Social Protection Policies and Programmes

Poverty affects both the quality and length of children’s lives, reduces the ability of families to adequately provide for their children, and is a significant cause of family breakdown and child separation. Social assistance programmes aim to reduce child poverty and act as a safety net for families with minimal resources.

Such programmes include in-kind and in-cash transfers, and food for work initiatives. Social assistance programmes are a part of social welfare and must include clear child care policies that protect children and strengthen family and community capacities to access services and provide care.

Cash transfers are a means of financially supporting the most vulnerable households to improve the child’s access to essential goods and services, such as health and education. They include the use of child support grants, child and family allowances and targeted and conditional cash transfers. They may be combined with investment in child education and health services, and redistributive tax policies.

In-kind transfers provide access to essential goods and services instead of cash payments. Conditional cash transfers provide money to poor families on achieving certain actions, such as sending children to school.

Social assistance programmes may struggle to target those most in need, and provide sustainable support. Economic policies, including social assistance, and household economic strengthening, require substantial research, monitoring, and gatekeeping to ensure that the poorest and most vulnerable are reached and that long term benefits can be achieved for families, including child headed households.

The literature in this section provides country examples and analyses of social assistance programs, focusing primarily on cash transfer schemes.

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Children Without Parental Care in the Caribbean

Patricia Lim Ah Ken, 2007

A regional assessment of responses to children outside parental care in the Caribbean. Extensive research on successful examples of alternative care. Includes recommendations and lessons learned.

Community and Family Models of Care for Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Africa

Jon Singletary, 2007

Unites scripture and evidence to help guide North American Christians in responding the needs of children affected by HIV/AIDS. Identifies the shortcomings of institutional care and outlines specific and better alternatives available for supporting children in Africa. Highlights related resources for follow-up.

The Challenges of El Salvador's Conditional Cash Transfer Programme, Red Solidaria

Tatiana Feitosa de Britto, International Poverty Centre, 2007

Provides analysis of the historical background and current structure of El Salvador's conditional cash transfer programme with attention to family integration

Evaluating the Impact of Brazil's Bolsa Familia Program

Fábio Veras Soares, Rafael Perez Ribas, Rafael Guerreiro Osório, 2007

Evaluates targeting and human capital impacts of Brazil's Bolsa Familia Program in comparison with Mexico's Oportunidades, and Chile's Chile Solidario.

The Nuts and Bolts of Brazil's Bolsa Familia Program: Implementing Conditional Cash Transfers in a Decentralized Context

Kathy Lindert, Anja Linder, Jason Hobbs, and Bénédicte de la Brière, 2007

Highlights key features of the the Bolsa Familia conditional cash transfer (CCT) Program, such as its design and implementation.

http://www.crin.org/docs/Lindert,%20et.%20al..pdf

Cash Transfers: Real Benefit for Children Affected by AIDS

Interagency Task Team (IATT) on Children and HIV and AIDS: Working Group on Social Protection, 2007

A 4-page advocacy document outlining the potential benefit of cash transfers in the context of children and AIDS.

Project Profile: Social Cash Transfer Pilot

UNICEF, 2007

Brief overview of a project designed to give monetary aid to poor families. Program seeks to reduce poverty while promoting health and education.

Expanding the Social Security Net in South Africa: Opportunities, Challenges, and Constraints

Kalie Pauw and Liberty Mncube, 2007

Examines constraints to expansion of the social welfare net in South Africa. Cites substitution taking place within the social budget since education and health expenditures have already declined in favour of increased welfare transfer expenditures.

Chile Solidario: Toward an Integrated Approach to the Delivery of Social Protection

Helen Schulte, 2007

Examination of Chile Solidario social protection programme which shows that the focus of policy makers and researchers should be on integration of cash transfers within broader social protection policies.

The Impact of Social Cash Transfers on Children Affected by HIV and AIDS: Evidence from Zambia, Malawi and South Africa

Bernd Schubert, Douglas Webb, Miriam Temin, and Petronella Masabane, 2007

Investigates the AIDS mitigation impacts of several large social cash transfer programmes in Africa. Emphasis on investigating non-specific targeting (of poor families) versus targeting specific to households affected by AIDS.