Who is Where, When, doing What (4Ws) Mental Health, Psychosocial and Protection Support in Jordan: Interventions Mapping Exercise

IASC Task Force on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) in emergency settings was established in 2005 to address the need for concrete guidance on how to organize mental health and psychosocial support in emergencies.

In 2007, the Task Force achieved its initial goal of developing a practical, inter-agency, multi-sectorial guidance with the publication of the IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings. The guidelines were launched in Geneva on 14 September, 2007. Furthering its work, the IASC reference group developed a “4Ws” tool to map MHPSS services in emergencies. The purpose of the tool is to gain a clearer picture of who is doing what, where and when. The tool also provides a comprehensive overview of the size and nature of an emergency response with respect to MHPSS. International Medical Corps (IMC) first piloted the tool in Jordan in 2009 in cooperation with WHO and UNICEF. A refined tool was applied for the second mapping in Jordan in 2010, based on emerging issues and lessons learnt from previous mappings conducted in Jordan, Nepal and Haiti.

The 4Ws mapping of MHPSS services for 2012 was initially planned to collect information regarding the range of MHPSS activities provided to all beneficiary groups in Jordan. In light of the current crisis in Syria and through consultation with partner agencies, though, it was decided to include a brief list of essential Protection activities in the mapping exercise with the goal of enabling participants to gain a more comprehensive picture of services being provided to vulnerable populations in Jordan.