The purpose of the field handbook is to provide operational guidance for child protection staff and all other actors working on prevention and response to family separation in emergencies. The handbook sets out to ensure that responses meet agreed inter-agency standards (where relevant), and are complementary. Moreover, it seeks to ensure that responses are appropriate to the particular situation of individual unaccompanied and separated children, and in their best interests, emphasizing the importance of working with affected communities, including children themselves, and building on their strengths and resilience.