Researchers from Schneider Children's Publish Study on Specialized Treatment Method for Children Released from Captivity in Child Abuse & Neglect International Journal

In November - December 2023, as part of a ceasefire agreement and after approximately 50 days in Hamas captivity, 80 Israelis and foreign nationals were released. Among the returnees, 26 - comprising 19 children (ages 2.5 to 18), 6 mothers, and one grandmother - were treated at Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, part of the Clalit group, in a newly established department dedicated to their care.

Within this dedicated department, most of the children who returned from Hamas captivity received care. Some stayed for just a few days, while others remained for several weeks, depending on their individual needs and preferences. During their time in the Returnees Department at Schneider Children's, the released hostages were reunited with their families, met with military personnel, and were supported by a multidisciplinary team that provided comprehensive medical, nursing, and psychosocial care. The team fostered an environment of safety, trust and compassion - offering the children a sense of home, freedom and love in every possible way.

The study, now published in the journal Child Abuse & Neglect, presents a dedicated intervention model called PFA-CC - Psychological First Aid for Children Released from Captivity. This is a specialized treatment method for children released from captivity, developed by an Israeli team of experts led by Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel in collaboration with Tel Aviv University and the Academic Center Ruppin. The method is based on the Psychological First Aid (PFA) model and is tailored to the unique condition of children returning from captivity. The researchers from Schneider Children's who presented the model are Dr. Efrat Bron-Harlev, CEO of Schneider Children's; Prof. Silvana Fennig; Dr. Maayan Shorer; and Dr. Avigail Snir, along with Dr. Maya Fennig from the School of Social Work at Tel Aviv University.

In the study, the Israeli team monitored the treatment of released children for 250 hours and interviewed 37 professionals - Including doctors, nurses, psychologists, and social workers who treated them. The developed method focuses on five main areas: creating a sense of security, calming the children, strengthening their sense of competence, building social and familial connections, and fostering hope for the future. Two unique aspects of the new method are that the treatment is conducted in the protected environment of a hospital rather than in the community, and it includes the entire family, especially when the families themselves have been harmed or displaced from their homes. The study offers three main recommendations: providing children with choices while also setting clear boundaries, creating a safe and secure environment, and integrating the entire family into the treatment.

According to Prof. Silvana Fennig, a psychiatrist at Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel: "This is the first attempt to adapt initial psychological treatment to the unique situation of release from captivity. The study shows that the method works well with released children. According to the study, flexibility and individualized care are essential-especially in such complex and traumatic situations. This new approach may support faster recovery and help prevent long-term mental health challenges. The findings from the Israeli study are especially significant at a time when children are being kidnapped in conflict zones across the globe, from Nigeria to Ukraine.