JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The advent of COVID-19 abruptly thrust the health and safety of children and families into greater risk around the world. As regional and local governments, non-governmental organisations, communities and families and children grapple with the immediate public health impact of COVID-19, the rights and wellbeing of children, especially those who are already marginalised, have been overlooked. Those working with children have likely encountered unprecedented challenges and responded in innovative ways in efforts to address the needs and rights of all children.

Objective:

This paper presents the protocol for a large-scale, multinational study using a new smartphone app to capture the real-time experiences and perspectives of practitioners and policymakers supporting children and families during the COVID-19 pandemic around the globe in relation to a children's human rights ‘4P’ framework of protection, provision, prevention and participation. The findings from the pilot testing of the app regarding its feasibility and acceptability are also shared.

Methods:

This is a mixed-method survey study utilising a custom-built iOS and Android smartphone app called the ‘COVID 4P Log for Children’s Wellbeing’, developed in close consultation with 17 international Key Partner organisations. Practitioners and policymakers working with and for children’s wellbeing across 26 countries and 5 continents were invited to download the app and respond to 8 weeks of questions. The anticipated large amount of qualitative and quantitative response data will be analysed using content analysis, descriptive statistics and word frequencies.

Results:

The formal data collection for this project took place from October 2020 until March 2021. Results are expected in June 2021.

Conclusions:

The findings will directly inform the understanding of the ways COVID-19 has impacted practitioners’, managers’ and policymakers’ efforts to support children’s wellbeing, in their practices, services and policies. Innovative and ambitious in its scope and use of smartphone technology, this project also aims to inform and inspire future multinational research using app-based methodologies–the demand for which is likely to continue to dramatically rise in the COVID-19 era. Mitigating the risks of longitudinal remote data collection will help maximise the acceptability of the app, respondents’ sustained engagement and data quality.