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Innocenti Research Reports
Innocenti Research Reports present in-depth studies and provide the latest data, analysis, methods and policy recommendations for decision makers on a range of issues affecting children.
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Economic Crisis and Child Well-being in the West and Central Africa Region
The COVID-19 pandemic that swept over the world from early 2020 has triggered both health and economic shocks of unprecedented proportions in recent memory. Some estimates suggest that the consequences of these shocks will likely erase most of the progress made in global development over the past two decades. Many countries now risk falling further behind the attainment of national and international development goals including the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of these shocks due to their persistent higher levels of vulnerability and the reality that school closures and other COVID-19 containment measures can be more damaging to children. This report examines the effect of previous economic crises on children’s well-being in UNICEF’s West and Central Africa Region (WCAR) and makes projections regarding the potential impacts of COVID-19-induced economic crises on priority indicators for the region.
Time to Teach: Teacher Attendance and Time on Task in Primary Schools in The Gambia
The international standards for teaching time in a year are 880 hours. In The Gambia dedicated teaching time in a year is 734 hours. This reduced time is exacerbated by teacher absenteeism that varies across the different regions in the country from 12 to 30% and is a barrier to achieving the required learning outcomes. The COVID-19 pandemic is compounding an already compromised learning and teaching environment in The Gambia. This Time to Teach study looks at four dimensions of teacher attendance: being in school; being punctual (i.e. not arriving late/leaving early); being in the classroom (while in school); and spending sufficient time on task (while in the classroom). It also identifies factors associated with teacher absenteeism at five different levels of the education system: national subnational community school and teacher. This report provides recommendations that may help strengthen the ministry’s efforts to improve teachers’ time on task in The Gambia.
Reopening with Resilience
Lessons from Remote Learning During COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic led to school closures around the world affecting almost 1.6 billion students. The effects of even short disruptions in a child’s schooling on their learning and well-being have been shown to be acute and long lasting. The capacities of education systems to respond to the crisis by delivering remote learning and support to children and families have been diverse yet uneven. This report reviews the emerging evidence on remote learning throughout the global school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic to help guide decision-makers to build more effective sustainable and resilient education systems for current and future crises.
Mind Matters: Lessons From Past Crises for Child and Adolescent Mental Health During COVID-19
COVID-19 is a crisis like no other in modern times. It has reached every population and community. While the evidence base is still nascent this report looks at the impacts of disasters and past epidemics – such as Ebola HIV SARS/MERS and Zika – on child and adolescent mental health and psychosocial wellbeing and examines how these insights can guide policies and progammes to support children their families and communities during the current pandemic. COVID-19 – its associated public health responses and social and economic impacts – is likely to have multiple deleterious effects on mental health including elevated risks of anxiety and depression trauma loss of family and friends violence loneliness and social isolation. However this pandemic also offers opportunities for positive coping and resilience. While there is no magic formula to address the mental health and psychosocial impacts of crises there are proven and promising interventions from past experiences to mitigate the impact today – especially for the most vulnerable children and adolescents. These include social protection caregiver skills and support community and social support life skills and school based programmes and specialized care to name a few.
Time to Teach: Teacher Attendance and Time on Task in Primary Schools in Guinea-Bissau
Teacher absenteeism is one of the most troubling obstacles on the path toward universal access to learning opportunities at school. Over the past decades studies have found that teacher absenteeism is particularly prevalent in certain parts of Africa. While Guinea-Bissau has not administered or taken part in regional or international efforts to systematically monitor and assess the rates of teacher absenteeism the issue is noted in the 2017–2025 Education Sector Plan which includes an aim to strengthen controls on teacher absenteeism. This Time to Teach study seeks to fill this important knowledge gap and support the Ministry of National Education and Higher Education in its efforts to strengthen the teachers’ role in school to increase their time on task. This study outlines the various forms of primary school teacher absenteeism (e.g. absence from school classroom teaching etc.) explores teacher absenteeism from a systemic perspective and identifies factors at different levels of the education system that affect teacher attendance and time on task. It also identifies gaps in teacher policy and policy implementation linked to identified determinants of absenteeism and barriers to higher teacher attendance rates and identifies promising practices and actionable policy recommendations on increasing teachers’ time on task.
Life in Lockdown
Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Well-being in the Time of COVID-19
COVID-19 lockdowns have significantly disrupted the daily lives of children and adolescents with increased time at home online learning and limited physical social interaction. This report seeks to understand the immediate effects on their mental health. Covering more than 130000 children and adolescents across 22 countries the evidence shows increased stress anxiety and depressive symptoms as well as increased alcohol and substance use and externalizing behavioural problems. Children and adolescents also reported positive coping strategies resilience social connectedness through digital media more family time and relief from academic stress. Factors such as demographics relationships and pre-existing conditions are critical. To ensure children and adolescents are supported the report recommends building the evidence on the longer-term impact of the pandemic on child and adolescent mental health in low- and middle-income countries including vulnerable populations.
Playing the Game
A Framework and Toolkit for Successful Child Focused Sport for Development Programmes
To identify best practices in S4D programming and achieve a stronger evidence base on how S4D interventions can work effectively the Playing the Game report and Toolkit draw on ten qualitative in-depth case studies undertaken with S4D organizations operating in different world regions and across various contexts programme goals and issue areas. Findings from these ten case studies and the existing literature are brought together to develop an evidence-based guiding framework and Toolkit for S4D programming targeting children and youth.
Reimagining Migration Responses in Somaliland and Puntland
Learning from Migrant Children and Young People’s Experiences - Summary Report
Migration is a regular feature of life in the Horn of Africa. It takes multiple forms and is driven by numerous factors including personal aspirations economic exclusion and forced displacement as a consequence of inter-ethnic communal violence or natural disasters. As part of a regional research series and based specifically on 418 quantitative interviews carried out in 2019 with children and young people in Somaliland and Puntland this report provides a deeper understanding of their perceptions and feelings around safety well-being and their protective environments. It also provides a snapshot of their access to services and resources and their trust in authorities and other service providers. The report concludes by offering policy and programme recommendations that can help rethink child protection approaches for migrant children and young people.
The Difference a Dollar a Day Makes
A Study of UNICEF Jordan’s Hajati Programme
What difference does a dollar a day make? For the poorest households in Jordan many of whom escaped conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic UNICEF Jordan’s Hajati humanitarian cash transfer programme helps them keep their children in school fed and clothed – all for less than one dollar per day. In fact cash transfers have the potential to touch on myriad of child and household well-being outcomes beyond food security and schooling.