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A new way to measure child functioning

UNICEF
WASHINGTON GROUP
May 2017

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"In recognizing the need for a set of questions that would produce internationally comparable data on children, the Washington Group formed a subgroup in 2009 that is chaired by the National Statistical Office of Italy (ISTAT). UNICEF joined the subgroup in 2011.

The first main activity of the subgroup was the development of a short set of questions to reflect current thinking on child functioning for inclusion in censuses and surveys. The new module uses the ICF-CY as the conceptual framework and relies on a functional approach to measuring disability.

The Washington Group/UNICEF Module on Child Functioning, finalized in 2016, covers children between 2 and 17 years of age and assesses functional difficulties in different domains including hearing, vision, communication/comprehension, learning, mobility and emotions. To better reflect the degree of functional difficulty, each area is assessed against a rating scale. The purpose is to identify the subpopulation of children who are at greater risk than other children of the same age or who are experiencing limited participation in an unaccommodating environment. The set of questions is intended for use in national household surveys and censuses"

The module is being translated into multiple languages. Supporting documentation, including a concept note, tabulation plan, templates for reporting, guidelines for interviewers and training materials are also available.

The state of the world's children 2014 in numbers : every child counts

UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN’S FUND (UNICEF)
January 2014

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This report highlights the critical role data and monitoring play in realising children’s rights. It presents an updated compendium of statistics and data (which has been produced thirty years after the initial report) relating to the position of children throughout the world but particularly within the Global South. The data indicators cover a vast range: from demography, health and education, to rate of progression, child mortality, and disparities by household wealth. It emphasises that credible data, disseminated effectively and used correctly, make change possible to target interventions that help right the wrong of exclusion by identifying needs, supporting advocacy, gauging progress and holding duty bearers to account

The state of the world's children 2006 : excluded and invisible

UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN'S FUND (UNICEF)
2005

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The 2006 UNICEF report focuses on children who are 'excluded' or 'invisible', and is an assessment of the world's most vulnerable children. These are the children, that even if the Millenium Development Goals are met, will be left out. They are the ones who are currently beyond the reach of laws, programmes, research and budgets. The report states that children in four circumstances are most likely to become invisible and forgotten: children without a formal identity, children without parental care, children in adult roles and children who are exploited. For example, children who are not registered at birth do not appear in official statistics and are not acknowledged as members of their society. Discrimination on the basis of gender, ethnicity and disability are also factors in the exclusion of children. The report outlines concrete actions that can be taken by civil society, the private sector, donors and the media to help prevent children falling between the cracks

Young people and HIV/AIDS : opportunity in crisis

UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN'S FUND (UNICEF)
JOINT UNITED NATIONS PROGRAMME ON HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
2002

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More than half the new HIV infections globally are in people between 15 and 24 years old. This report contains HIV indicators for 60 countries, demonstrating the need to give top priority to investing in the well-being of young people and engaging them in the fight against HIV/AIDS

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