INTENSIFYING THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN CHILD HELPLINE INTERNATIONAL AND PLAN INTERNATIONAL RESPONDING TO COVID-19 1 CONTENTS 1. Purpose ...................................................................................................................... 3 2. Introducing our Organisations and our Partnership ..................................................... 4 2.1 Child Helpline International ...................................................................................... 4 2.2 Plan International ..................................................................................................... 4 2.3 Introducing our Partnership ...................................................................................... 5 3. The Impact of Covid-19 on Child Helplines ................................................................. 8 3.1 A pandemic .............................................................................................................. 8 3.2 Child helpline data.................................................................................................... 8 4. Our Action Plan ........................................................................................................ 10 4.1 Targeted issues ..................................................................................................... 10 4.2 Engaging our MoU ................................................................................................. 10 4.3 Log frame ............................................................................................................... 12 4.4 Summary of activities ............................................................................................. 17 4.5 Timeline ................................................................................................................. 17 4.6 Sustainability .......................................................................................................... 17 4.7 Mapping ................................................................................................................. 18 4.7.1 Master list............................................................................................................ 19 4.7.2 Regional .............................................................................................................. 23 2 1. PURPOSE Child helplines are unique, low-threshold platforms where children and young people can freely express their thoughts, feelings, and needs, and seek help on their own terms, without fear or inhibition. In some cases, child helplines are also equipped to provide crisis intervention and rescue to children and young people in need of additional support. Child helplines are therefore crucial components of the optimal functioning of (national) child protection systems. Child Helpline International and Plan International are delighted to announce the expansion of their partnership by means of a Covid-19-focussed project over a period of 24 to 30 months. We shall focus our efforts on the following: a) How to best support the operational capacity of child helpline services in the short- to medium-term; and, b) How to best support child helpline teams as they identify and respond to gender- based violence issues in the medium- to long-term. This concept note details our action plan. 3 2. INTRODUCING OUR ORGANISATIONS AND OUR PARTNERSHIP 2.1 Child Helpline International Child Helpline International, founded in 2003, is an international collective impact organisation that brings together 168 child helpline members in 139 countries and territories around the world (June 2020).1 In 2017 and 2018, our network of child helpline members received a total average of 13 million contacts.2 Child Helpline International’s 2016-2020 strategy is centred on one main objective: “to improve child protection systems through developing more robust child helplines.”3 The achievement of this main objective depends on the following three goals: Strategic Goals Examples of work include (but not limited to) Goal 1: Develop Child Helpline Capacity building in the forms of: thematic learning International’s programmatic opportunities; establishing child helplines; and, upscaling knowledge and expand our child helplines thematic expertise https://www.childhelplineinternational.org/our-work/ Goal 2: Improved evidence- Annual data collection and analysis from member child based advocacy helplines https://www.childhelplineinternational.org/data-overview/ Goal 3: Building an effective & Co-creating a clear, representative and transparent sustainable organisation Quality Standards framework alongside member child helplines for member child helplines More information regarding the work of Child Helpline International can be found on their website: https://www.childhelplineinternational.org/data-overview/ 2.2 Plan International Plan International, founded in 1937, is an “independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and quality for girls.”4 As global membership organisation, Plan International is active in over 75 countries worldwide.5 Working together with children, young people, its supporters and partners, the organisation aims to: 1 Child Helpline International, “About Us”, https://www.childhelplineinternational.org/about/ 2 Child Helpline International, “Voices of Children and Young People”, https://www.childhelplineinternational.org/data-overview/publications/voices-of-children-young-people/ 3 Child Helpline International, “Empowering to protect: Child Helpline International’s 2016-2020 strategy”, https://www.childhelplineinternational.org/about/strategy/title-of-the-pdf/ 4 Plan International, “About Plan International”, https://plan-international.org/about-plan-international 5 Plan International, “Our Structure”, https://plan-international.org/organisation/structure 4 Empower children, young people and communities to make vital changes that tackle the root causes of discrimination against girls, exclusion and vulnerability. Drive change in practice and policy at local, national and global levels through its reach, experience and knowledge of the realities children face. Work with children and communities to prepare for and respond to crises and to overcome adversity. Support the safe and successful progression of children from birth to adulthood. Plan International commits itself to the following Key Investment Areas for their Protection from Violence work: 1. Strengthening protective family environments; 2. Strengthening response services for children, adolescents and youth exposed to violence; and, 3. Ensuring child protection in emergencies. By 2022, Plan International’s ambition is to transform the lives of 100 million girls, with an emphasis on gender equality and transformation in the lives of girls in our work. More information regarding the work of Plan International can be found on our website: https://plan-international.org/ 2.3 Introducing our Partnership In 2016, Plan International and Child Helpline International signed a global Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). In recognising the crucial role that child helplines play within child protection systems worldwide, our areas of cooperation are cited as follows: 1. Promote gender equality as a critical means to prevent all forms of violence against children, to equally protect boys and girls and respond to survivors of violence in a gender sensitive manner; 2. Strengthen child protection systems at the national and the local level by conducting evidence-based joint advocacy and jointly implementing projects; 3. Support in more effective ways child helplines and community-based child protection mechanisms (CBCPM) confronted with humanitarian emergencies. The specific strategic actions (per area of cooperation) are as follows: 1. Promotion of Gender Equality: Support to regional and national initiatives that improve State Parties’ capability to protect children and improve their efforts to make child protection services gender sensitive and responsive. Promotion of transformative programs and projects at the regional and national levels that tackle gender inequality and exclusion and their interrelation with violence against children. Promotion of positive attitudes and behaviours that contribute to end intra- partner and family violence, to eradicate harmful traditional practices, 5 including child, early and forced marriage (CEFM) and female genital mutilation / cutting (FGM/C), sexual violence, abuse and exploitation, and all other forms of violence and their particular implications for girls, boys or children of other gender identities. Promotion of the equal participation and the empowerment of girls, boys and young people to become active contributors to violence prevention and breaking the chains of violence. Advocate, campaign and mutually support each other to promote gender equality across all their platforms and networks, and within their organizations. 2. Strengthening of Child Protection Systems by evidence-based joint advocacy: Jointly define strategies to share and capture accurate data on gender-based violence and children in emergencies in order to advocate for more robust child protection systems and mechanisms. Exchange global and regional studies as well as reports conducted on protection systems, gender equality and other emerging trends in the countries where CHI and Plan International are present. Explore possible partnerships and agreements with the academic sector to improve