UNICEF Social Protection Work an overview Show and Tell on Social Protection Bonn, 2011 UNICEF and social protection – Rationale: Equity approach Social protection and children – Child-Sensitive Social Protection – Guiding Principles – On-going work – Agenda for action – Work with Partners: Social Protection Floor Presentation Outline Child Protection in UNICEF’s Social Protection Strategic Framework Seminar on Social Transfers and Child Protection March 2013 Jenn Yablonski

 Child Protection and Social Protection – UNICEF context  Strategic Framework on Social Protection – quick overview  Child Protection and Social Protection: complementarities and challenges Presentation Overview

 Child Protection staff in field & HQ strongly helped to lead early work on SP in UNICEF  Link to OVC issues and impact of HIV/AIDS  But also broader in concerns re: child-sensitivity of SP programmes, and links to social welfare services/ministries CP and SP - context  Continues to be substantial collaboration in a number of countries/regions  Child protection perspective has helped to shape part of UNICEF’s value added in SP  Areas of confusion remain, and unrealized potential for maximizing outcomes for children

Social protection strengthens resilience and helps achieve greater equity UNICEF supports the Progressive Realization of Universal Coverage Social protection can be affordable and sustainably financed UNICEF promotes integrated social protection systems Social, as well as economic, vulnerabilities need to be addressed by social protection The Framework is a starting point for a collaborative agenda on joint learning and action Key Messages

UNICEF understands social protection as: Key elements of definition:  Poverty and deprivation are a multi-dimensional and dynamic reality.  Vulnerability entails both exposure to risk and the capacity to respond and cope.  Both economic and social vulnerabilities are important and often intertwined.  Vulnerabilities are shaped by underlying structural social, political and economic factors. Definition “a set of public and private policies and programmes aimed at preventing, reducing and eliminating economic and social vulnerabilities to poverty and deprivation”

Social protection components & examples Cash transfers (including pensions, child benefits, poverty-targeted, seasonal) Food transfers Nutritional supplementation; Provision of ARVs Public works Birth registration User fee abolition Health insurance Exemptions, vouchers, subsidies Specialized services to ensure equitable access for all Family support services Home-based care Accessible Childcare services Minimum and equal pay legislation Employment guarantee schemes Maternity and paternity leave Removal of discriminatory legislation or policies affecting service provision/access or employment Inheritance rights Social Transfers Programmes to access services Social Support and care Legislation & Policies

Highly effective for addressing multiple and compounding vulnerabilities faced by children and families Address both social and economic vulnerabilities Provide a comprehensive set of interventions Go beyond risk management interventions and safety nets: address structural as well as shock-related vulnerabilities Facilitate a multi-sector approach and coordination Coordinate with appropriate supply-side investments Frame social protection strategies within a broader set of social and economic policies that promote human development and growth Overall approach: Integrated social protection systems

‘Multi- sector’ approach ‘Systems’ approach Integrated Social protection Systems

Progressive realization of universal coverage National systems and leadership Inclusive social protection Key Principles

UNICEF Social Protection Work an overview Show and Tell on Social Protection Bonn, 2011 Social Protection and Child Protection

Child Protection and social protection Social protection can contribute to enhance child protection outcomes: serve as a preventive as well as protective function Linking social protection and child protection systems/services enhance holistic well-being of children addressing both social and economic vulnerabilities to poverty, and abuse, neglect and exploitation

Complementarities: Goals Both approaches address social vulnerability, but different outcomes and underlying factors Social protection address economic and social vulnerabilities to poverty & deprivation - ensures rights to adequate standard of living and access to services. Child protection addresses causes of violence, abuse and neglect, many rooted in economic and social vulnerability.

Complementarities: Goals (cont.) Goal: address vulnerability to reduce Poverty and deprivation SOCIAL PROTECTION Violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation: CHILD PROTECTION Economic: limited asset base; shocks; low wage/lack of paid employment Cultural: intra-household inequality; discrimination and social exclusion based on gender, ethnicity, disability, etc; lack of extended family support; lack of social status Social: age specific health vulnerabilities; limited education and/or skills; inability to access social services Political: conflict; institutionalized discrimination; political marginalization Economic: inequality and unemployment; poverty Cultural: gender dynamics and discrimination; power relations Social: Social status; Age (children and youth); lack of family care/protection; harmful social practices, members of minority groups Disability: child or parents with disabilities Political: Conflict Causes/Underlying factors

