IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings

The Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) was established in 1992 in response to General Assembly Resolution 46/182, which called for strengthened coordination of humanitarian assistance. The resolution set up the IASC as the primary mechanism for facilitating inter-agency decision-making in response to complex emergencies and natural disasters. The IASC comprises heads of a broad range of UN and non-UN humanitarian organizations. For further information on the IASC, please access its website at: http://www.humanitarianinfo.org/iasc

2007

The Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC)

Psychosocial interventions, or integrated programming for well-being? (pdf, 235 kb)

7/06

Williamson, Robinson

Williamson, John. “The disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of child soldiers: social and psychological transformation in Sierra Leone,” Intervention: The International Journal of Mental Health, Psychosocial Work and Counselling in Areas of Armed Conflict , vol. 4, no.3 (2006): 185-205. (pdf, 203kb)

This article is also available to download directly from Intervention: International Journal of Mental Health, Psychosocial Work and Counselling in Areas of Armed Conflict.

DCOF was the major funder for the reintegration of child soldiers in Sierra Leone. This article is based on what was learned through that work, both the reintegration assistance provided immediately following the DDR process and the subsequent assistance for the reunification and reintegration of girls who were left out of that process. The article also takes into account the study done by IRC (Betancourt, Pochan, de la Soudière).

Psychosocial Adjustment and Social Reintegration Of Child Ex-Soldiers In Sierra Leone (pdf, 133kb)

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) was one of the main partners providing such assistance. USAID believes that it is extremely important to learn from this experience lessons that can help inform planning for future disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration programs for child soldiers. For this reason, thru DCOF the Agency has provided support to IRC for follow-up research with former child soldiers in Sierra Leone. This is the report on that study.

Also relevant to this issue are DCOF reports on visits to Sierra Leone in 2002 and 2005.

5/05

Betancourt, Pochan, de la Soudière

Displaced Children and Orphans Fund Psychosocial Programming: Guiding Principles (pdf, 64.15 kb)

These guiding principles are informed by the World Health Organization's “Mental Health in Emergencies: Mental and Social Aspects of Health of Populations Exposed to Extreme Stressors ” (WHO/MSD/MER/03.01, pdf, 75 kb) and the Interagency Working Group “Psychosocial Care and Protection of Tsunami Affected Children: Guiding Principles.” The IWG is composed of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Save the Children UK (SCUK), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The term “psychosocial” reflects an understanding that people have psychological and social responses to events. It acknowledges that the environmental, familial, community and cultural context are necessary to understand the consequences of events and interventions that may be useful. The term psychosocial is commonly used in disaster mental health because it addresses active determinant health factors such as agency, ability and self-determination and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity.

2005

Cripe

The opinions expressed in the publications listed above are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Agency for International Development or its grantees/contractors.