Supporting infants, children and families in an evacuation centre

Establishing a family-focused evacuation centre

Essentials to provide for infants and children

Evacuation centres can ease some of the stress and discomfort for families by ensuring they have basic items to meet their needs. Basic provisions should include:

• water
• bottle-feeding and bottle cleaning supplies (including different types of infant formula, access to hot water for washing feeding implements, an ability to boil water, and detergent)
• signs in the toilets advising that baby feeding bottles and supplies should not be washed there and directing parents to ask for assistance
• a designated private space for infant feeding
• age-appropriate food for infants and children of different ages, including solid baby food
• food for parents and children who may have allergies (i.e. gluten-free, nut-free options)
• dummies
• size-appropriate nappies and clothing
• baby-change equipment and facilities to dispose of nappies and wipes hygienically
• equipment for safe sleeping and bathing, such as cots, mattresses and a baby bath
• easy access to first aid kits, medications suitable for infants and children, and equipment that may be required for infants and children with disability or chronic health needs
• sensory tools or kits that can support regulation and soothing such as headphones, weighted blankets, soft toys, small pillows, play doh, fidget toys, colouring-in books and pencils, and building blocks
• clean toys, books, games and activities appropriate to a range of different developmental stages
• access to technology for older children (if possible).

Creating calming environments in evacuation centres

Beyond making the evacuation centre safe for families, it’s important to consider ways to minimise stress for children and parents and to make the environment as calm as it can be in the circumstances. For example:

• Set up designated quiet areas where families can check in together upon arrival. This ensures families stay together during chaotic situations.
• Try to prioritise entry and access to resources for parents with infants and young children.
• Commonly one parent (often mothers) will evacuate with children – for example, if their partner is taking action to protect their property or involved in emergency response efforts. Evacuation centre staff should be aware of this and able to proactively offer assistance.
• Recognise and respect the cultural diversity of families by providing culturally appropriate food, religious accommodations, and space for traditional practices and rituals where possible.
• Place families with young children as far as possible from areas where there are injured and/or extremely distressed individuals.
• Provide a separate area for families with infants and young children. Ideally, this area should have appropriate lighting (e.g. dimmed in sleeping zones but bright enough for safety and nappy-changing), be close to the toilets, and have access to clean water (for drinking and cleaning bottles).
• Provide a private space for feeding infants.
• Where possible, create quiet zones with dimmed lighting, as sensory stimuli can add to the sense of being overwhelmed and contribute to continuing nervous system arousal and distress.
• Aim to protect infants and children from media reports and adult conversations about the disaster and its consequences.
• Provide access to a range of toys, books and activities for infants and children of different ages to support emotional regulation.

Creating child-friendly spaces in evacuation centres

Access to child-friendly spaces in evacuation centres can help to protect children from physical harm and psychological distress.

A child-friendly space is a protected environment where children 3+ years can engage in age-appropriate activities under the supervision of trained staff and volunteers.

Age-appropriate activity examples

• storytelling sessions
• art and craft activities
• interactive games.

Providing psychosocial support

Child-friendly spaces in evacuation centres also offer an opportunity to provide psychosocial support amid the chaos of a disaster, or link families to further support.

Psychosocial support examples

• providing psychological first aid (PFA)
• offering reassurance and information to parents about connecting with and supporting their children
• offering families advice on what support services may be available after the disaster.

What next?

Learn more strategies for providing emotional support and psychological first aid in the disaster crisis response fact sheets:

• Providing emotional support for infants, children and families during disaster
• Providing psychological first aid for infants, children and families during disaster