It is difficult to objectively assess a child’s experience during a crisis.

Especially while working in international contexts with multinational teams, it is vital to collect the voice of the child and their family without filtering it through the lens of the healthcare professional or aid worker.

The child needs to be heard, and resources may need to be allocated in a timely manner. This is why we sought to create an objective health survey tool for children and families escaping natural disasters or armed conflict.

​The survey instrument contains a series of validated questions and 1 free text item. It covers:

• Basic symptoms and medical complaints
• Environmental exposures
• Untoward experiences during evacuation and displacement
• Access to education
• Access to healthcare including chronic medication
• Immunizations and well-child visits
• Validated psychological questionnaire provided by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network
• In an open-ended question, respondents are then asked about their most important concerns relating to their current life.