Emergency Toolkit

Multi-Cluster/Sector Initial Rapid Assessment (MIRA)

The Multi-Cluster/Sector Initial Rapid Assessment (MIRA) is designed to identify strategic humanitarian priorities during the first weeks following an emergency. MIRA should be carried out under the auspices of the Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator (while the primary responsibility for coordinating humanitarian assistance rests with national authorities, if international humanitarian assistance is required a Humanitarian Coordinator-HC or Resident Coordinator-RC is responsible for leading and coordinating the efforts of humanitarian organizations (both UN and non-UN)) and wherever possible, led by the government. MIRA is not specifically designed for MHPSS, but it does provide important information on the needs perceived by the affected community. It consists of: - Secondary data analysis (SDA) to determine the extent of the disaster and the number of affected people and to sketch out the strategic humanitarian priorities. - Community level assessment (CLA) - The MIRA Framework to align intra- and inter-sectoral information and to - support humanitarian actors reach a common understanding on strategic - humanitarian priorities. - The assessment normally comes with 2 products: - A Preliminary Scenario Definition, is issued 72 hours after the disaster’s - onset - A MIRA Report, released after 2 weeks.

IASC Reference Group Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Assessment Guide

The purpose of this document is to provide agencies with a guide with three tools containing key assessment questions that are of common relevance to all actors involved in MHPSS independent of the phase of the emergency. This guide will be useful for rapid assessments of MHPSS issues in humanitarian emergencies across sectors.

Who is Where, When, Doing What (4Ws) in Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS): Manual with Activity Codes

The IASC Reference group on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support 4Ws tool is developed to map MHPSS activities in humanitarian settings across sectors. It is envisioned that this tool will be used by groups with MHPSS coordination responsibilities in emergencies with numerous MHPSS actors. The tool exists of 2 parts: (a) A manual, which describes how to collect the data. (b) A 4Ws Data Collection Spreadsheet application (in Excel).

Inter-Agency Referral Guidance Note for MHPSS

The referral form is intended to be used by humanitarian organisations working with persons with MHPSS problems and is designed to facilitate referrals between and within all four levels of the IASC MHPSS Intervention pyramid. Case Managers and Community Workers may find the tool of particular use in their work with individual clients and their families.

Assessing Mental Health and Psychosocial Needs and Resources: Toolkit for Humanitarian Setting

This document provides an approach and a toolkit to help those designing and assessing mental health and psychosocial needs and resources in major humanitarian crises. It offers an approach that should help assessors review information that is already available and only collect new data that will be of practical use.

Examples of Application and Data Collection

Examples of application and data collection from Libya, Jordan, Bangladesh and 4Ws templates.

Further Reading and Examples of Application

These further reading and examples of application are based on Sierra Leone, Serbia and Nepal.

Rapid Assessment of Alcohol and Other Substance Use in Conflict-affected and Displaced Populations: A Field Guide

An increase in alcohol and other substance use is amongst the many health and social issues associated with conflict and displacement. Problems with substance use are prevalent in a variety of conflict-affected situations, including camps for refugees and internally displaced people. Psychoactive substances are also often used by combatants. This guide is written for those who plan to include in their work rapid assessments of alcohol and other substance use among conflict-affected and displaced populations.

Rapid Assessment Guide for Psychosocial Support and Violence Prevention in Emergencies and Recovery

This guide provides standards and directions on how to carry out rapid needs assessment for Psychosocial Support (PSS) and Violence Prevention (VP) initiatives including child protection and sexual and gender-based violence. In particular, this rapid assessment tool is designed to help gather data in an efficient and effective way to help inform integration of PSS and VP issues, as minimum standards, into the broader disaster management action plans in response to an emergency.