tracing to find and place children quickly, yet responsibly. This is a critical first step to determine if a reintegration right now is in the child’s best interest. This is the starting point for any reintegration. Click on this FAQ to learn who needs to be involved and to get an overview of the entire family tracing process.
What about children in residential care?
For however many children that are remaining at a residential care facility, limiting community spread is still imperative. Though children in congregate care are at a higher risk of infection, there are still ways to reduce the chance of contagion.
Should we check on family after reintegration?
Depending on how urgent a family’s situation might be, your staff should plan to be in contact with the family 4-7 days a week. Calls should be varied between connecting with children directly (if they are at an age of effective phone conversation) and their caregivers. To learn more about contacting families, visit this FAQ page.
What if we need more training on Reintegration?
In collaboration with our regional partners, we have developed an online training platform and resource to show how you can safely reintegrate children into families. You can enroll for free by clicking on this link: JOURNEYHOME.
What if the family asks for money?
This question requires discernment and for each organization to determine for themselves according to their mission and organizational model. Cash transfers to vulnerable families carry some risk that should be considered before executing. We all want the best for the children and money to the parents may help or hurt depending on the situation and the organization. If you are thinking about giving direct money, click the FAQ to read a couple considerations.
Watch the video to learn an on-the-ground perspective of the pandemic and how RAPID can enhance your support of vulnerable children and families at this time.
- Practical guidance for issues facing children during the pandemic
- On the ground reports of how COVID-19 is affecting communities in the Global South
- How to utilize RAPID and collaborate with others through the framework
R.A.P.I.D. Knowledge Base
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Reintegrate
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Assess
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Protect
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Intervene
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Develop
What is Rapid reintegration?
How to find families
How to ensure safe placement
How to find the best placement
Ongoing Case Assessment
Operational Assessment
- How to contact family while maintaining social distancing?
- How do teams effectively communicate and manage caseloads during social distancing?
- What do I do if none of my staff, or not enough of my staff are social workers?
- How do I advocate before the local government?
- How do we adjust operations for residential facilities in lockdown?
What is COVID-19?
How to Protect Yourself & Families
Material Needs of the Family
Communicating with Families
Plan Long-Term Programming
Collaborative Efforts
We build capacity of regional leaders experienced in reunification work. With the help of 1MILLIONHOME, these key leaders are helping more children return home – equipping orphanage directors with resources and support, implementing best practices, and generating leads of orphanages wanting to transition to family-based care.
1MILLIONHOME is grateful for opportunities to collaborate with the following regional leaders of reintegration work:
