Research and development

Research and Development (R&D) is a key driver of our ambition to become a sector leader in the field of improving the psychosocial wellbeing of children and youth affected by conflict.

How we ensure our programmes are effective

Millions of children worldwide are forced to live with the effects of war - effects including depression, anxiety and neglect. Every War Child programme has the ultimate goal of boosting the strength and resilience of conflict-affected children and youth - and Research and Development plays a vital role in ensuring our efforts are effective.

Evidence-based interventions

Our R&D efforts will see the creation of an integrated care and support system - our Care System - across all levels of a child’s life. This system will see the development of scientifically tested and evidence-based interventions and tools to guarantee the highest standards of quality.

These efforts are designed to ensure the provision and increased scale of quality care and support to conflict-affected children around the world - both by ourselves and through our network of partner organisations. All this will ultimately contribute to ensuring the increased resilience and improved psychosocial wellbeing of conflict-affected children. Our approach will also help to establish protective and supportive communities that respect the rights of children.

“We have a great responsibility not just to ourselves and our donors, but most importantly to the children we work with. War Child has the duty to prove its effectiveness and to adjust its programmes where necessary."

Mark Jordans, War Child director of Research & Development

We were awarded the Klaus J. Jacobs Best Practice Prize in 2017 for combining academic research with our daily activities with children

War Child Care System

To meet the increasingly complex and urgent needs of the growing number of conflict-affected children, urgent innovation is required. This is why War Child is developing a Care System, an integrated suite made up of ten ‘core interventions’. The system incorporates psychosocial support, child protection and education across differing levels of intensity, as well as several enabling interventions to increase access to care and reduce stigmatization. This model allows for an integrated approach that ensures the various interventions are interconnected and mutually reinforce one another - ensuring maximum impact.

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Our Care System is designed to expand access to relevant support and uphold the highest standards of quality

The system is made up of integrated education, child protection and psychosocial support interventions to bring about improved social and emotional wellbeing

The different interventions vary in intensity according to the needs of children and their communities - to allow for referral and ensure all mental healthcare needs are met

The eight components of the Care System together form a holistic and multi-layered system of support

We adopt an ecological approach to bring about positive change across all levels of a child's life - including their families and communities

The Care System also incorporates two enabling trajectories to increase access to care and reduce stigmatization

The package of interventions is supported by a range of tools and measures that serve to strengthen the quality and relevance of our work

All of this contributes towards increasing the resilience and psychosocial wellbeing of conflict-affected children worldwide

Meeting the varying needs of children

The Care System is multi-level - which ensures that the various interventions range in intensity according to the needs of children, their care-takers, teachers and their communities. Interventions of lower intensity are available - these are designed to promote psychosocial wellbeing and prevent future problems. Higher-intensity interventions are also available - these are aimed at children experiencing significant and enduring distress. This range of interventions allows us to respond to the varying and specific needs of children and their caregivers.

The package of interventions is supported by a range of tools and measures that serve to both strengthen quality and allow us to respond to changes in the humanitarian context where we are present.