UNICEF Social Protection Work an overview

Show and Tell on Social Protection Bonn, 2011

• UNICEF and social protection– Rationale: • Equity approach• Social protection and children

– Child-Sensitive Social Protection– Guiding Principles– On-going work– Agenda for action– Work with Partners: Social Protection Floor

Presentation Outline

Child Protection in UNICEF’s Social Protection Strategic Framework

Seminar on Social Transfers and Child Protection18-20 March 2013

Jenn Yablonski

· Child Protection and Social Protection – UNICEF context

· Strategic Framework on Social Protection – quick overview

· Child Protection and Social Protection: complementarities and challenges

Presentation Overview

· Child Protection staff in field & HQ strongly helped to lead early work on SP in UNICEF · Link to OVC issues and impact of HIV/AIDS· But also broader in concerns re: child-sensitivity of SP

programmes, and links to social welfare services/ministries

CP and SP - context

· Continues to be substantial collaboration in a number of countries/regions

· Child protection perspective has helped to shape part of UNICEF’s value added in SP

· Areas of confusion remain, and unrealized potential for maximizing outcomes for children

Integrated Social Protection Systems: Enhancing Equity for

Children

UNICEF’s Social Protection Strategic Framework

• Social protection strengthens resilience and helps achieve greater equity

• UNICEF supports the Progressive Realization of Universal Coverage

• Social protection can be affordable and sustainably financed

• UNICEF promotes integrated social protection systems

• Social, as well as economic, vulnerabilities need to be addressed by social protection

• The Framework is a starting point for a collaborative agenda on joint learning and action

Key Messages

UNICEF understands social protection as:

Key elements of definition:

· Poverty and deprivation are a multi-dimensional and dynamic reality.

· Vulnerability entails both exposure to risk and the capacity to respond and cope.

· Both economic and social vulnerabilities are important and often intertwined.

· Vulnerabilities are shaped by underlying structural social, political and economic factors.

Definition

“a set of public and private policies and programmes aimed at preventing, reducing

and eliminating economic and social vulnerabilities to poverty and deprivation”

Social protection components & examples

Cash transfers (including pensions, child benefits, poverty-targeted, seasonal)Food transfersNutritional supplementation; Provision of ARVsPublic works

Birth registrationUser fee abolitionHealth insuranceExemptions, vouchers, subsidiesSpecialized services to ensure equitable access for all

Family support servicesHome-based careAccessible Childcare services

Minimum and equal pay legislationEmployment guarantee schemesMaternity and paternity leaveRemoval of discriminatory legislation or policies affecting service provision/access or employmentInheritance rights

Social Transfers

Programmes to access services

Social Support and care

Legislation & Policies

Highly effective for addressing multiple and compounding vulnerabilities faced by children and families

• Address both social and economic vulnerabilities

• Provide a comprehensive set of interventions

• Go beyond risk management interventions and safety nets: address structural as well as shock-related vulnerabilities

• Facilitate a multi-sector approach and coordination

• Coordinate with appropriate supply-side investments

• Frame social protection strategies within a broader set of social and economic policies that promote human development and growth

Overall approach: Integrated social protection systems

Integrated social protection systems

‘Multi-sector’

approach

‘Systems’ approach

Integrated Social

protection Systems

• Progressive realization of universal coverage

• National systems and leadership

• Inclusive social protection

Key Principles

UNICEF Social Protection Work an overview

Show and Tell on Social Protection Bonn, 2011

Social Protection and Child Protection

Child Protection and social protection

• Social protection can contribute to enhance child protection outcomes: serve as a preventive as well as protective function

• Linking social protection and child protection systems/services enhance holistic well-being of children addressing both social and economic vulnerabilities to poverty, and abuse, neglect and exploitation

Complementarities: Goals

• Both approaches address social vulnerability, but different outcomes and underlying factors

• Social protection address economic and social vulnerabilities to poverty & deprivation - ensures rights to adequate standard of living and access to services.

• Child protection addresses causes of violence, abuse and neglect, many rooted in economic and social vulnerability.

Complementarities: Goals (cont.)Goal: address vulnerability to reduce

Poverty and deprivationSOCIAL PROTECTION

Violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation:

CHILD PROTECTION

Economic: limited asset base; shocks; low wage/lack of paid employmentCultural: intra-household inequality; discrimination and social exclusion based on gender, ethnicity, disability, etc; lack of extended family support; lack of social statusSocial: age specific health vulnerabilities; limited education and/or skills; inability to access social services Political: conflict; institutionalized discrimination; political marginalization

Economic: inequality and unemployment; povertyCultural: gender dynamics and discrimination; power relationsSocial: Social status; Age (children and youth); lack of family care/protection; harmful social practices, members of minority groupsDisability: child or parents with disabilitiesPolitical: Conflict

Causes/Underlying factors

Programmatic linkages between SP and Child Protection• Some mechanisms and interventions can serve both child protection and social

protection functions – enhancing outcomes in both areas. For example:

– Birth registration– Family support services

• Explicit integration and linking of child protection services with social transfers or other social protection activities may enhance the long-term impact of these interventions.

• SP contact points can help identify and refer vulnerable households to social welfare services

– Case workers– Pay points (from cash transfers)

• Child protection services can help remove barriers to access of social protection programmes: e.g., referral services by social workers may address stigma, isolation, lack of information problems

Instruments: Family support services example• What do we mean by family support services? Activities to

strengthen and preserve families, prevent family separation/breakdown and ensure early intervention in families deemed at risk.

As a Child protection instrument, family support services enhance capacity of families to care for children. Some activities may include:- Parenting education- Family mediation- Family legal advice- Family /individual therapeutic

support- Referral to other services (part of

PEF)

As a Social protection instrument, family support and care services help strengthen families’ resilience and capacity to cope with risks, while linking families to basic social and other (protection, legal) services:- Home base care (for HIV patients): to provide

health care for those marginalized due to poverty or stigma; promote treatment adherence; ensure access to basic services and linkages with legal support and livelihood opportunities

- Referral to services and benefits (e.g: nutrition, education) due to information barriers and invisibility

Protective Environment Framework (PEF): Child protection

To prevent and respond to violence, abuse and exploitation

Government commitment to protection rights

Legislation and enforcement

Open discussion

Children’s life skills, knowledge and participation

Capacity of those in contact with child

Basic and targeted services

Monitoring and oversight

Social protection contributes to ensuring access to social basic services: health, education, and other

Social protection can enhance the capacity of care givers in terms of financial access, work flexibility, and protective legislation

Social protection legislation and policy reform to transform discriminatory attitudes towards vulnerable groups

CP Impacts

Health, Nutrition, Education outcomes

Family Stress/ Resilience

HH labour/time decisions

Access to information

Access to services - Health, Ed.

Income/ resources

Reduced discrimination/

exclusion

Family support

Design features – e.g. training/ information, childcare with PWs

Programmatic linkages – e.g. referrals, birth registration

CoordinationStrengthening SW

workforce & human resources

Systems for identifying HHs/

children

Intermediate Impacts

Implementation synergies

Systems strengthening

SP outcomes