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The Children's Working Group (CWG) was established by Administrator Fugate in August 2009, and is responsible for leading FEMA's efforts, in partnership with other Federal agencies and non-governmental stakeholders, to ensure that the needs of children are considered and integrated into all disaster planning, preparedness, response and recovery efforts initiated at the Federal level. The Working Group is chaired by a member of senior leadership and comprised of a lead coordinator and representatives from virtually all sectors of the Agency.
Lauralee Koziol, Lead Coordinator of FEMA's Children's Working Group
Paulette Aniskoff, Chair of FEMA's Children's Working Group
Children's Working Group Key Focus Areas
The top priority of the Children’s Working Group is to examine, develop and continue to implement plans in:
- Supporting state and local efforts to help in the evacuation, tracking, and reunification of families if they get separated;
- Meeting the needs of children with disabilities during disasters;
- Funding the support to coordinate case management and crisis counseling for children and families who are disaster survivors through the Department of Health and Human Services;
- Increasing public awareness efforts to educate youth and families about emergency preparedness;
- Restoration and reimbursement of child care facilities and services which play an important role in helping a community to recover from a disaster.
- Incorporating children’s needs into planning and sheltering guidance, emergency management grants, and overall emergency planning and operational efforts; and
- Improving coordination across the Federal government and with state, local, and tribal and territorial partners in support of children’s disaster related needs.
Children’s Working Group Fact Sheet
Children's Working Group News
- 10/06/10: National Commission on Children and Disaster Report to the President and Congress
- 08/23/2010: National Commission on Children and Disasters 2010 Executive Summary to the President and Congress
- 08/04/10: Milestone Federal Report Cites Persistent Gaps in Disaster Preparedness as Fifth Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina Approaches
- 03/22/10: Commission Seeks Improvements for Children in National Disaster Recovery Framework
- 12/02/09: FEMA and Department Of Health and Human Services' Administration On Children And Families Improve Disaster Case Management Through Interagency Agreement
- 08/12/09: Bruce Lockwood Presents Children in Disasters at the FEMA's 2009 National Conference on Community Preparedness
- 08/04/09: FEMA Administrator, Craig Fugate Discusses the Children's Working Group before the Senate Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Disaster Recovery
Children's Working Group Resources
- National Commission on Children and Disasters
- Resources on Children and Disasters
- Helping Children Cope with Disasters
- FEMA Youth Preparedness
- FEMA Catalogue of Youth Disaster Preparedness Education Resources
- FEMA/American Red Cross Publication-Help Children Cope with Disasters
- DHS Anti-Human Trafficking Resources
- American Academy of Pediatrics on Children and Disasters Preparedness
- American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry on Helping Children After a Disaster
- National Association of Child Care Resources and Referral Agencies
- 2010 National Summit on Youth Preparedness Agenda (PDF 128KB, TXT 3KB)
- FEMA Administrator to Address National Commission on Children and Disasters (PDF 142KB, TXT 3KB)
- Public Assistance Program and Educational Facilities (PDF 562KB, TXT 12KB)