In light of these limitations, it is vital to seek alternatives that complement top-down approaches, offer a stronger way forward, and unleash the full creative power and agency of communities. Since reflection is the key to successful change, please take a moment to reflect quietly on the questions presented in the box below:
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Questions for Reflection Have I or my agency used top-down approaches and CWCs in addressing child protection? What are some of the limits of this approach that I have seen? How do I see CWCs?
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Perhaps the time has come to develop and test alternative approaches that open new possibilities and avoid these limitations. Even if your agency has been invested in top-down approaches, our willingness to innovate and try out new approaches is an important element in being a good humanitarian and achieving accountability to the people we serve.
The new approaches set out in this Guide are best thought of as complements to rather than replacements for top-down approaches. Indeed, a bottom-up approach is not a “silver bullet” solution to be used in all circumstances. A significant challenge in the child protection sector is to find the appropriate balance between the use of different approaches, adapting this balance to fit individual contexts.