The present evaluation examines the National Child and Youth Development Plan (NCYDP) B.E. 2555-2559 (2012-2016), which provides a framework for the development of children and youth in Thailand. The NCYDP was designed under the leadership of the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security (MSDHS) and approved by the Thai Cabinet. Its purpose was to effectively implement the National Child and Youth Development Promotion Act (NCYDPA) B.E. 2550 (2007), which aimed to enhance the wellbeing of children and youth, in line with the principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
The main goal of the NCYDP is to ensure that children and youth lead secure lives; have physical and mental wellbeing; develop morality, ethical awareness and a civic mind; and express themselves creatively. Through its four strategic directions, the plan covers child and youth development issues that need to be addressed as well as the mechanisms that are required to address them.
The National Commission on the Promotion of Child and Youth Development (NCPCYD), headed by the Prime Minister, is the highest authority on child and youth development issues and guides the implementation of the NCYDP. After more than two years of the plan’s implementation, the Government of Thailand has embarked on a mid-term evaluation of the plan, managed by the Department of Children and Youth (DCY), formerly the Office of Welfare Promotion, Protection and Empowerment of Vulnerable Groups (OPP) of the MSDHS, with the support of the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF).
The evaluation aimed to review the design and implementation of the NCYDP and to generate lessons in order to improve the operation of the current plan and to inform the development of a follow-up plan for the period beyond 2016.
The evaluation used the criteria of relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, sustainability and impact and addressed the cross-cutting concerns of gender and equity as well. With regards to its scope, the evaluation covered the design of the plan and its implementation from 2012 to early 2015. It examined the four strategies of the plan as well as the modalities of their implementation at national and sub-national levels. Intended users of the evaluation are NCPCYD, DCY, MSDHS and other ministries and departments involved in the design and implementation of the NCYDP, provincial authorities and Local Administration Offices (LAOs) implementing parts of the plan at sub-national level as well as the UNICEF Country Office.
