1. Assessing the impacts of policies on children
Petra Hoelscher UNICEF Global Child Poverty Study CEE/CIS Regional Meeting Tashkent, 2-4 April 2008

2. Protective Environment for Children Outcomes for Children’s Well-being
Material
Situation
Risk +
Safety
State
Decentralisation
Budgets Governance
Community
Protective Environment for Children
Agriculture
Health
Education
Social
Protection
Justice
System Reform
Capacity
Legacy
Child
Wider
Family
Peers
Subjective
Well-being
Migration
Remittances
Outcomes for Children’s Well-being
Civil
Society
Housing
Environment
MTEF
Fiscal Space
Macro Economy
Legal Framework
External Shocks
Employment
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3. What are good policies for children?
child mainstreaming – requires visibility of children first
comprehensive, integrated, multi-dimensional strategies
policies that start early, strengthen families & ensure healthy development of children
policies that reach the most vulnerable groups of the population but do not lead to further social exclusion or discrimination
 user-friendliness, accessibility, simple procedures
policies that meet the needs of children and their families
 participation of children (consultations etc.)
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4. Checklist: principles of good practice
Is there an integrated, coordinated strategy?
Are there any cross-sectoral approaches?
Do policies follow clear objectives and quantified targets?
Are monitoring and reporting systems in place?
Is there a balanced approach that includes
short- and long-term measures,
prevention and alleviation,
universal and targeted approaches?
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5. What are the areas that need an in-depth assessment?
public expenditure analysis/tracking
wider system reform
social protection reform
decentralisation
access vs. quality
situation of young people
 need for prioritisation based on country setting
UNICEF

6. Protective Environment for Children Outcomes for Children’s Well-being
Material
Situation
Risk +
Safety
State
Decentralisation
Budgets Governance
Community
Protective Environment for Children
Agriculture
Health
Education
Social
Protection
Justice
System Reform
Capacity
Legacy
Child
Wider
Family
Peers
Subjective
Well-being
Migration
Remittances
Outcomes for Children’s Well-being
Civil
Society
Housing
Environment
MTEF
Fiscal Space
Macro Economy
Legal Framework
External Shocks
Employment
UNICEF

7. The child protection system – complexity and unclear distribution of responsibility
National
and
District
level.
Subordination ,
reporting,
referral
monitoring
lines.
Ministry of
Justice
Council of Trustees on
rights of young
offenders
Public
Monitoring Council for
justice issues
Ministry of Interior
Department of
prevention and
profilaxis of
adolescents
Counter
Trafficking Unit
Education
Department
for adoptions
Health
Finance
Ministry of Labour
& Social Security
of Social support
VTEK –
Medical
Commission
Department for disabled
and lonely people
Youth, Sport
and Tourism
Child coordination
council
Transit
centres (3)
Street children, children in
conflict with the law, victims
of trafficking
Police units and
stations:
temporary
detention (KPZ)
Children with disabilities
and children without
parental care (4 -
18)
Presidential Apparatus
Medical Psycho
pedagogical
commission
parental care (0 3)
and family allowances
Psycho
neurological
dispensaries
(Polyclinics)
Dwelling Units
and Public
consumptions (
Jeks ):
(Pedagogues)
Children in conflict
with the law and
adoptions
Institutes
for children
with severe
disabilities
NGOs: drop in
centre for street
children, homes
for victim of
trafficking,
psychological
support
Cabinet of Ministers
Deputy PM
for Humanitarian
Issues
Committee for Refugees and
IDPs
Homes and
schools for
children
with
Rieducation
boys
NGOs: day care centres
for children with
disabilities;
SOS village
Executive Committee
Prosecutor
Detention Centres
Home
education
on Minors
Commission on
Guardianship
and Adoption:
Child Protection
Inspectors
Authority
(psycho
commissions)
SOBES:
allowances
for
disabilities,
IDPs,
refugees,
families
for disabilities
Depart
ment of
JEKS
Child IDPs, Refugees,
Asylum seekers
Baby homes
(incl. Psycho
problems)
deprived of
parental care
Rehabiliation centre
Sanatoriums for
chronic diseases
(including STD)
OMD:
emergency
unit for children
abandoned at birth
Isolation Centres
during investigations
(SIZO)
Judge of
preliminary
inquiry
Court
Deputy Minister:
national coordinator
Child
inspectors
This « image » of child protection system “map” is typical for any country in the region. Overlap of mandates by different sectors (categories of children..) , multitude of un-coordinated bodies and structures, fragmented and heavy-to-down decision making, weak services at the local levels..
Analysis of the “map” reveals clearly the gaps in the current system`s capacities to respond.
For these reasons - Our response in child protection goes way beyond policy repsponce- ( legal reforms) and focuses on the transformation, upgrading, reform of the whole system of protection for families and children
Success in developing a leading position in this work has depended on having solid evidence, knowledge and tools to build a better understanding of how the system functions, and what the gaps are.
So… our work has developed into focusing more and more on:
Building the knowledge, evidence and supporting the sharing of what works and what doesn’t in social protection systems
Facilitating a common position / vision of what the system needs to perform among the partners working in this area
Building up regional partnerships with organizations that have heavy influence in the region (EU, World Bank, OSCE, Council of Europe)
Examples:
An example of this leadership role that UNICEF has assumed in child protection is the recent consultation in Bulgaria that gathers professionals working on child care system refrom in 10 countries in SEE, together with World Bank and EU officials to exchange experiences and good practices, and work out new ways of tackling complex system reform.
In Central Asia we have also been supporting the establishment of a highlevel political Forum on child protection that addresses issues of common concern and of cross border nature in Central Asia, and also promotes the learning and exchange between countries going through similar processes of reform.
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8. Assessing the progress of system reform
Policy environment
Line ministries
Systems that work for children
Enabling
factors
Barriers
Economic
reform
Education
system
Social protec-tion
Child
care
Health
children
missing
out
Major determinants of reform
Assessment of
progress of system
Reform
process
UNICEF

