Child-sensitive social protection: policy and practice in South Asia - Keetie Roelen

Promoting Social and Economic Justice

Child-Sensitive Social Protection: policy and practice in South Asia

@IDS_UK

#CSSP

Keetie Roelen and Helen Karki Chettri

IDS and Save the Children seminar5 April 2016

Promoting Social and Economic Justice

Improving social protection’s response to child poverty and vulnerability in Nepal

Outline

How can social protection better respond to child poverty in Nepal?

1. Impact of social protection on child poverty and vulnerability

2. Challenges

3. Recommendations

Social protection in Nepal

“In Nepali context, social protection is defined

as a set of policies and actions aiming at reducing

poverty and multi-dimensional deprivations to ensure

a basic minimum livelihood for all citizens.”

National Social Protection Framework (draft)

definition of social protectiondefinition of social protection

Social protection in Nepal: life-cycle approach

National Social Protection Framework (draft)

Child-sensitive social protection

Child-Sensitive Social Protection (CSSP) refers to social protection programmes or a system of programmes that aim (i) to maximise positive impacts on children, when and where appropriate and (ii) to minimise potential unintended side effects or perverse incentives. This encompasses both direct interventions (i.e. child-focused or targeted) and indirect interventions.

Child-sensitive social protection in Nepal

Child-sensitive social protection in Nepal

child poverty and vulnerabilitypoverty

nutrition

education

health

child labour

child care

+ positive impact

+ fairly positive impact

+/- maintenance of status quo

- negative impact

? no information available

Infants – Child Grant

• low amount (R200 per month per child)

“In Dolpa (Karnali), one egg costs R50, what can R200 do?” [District coordinator, KIRDARC]

• irregular payments

• administrative delay

• low quality of services

• birth registration

modest impactmodest impact

poverty +

nutrition +

education ?

health +

child labour ?

child care ?

Infants – Child Grant

>> sensitisation can extend impact beyond cash in a sustainable way

>> information about eligibility criteria and registration processes improves inclusion

Child Grant plus sensitisation in SindhupalchowkChild Grant plus sensitisation in Sindhupalchowk

School-age children - scholarships

• low amount

(R350 per annum per child)

• does not address other barriers to education

• may reinforce stigmatisation

• inclusion errors

“the schools divide it to all children because there is a lot of debate and political pressure” [Director, CCWB]

• untimely delivery

very limited impactvery limited impact

poverty ?

nutrition ?

education +/-

health ?

child labour +/-

child care ?

Working age – Public Works

• low number of working days for short period of time

• low wage rate

• inclusion and exclusion errors

• mismanagement of funds at VDC level

new implementation and payment models are tested

introduction of childcare centres

limited impactlimited impact

poverty +

nutrition +

education +

health ?

child labour ?

child care +/-

Working age – Public Works

>> child care centre can support care for children but centre needs to provide quality care, and caretaker needs to be paid equal wage

>> more work days across longer time period can prevent family separation

Karnali Employment Programme (KEP) in Kalikot districtKarnali Employment Programme (KEP) in Kalikot district

Elderly – Old Age /Single Women’s Allowance

• R1000 (OAA)/ R500 (SWA) per month

• average 9% spending on grandchildren (OAA)

• potential broader impacts due to universal coverage of elderly

“If a mother who loses her husband and gets money, she can spend it on her children’s education, books and clothes so it is child-sensitive.” [Undersecretary, MoFALD]

modest impactmodest impact

poverty +

nutrition +

education +

health +

child labour ?

child care +

Challenges

Proliferation, fragmentation, lack of coordination

“We have a system but it is a system-less system.”

[Director, CCWB]

Lack of capacity

Budget constraints and limited coverage

Inclusion and exclusion errors

Irregular cash flows leading to delayed and irregular payments

Inflexible registration and delay in data processing

institutional and administrativeinstitutional and administrative

Challenges

Low transfer amounts (child grant, scholarship, KEP)

Limited awareness of programmes

No sensitisation activities on use of transfers

“Most parents are uneducated and don’t realise the real situation of homes for their children.” [Director KIRDARC, Kalikot]

Lack of grievance and complaints procedures

No linkages to social work or child protection services

design and implementationdesign and implementation

Recommendations

Strengthen the functioning and implementation of existing

social protection programmes

Expand coverage: twin-track approach

Increase transfer amounts

Make programme registration more responsive and flexible

Strengthen sensitisation and awareness raising regarding use

of funds and child wellbeing

Recommendations

Improve link to child protection

Establish grievance mechanisms

Raise awareness and voice

Create clarity about the purpose of social protection, and

about child-sensitive social protection

Thank you!

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?

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