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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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.

Policy Framework for Children and AIDS, India

UNICEF, 2007

This Policy Framework seeks to broaden the focus to address the needs of the overwhelming majority of children in India affected by HIV/AIDS by covering a broader agenda, spanning both the medical and socioeconomic dimensions of the epidemic as it affects children.

HIV/AIDS Education: What African Youth Say Is Effective

W. James Jacob, Stacey A. Shaw, Donald E. Morisky, Steven J.Hite, &, 2007

A study of HIV/AIDS education programs and direction for creating curricula in African schools.

Promoting the Rights of Children with Disabilities: Innocenti Digest No. 13

UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, 2007

A report on the situation of the millions of children globally with disabilities, and the challenges faced in realizing their human rights. It gives an overview of international standards, and strategies for advancing the social inclusion of children with disabilities in their families, schools, communities, and wider society.

Enhanced Protection for Children Affected by AIDS: A Companion Paper to The OVC Framework

UNICEF, 31 Dec 2006

Outlines how to strengthen social protection, legal protection, and alternative care for children at country level. Contains specific actions that governments and NGO's can take to decrease the vulnerability of children affected by AIDS and respond to instances of abuse, exploitation and neglect.

Conditional Cash Transfers: An Annotated Bibliography

Andrea Schapper, International Labour Organization, 02 Jan 2006

This document contains a bibliography global conditional cash transfer documents.

Strengthening National Responses to Children Affected by HIV/AIDS: What is the Role of the State and Social Welfare in Africa?

Julia Purcell, 2006

Overview of social protection and welfare directions around the world, with recommendations for policies to protect vulnerable children and those affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa.

Reassessing Conditional Cash Transfer Programs

Jishnu Das, Quy-Toan Do, and Berk Özler , 2006

This article reviews the existing literature on conditional cash transfer programs around the world. It urges the careful consideration of multiple factors in program planning and policy making to achieve successful long-term outcomes.

Capacity Needs Assessment Report (2006)

Uganda Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, 2006

An Assessment to Determine MGLSD and District Management and Operational Capacity Needs in Providing Leadership, Coordination, and Monitoring and Evaluating the National Response to OVC and AB/Y