Programmatic linkages between SP and Child Protection Some mechanisms and interventions can serve both child protection and social protection functions – enhancing outcomes in both areas. For example: –Birth registration –Family support services Explicit integration and linking of child protection services with social transfers or other social protection activities may enhance the long-term impact of these interventions. SP contact points can help identify and refer vulnerable households to social welfare services –Case workers –Pay points (from cash transfers) Child protection services can help remove barriers to access of social protection programmes: e.g., referral services by social workers may address stigma, isolation, lack of information problems

Overlapping instruments; different functions and outcomes  Addressing abuse, exploitation, neglect  Child protective services: children in the justice system, child trafficking, children at risk of abuse, neglect and exploitation etc  Alternative care  Social and family support services  Legislation  Birth registration Child Protection Social Protection  Social transfers : removing financial barriers to access, improving other child outcomes which affect child protection (e.g. education)  Health & education access Design considerations: participation; child labor; gender analysis

Instruments: Family support services example What do we mean by family support services? Activities to strengthen and preserve families, prevent family separation/breakdown and ensure early intervention in families deemed at risk. As a Child protection instrument, family support services enhance capacity of families to care for children. Some activities may include: -Parenting education -Family mediation -Family legal advice -Family /individual therapeutic support -Referral to other services (part of PEF) As a Social protection instrument, family support and care services help strengthen families’ resilience and capacity to cope with risks, while linking families to basic social and other (protection, legal) services: -Home base care (for HIV patients): to provide health care for those marginalized due to poverty or stigma; promote treatment adherence; ensure access to basic services and linkages with legal support and livelihood opportunities -Referral to services and benefits (e.g: nutrition, education) due to information barriers and invisibility

Instruments: Legislation and Policy Reform From a Child protection perspective, it is crucial to build and strength legal structures to prevent children from being harmed; to keep children safe. Main focus the underlying and structural factors that may impact children’s vulnerability to harm. Examples: -Civil and political rights -Right to a name and nationality -Right to identity -Child trafficking and sexual exploitation lows -Minimum age to work -Family law (domestic relations, adoption, custody, foster care, etc.) -Property and inheritance laws -Social welfare As a Social protection instrument, legislation and policy reform is essential to ensure equity and non-discrimination and families’ access to services and income security. It implies tacking explicitly with issues of power, discrimination and exclusion: -Anti-discrimination policy affecting service provision and/or access -Minimum and equal pay legislation -Employment guarantee schemes -Maternity and paternity leave -Accessible Child care policy to support working parents -Inheritance rights

Instruments: Birth Registration In relation to Child Protection, birth registration strengthens child protection national systems; essential in terms of: -Preventing child labor by enforcing minimum age laws -Ensuring children in conflict with the law are not treated as adults -Countering child/early marriage -Contributing to reduce trafficking and sexual exploitation -Assisting repatriation and reunification efforts As a Social protection instrument, birth registration contributes to remove barriers to access to services such as transfers, education, health services as well as the protection of fundamental social and economic rights

Example: Linking SP & CP in Armenia 38.1 % of children below the poverty line Without family benefits, poverty would increase from 53.7% to 73% among the families currently receiving it (extreme poverty would increase from 7.9% to 30.2%) – Yet, families receiving social assistance still incur more costs and fewer benefits than couples without children What to do under present fiscal constraints and government choices? – Focus on non-monetary measures that improve the efficacy of a SP and CP interventions by creating synergies between services, case management, cash and non-cash benefits Since 2010, Ministry of Labour and Social Issues has undertaken Integrated Social Services (ISS) reform Goal of the reform: improve the registration process, coverage, and provisioning of social assistance & social support (improve experience of user as well as management) – Includes bringing together different services under user-friendly ‘one-stop’ shop (Integrated Social Service Center) UNICEF’s role: facilitated consultation with social services managers and service providers from Western Europe  specific model for Armenia

Protective Environment Framework (PEF): Child protection To prevent and respond to violence, abuse and exploitation Government commitment to protection rights Legislation and enforcement Open discussion Children’s life skills, knowledge and participation Capacity of those in contact with child Basic and targeted services Monitoring and oversight Social protection contributes to ensuring access to social basic services: health, education, and other Social protection can enhance the capacity of care givers in terms of financial access, work flexibility, and protective legislation Social protection legislation and policy reform to transform discriminatory attitudes towards vulnerable groups

CP Impacts Health, Nutrition, Education outcomes Family Stress/ Resilience HH labour/time decisions Access to information Access to services - Health, Ed. Income/ resources Reduced discrimination/ exclusion Family support Design features – e.g. training/ information, childcare with PWs Programmatic linkages – e.g. referrals, birth registration Coordination Strengthening SW workforce & human resources Systems for identifying HHs/ children Intermediate Impacts Implementation synergies Systems strengthening SP outcomes