As prevalence of cash transfer programming in humanitarian response has grown, so too has the recognition that the child protection sector must learn how to use cash transfer programs to achieve better results for children. This report summarizes the evidence for cash transfer programming and child protection in humanitarian contexts and recommends areas for action and further research. It highlights the gaps, needs, and opportunities found in the literature and confirmed by experts working across child protection, cash transfer programming, and other relevant areas of humanitarian action and international development. The findings and recommendations are intended to guide the Cash Transfer and Child Protection Task Force of the Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action as it generates participation and investment in a multi-year research agenda.
According to the report, emerging findings suggest that cash transfer programming can be leveraged early in humanitarian responses to support families’ resilience and prevent child protection risks as opposed to simply responding to them.