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PFA Focal Points across Europe strengthen support for Ukrainian children (4 March 2025)
# Psychological First Aid #EU4Health initiative expands to reach crisis-affected children in 2025
Learn more: https://www.learning.foundation/ukraine
The Geneva Learning Foundation, in partnership with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), significantly expanded its Psychological First Aid (PFA) for Children initiative, growing from 34 to 75 focal points in Ukraine and across Europe who will help disseminate critical mental health support practices to frontline workers.
These Focal Points, together with others leaders and partners, met today for the ninth Partners & Leaders learning session.
## New tools developed from practitioner experience
The latest developments were shared during a virtual meeting on March 4, 2025, where program leaders announced several new learning opportunities created directly from practitioner experiences. These include a new comprehensive insights report based on 24 case studies developed by participants in 2024.
Get the insights: https://www.learning.foundation/ukraine-insights
“This is the first report where we are actually analyzing what participants shared in their case studies around PFA for children,” explained one of the program coordinators. The 162-page document contains detailed accounts of children’s responses to crisis situations.
Several community members, including Andras Elena, Anna Rovek, Natalia Savelieva, Olena Arutjavan, Olena Filipova, Victoria Mehova, and Yulia Melnichenko, were acknowledged for their contributions as community reviewers of the insights report.
The insights gathered are not meant to replace existing technical guidance but rather to complement it with real-world experiences from practitioners working directly with children in crisis contexts.
## Community-driven knowledge
The program’s approach emphasizes learning from peers to complement technical expertise. Key learning points from previous sessions have been compiled into concise documents that acknowledge contributor input and make this collective intelligence available to everyone, including those who might not have been able to attend live sessions.
This collaborative approach reflects the program’s commitment to centering the experiences of practitioners working directly with children in crisis situations, while providing them with flexible, accessible opportunities to further develop their skills and knowledge.
## Flexible learning options for busy practitioners
Recognizing the time constraints faced by humanitarian and development professionals, the initiative has expanded its learning offerings beyond the original peer learning exercise that required intensive participation and case study development.
New options include:
- A self-guided course that allows practitioners to learn at their own pace
- An e-learning module that takes approximately one hour to complete
- Micro-learning courses where participants can earn certificates for individual modules
The new offerings are designed for “people who are too busy, cannot really take the peer learning exercise, but would still like to learn from their colleagues.”
## Measuring impact on children’s wellbeing
Looking ahead, the initiative plans to focus on how to measure the impact of PFA interventions on children’s wellbeing. On March 18, 2025, the program will introduce PFA Measure to this forum of leaders, described as “a simple tool that practitioners, in particular those at the local levels or those in fragile contexts, can use to actually determine if and how the wellbeing of children is improving due to the PFA intervention.”
This development aligns with the Inter-Agency Standing Committee recommendations to provide simple measurement tools for practitioners in crisis settings.
## Expanding access and participation
The program continues to democratize access to learning opportunities. The newly created courses will be available in both English and Ukrainian, with the English version launching on March 6, 2025, and the Ukrainian version following shortly after.
For the upcoming peer learning exercise, which runs from March 31 to April 15 for English speakers, the program is actively seeking facilitators and mentors from among program alumni.
The initiative, funded by the European Union’s EU4Health programme, has already reached more than 2,000 practitioners from Ukraine and 27 European countries. It is extending the reach of an initiative led by the Ukrainian Red Cross and 27 other European Red Cross Societies, with the support from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement MHPSS Hub.
This peer learning event was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of The Geneva Learning Foundation (TGLF) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.
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By The Geneva Learning Foundation# Psychological First Aid #EU4Health initiative expands to reach crisis-affected children in 2025
Learn more: https://www.learning.foundation/ukraine
The Geneva Learning Foundation, in partnership with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), significantly expanded its Psychological First Aid (PFA) for Children initiative, growing from 34 to 75 focal points in Ukraine and across Europe who will help disseminate critical mental health support practices to frontline workers.
These Focal Points, together with others leaders and partners, met today for the ninth Partners & Leaders learning session.
## New tools developed from practitioner experience
The latest developments were shared during a virtual meeting on March 4, 2025, where program leaders announced several new learning opportunities created directly from practitioner experiences. These include a new comprehensive insights report based on 24 case studies developed by participants in 2024.
Get the insights: https://www.learning.foundation/ukraine-insights
“This is the first report where we are actually analyzing what participants shared in their case studies around PFA for children,” explained one of the program coordinators. The 162-page document contains detailed accounts of children’s responses to crisis situations.
Several community members, including Andras Elena, Anna Rovek, Natalia Savelieva, Olena Arutjavan, Olena Filipova, Victoria Mehova, and Yulia Melnichenko, were acknowledged for their contributions as community reviewers of the insights report.
The insights gathered are not meant to replace existing technical guidance but rather to complement it with real-world experiences from practitioners working directly with children in crisis contexts.
## Community-driven knowledge
The program’s approach emphasizes learning from peers to complement technical expertise. Key learning points from previous sessions have been compiled into concise documents that acknowledge contributor input and make this collective intelligence available to everyone, including those who might not have been able to attend live sessions.
This collaborative approach reflects the program’s commitment to centering the experiences of practitioners working directly with children in crisis situations, while providing them with flexible, accessible opportunities to further develop their skills and knowledge.
## Flexible learning options for busy practitioners
Recognizing the time constraints faced by humanitarian and development professionals, the initiative has expanded its learning offerings beyond the original peer learning exercise that required intensive participation and case study development.
New options include:
- A self-guided course that allows practitioners to learn at their own pace
- An e-learning module that takes approximately one hour to complete
- Micro-learning courses where participants can earn certificates for individual modules
The new offerings are designed for “people who are too busy, cannot really take the peer learning exercise, but would still like to learn from their colleagues.”
## Measuring impact on children’s wellbeing
Looking ahead, the initiative plans to focus on how to measure the impact of PFA interventions on children’s wellbeing. On March 18, 2025, the program will introduce PFA Measure to this forum of leaders, described as “a simple tool that practitioners, in particular those at the local levels or those in fragile contexts, can use to actually determine if and how the wellbeing of children is improving due to the PFA intervention.”
This development aligns with the Inter-Agency Standing Committee recommendations to provide simple measurement tools for practitioners in crisis settings.
## Expanding access and participation
The program continues to democratize access to learning opportunities. The newly created courses will be available in both English and Ukrainian, with the English version launching on March 6, 2025, and the Ukrainian version following shortly after.
For the upcoming peer learning exercise, which runs from March 31 to April 15 for English speakers, the program is actively seeking facilitators and mentors from among program alumni.
The initiative, funded by the European Union’s EU4Health programme, has already reached more than 2,000 practitioners from Ukraine and 27 European countries. It is extending the reach of an initiative led by the Ukrainian Red Cross and 27 other European Red Cross Societies, with the support from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement MHPSS Hub.
This peer learning event was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of The Geneva Learning Foundation (TGLF) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.