This Community of Practice is for practitioners who work at the intersection of the fields of MHPSS and Education in Emergencies (EiE) to support learning and exchange around common interests. It aims to facilitate greater connection and dialogue in order to strengthen responses for children, their families and educators during emergencies.

Education in Emergencies plays a central role in the protection and promotion of children’s wellbeing, and education settings (including home school) can offer safe, stable environments that can help restore a sense of normality, dignity, and hope in emergencies. The field of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support has a wide range of intervention approaches that benefit children, their families and key workers such as teachers and other educators. Despite the vital intersections between MHPSS and EiE, programme staff and practitioners are not always aware of relevant knowledge, approaches and tools across both fields. It is hoped that the MHPSS and EiE CoP will help to bridge this gap and will be useful to all those working to design and deliver education and/or MHPSS interventions related to children in crisis situations.

The MHPSS and EiE CoP was established as part of a larger initiative involving the collective efforts of IFRC Psychosocial Centre, REPSSI and MHPSS.net to strengthen MHPSS for EiE in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the kind support of Education Cannot Wait. Although this CoP is being initiated in the context of the pandemic, the intention is that it encompasses MHPSS and EiE in all acute and chronic crisis situations.