9. Child-sensitive social protection
Social protection describes all public and private initiatives that provide income or consumption transfers to the poor, protect the vulnerable against livelihood risks, and enhance the social status and rights of the marginalised; with the overall objective of reducing the economic and social vulnerability of poor, vulnerable and marginalised groups (Devereux and Sabates-Wheeler, 2004; 9).
A child-sensitive approach to social protection recognises children’s needs, interests and rights, now and in the future, and takes account of the particular vulnerabilities of children, including loss of family, in the design, budgeting, implementation and monitoring of social protection policies and programmes (UNICEF, 2007).
UNICEF

10. Do social protection measures reach poor children and families?
Possible approaches:
Focus on model families to analyse entitlements to tax benefits, cash transfers and social services
Analysis of child poverty rates before and after transfers
Microsimulation
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11. Child poverty rates before and after social transfers EU, 2003
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12. Impact of total social benefits on child poverty, EU 25, 2004
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Source: SILC(2005) - income year 2004 (income year 2005 for IE and the UK); data missing for BG and RO
Source: Isabelle Engsted-Maquet, European Commission 2008 7

13. Source: Social Monitor 2006
Public expenditure on social security and social assistance 2003 (% of GDP)
UNICEF
Source: Social Monitor 2006

14. Source: Social Monitor 2006
Non-health social security benefits in selected countries (as a % of total social security expenditure), 2003
UNICEF
Source: Social Monitor 2006

15. Source: Social Monitor 2006
Impact of family benefits and economic assistance on child poverty levels (per cent of children under the PPP $ 2.15 poverty line)
UNICEF
Source: Social Monitor 2006

16. Different models of cash transfers
Universal child benefits
ensures minimum standard of living for all children (or specific age groups)
non stigmatising, simple administration  high coverage
expensive to ensure adequate level of payments
more likely to have support in general population than targeted approaches
Means-tested (income, score cards) or categorical transfers
targeted to poor or disadvantaged groups of the population (e.g. disabled children)
rationale: cheaper than universal benefits & concern that families may become welfare dependent
but: often complicated procedures, high barriers in access, high administrative costs, low coverage of target population
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17. Different models of cash transfers
Conditional cash transfers
cash transfers linked to families‘ behaviour change – conditional e.g. on children‘s school attendance or health check ups
started in Latin America in often localised programmes
mixed evidence of effectiveness
do not work where problems lie in the system rather than parents‘ behaviour: lack of supply of services, barriers in access (e.g. transport: ‘the bus just stopped’), discrimination
UNICEF

18. How to maximise impacts of cash transfers on child poverty?
careful assessment of effectiveness and bottlenecks of current cash transfer system – from a child-focused perspective
participatory assessment of barriers in access
simple, non-stigmatising procedures
adequate level of benefits
mix of universal and targeted benefits
e.g. South Africa: means-tested child benefit initially for children under 7, over time extension of age limit, currently up to 14 years, next stage up to 18; value $ 50 PPP; reaches currently 50% of age group  proved very effective in improving children’s nutritional status
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19. Conclusions: a vision for a country without child poverty
What would it take?
How long would it take?
What would it cost?
What will it cost not to end child poverty?
Thinking big & rallying behind a joint objective as a way to overcome the often huge number of different targeted, scattered and unrelated programmes and to move towards a comprehensive and integrated strategy.
Here only focus on poverty, but impacts reach further: stagnation or even reversals in social indicators, particularly health and education
UNICEF