PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT

APRIL 15, 2016

The primary aim of all psychosocial support programs should be placing and maintaining children in
stable and supportive family environments. Psychosocial care and support activities for vulnerable
children should follow the principles of child and lifespan development.

Rather than being a stand-alone activity, psychosocial support programs should be integrated into wider
systems, wherever possible, such as existing community support mechanisms, formal and non-formal
school systems, social services and health services. Integrated services tend to reach more people and
are typically less stigmatizing. (WHO, 2007)

WHAT IS PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT?

Psychosocial support addresses a person’s emotional, social, mental and spiritual needs – all essential
elements of positive human development.

Psychosocial support builds internal and external resources for children and their families to cope with
adversity. It supports families to provide for children’s physical, economic, educational, health and social
needs. Psychosocial support also helps build resilience in children.

WHY IS PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT IMPORTANT?

All children need psychosocial support for their psychological and emotional wellbeing, as well as their
physical and mental development. Some children need additional, specific psychosocial support if they
have experienced extreme trauma or adversity or are not receiving necessary caregiver support.

Poverty, illness, conflict, neglect and abuse can all affect a child’s psychosocial wellbeing. As a result of
HIV and AIDS, children may experience multiple traumas such as the illness and death of parents,
violence and exploitation, stigma and discrimination, isolation and loneliness, and lack of adult support
and guidance.

HOW SHOULD PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT BE DELIVERED?

Families and communities are best placed to provide psychosocial support to children. Interventions
should work through families to keep children in supportive and caring environments and to strengthen
families’ abilities to meet a range of children’s needs. Psychosocial support should not be a stand-alone
activity but part of comprehensive, integrated programming.

Effective psychosocial support builds on community resources and links families with existing systems of
community support such as early childhood development programs, school programs, kids clubs, safe
spaces for girls, peer support groups and health services. Psychosocial support can also be integrated
into existing programs for nutrition, HIV prevention, PMTCT, and care and treatment. Participation in
parent education groups, community caregiver and family support groups, peer and social support
activities and mentorship programs can help children, youth and families to strengthen coping
mechanisms and build resilience.

While most children are fairly resilient, when faced with extreme adversity and trauma, they and their
families need extra support. Extreme, prolonged ‘toxic stress’ may lead to anxiety or depression and can
have long-term, harmful effects on a child’s health and development. In cases of extreme stress or
adversity, children and families may benefit from family outreach programs such as home visits that
provide counseling services.

Key Psychosocial Support Activities and Message

1. Support Families to effectively meet Children’s Psychosocial Needs and Care for
Children in Their Own Communities. Families and communities that love and care for children
are best placed to provide psychosocial support.
2. Integrate Psychosocial Support Activities into Existing Community and Health
Systems and foster support groups for parents, families, community caregivers and youth (peers).
3. Organize Community Caregiver Support Groups, through existing community resources
and structures, to address caregivers’ emotional and psychological needs. Research indicates that
caregivers in support groups reported ‘better family functioning, more positive feelings towards
children in their care and less social marginalization’ than those not in support groups (Thurman et
al., 2012).
4. Support Mentorship Programs for Children and Youth affected by HIV/AIDS. Mentorship
programs can lessen grief and positively affect psychological outcomes, especially for children
without an adult caregiver (Horizons, 2007).
5. Address Specific Psychosocial Support Needs of Children Living with HIV. These may be
different from children dealing with the impact of HIV/AIDS on family members. Psychosocial support
must consider how children respond differently to adverse situations based on their age, gender and
circumstances.
6. Provide Psychosocial Activities that Support Young Children through Early Childhood
Development Programs (ECD or preschool). Research shows that toxic stress in early childhood
can have life-long, negative effects on a child’s brain development, health outcomes, learning and
behaviors. (Center on the Developing Child, 2007)
7. Strengthen Social Welfare Services and Promote Community Child Protection Policies
including Inheritance Rights. Community level support needs to be backed by external efforts of
policy-makers.
8. Develop an Evidence Base of Psychosocial Support Interventions that Support Child
Wellbeing. Psychosocial support programs are difficult to assess as outcomes may not be clear for a
long time. Currently, there is limited measurement of its impact on children.