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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A New Approach to Social Assistance: Latin America's Experience with Conditional Cash Transfer Programs

Laura Rawlings , 2004

This paper examines the impact of conditional cash transfers in Latin America. It illustrates successful short-term impact, but recommends continued evaluation to assess the long-term impact.

Reaching Out to Africa's Orphans: A Framework for Public Action

Kalanidhi Subbarao and Diane Coury, 2004

A detailed book providing evidence-based guidelines for approaches and interventions to best mitigate the various risks confronted by OVC.

Child Welfare Reform Projects and Initiatives

Alexandra Posarac and John Innes, 31 Dec 2003

Provides a brief overview of child welfare reforms implemented in the ECA Region and the collective effort to move away from over-emphasis on institutional care through the Changing Minds, Policies and Lives Project.

National Strategic Programme Plan of Interventions For Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children in Uganda, 2005/6 - 2009/10 Fiscal Year

Uganda Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, 31 Dec 2003

The NSPPI provides overall guidance to implementers to mitigate the impact of orphan hood and other vulnerabilities among children in Uganda.

National Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children Policy of Uganda

Uganda Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, 31 Dec 2003

This document is the official policy governing National Orphans and OVC of the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD) of the Republic of Uganda. The policy interprets a vision of a society where all orphans and other vulnerable children live to their full potential, where their rights and aspirations are fulfilled.

Changing Minds, Policies and Lives: Redirecting Resources to Community-Based Services

Andy Bilson, Louise Fox, Ragnar Gotestam, and Judith Harwin, 2003

Provides an overview of social service provision in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and provides information on ways to move resources away from institutional care, and into community-based social services. Contains specific examples from Latvia, Iceland, Sweden, Romania and other transitioning countries.

Grandmothers and Granddaughters: Old-Age Pensions and Intrahousehold Allocation in South Africa

Esther Duflo , 2003

This research paper discussed the impact of the South African old-age pension program, or cash transfer, on the health of children living with an eligible recipient. It finds that both gender of the recipient and gender of the child living with the recipient are factors in health outcomes.

LEGE Nr. 547: asistenţei sociale

Republic of Moldova, 2003

This document presents the social assistance law of Moldova.

Children "In Need of Care" or In Need of Cash?: Questioning Social Security Provisions for Orphans in the Context of the South African AIDS Pandemic

Helen Meintjes, Sonja Giese, Debbie Budlender and Leigh Johnson, 2003

Research study of the current social security provisions for orphans in South Africa, with a comparison of four alternative cash grant scenarios. Recommends a universal income support system for all children in need.

The Reach of the South African Child Support Grant: Evidence from KwaZulu-Natal

Anne Case, Victoria Hosegood, and Frances Lund , 2003

This research paper evaluates the impact of the Child Support Grant in South Africa. It finds that while there exists a strong commitment to implementation, the presence of a child’s mother is an important factor in program participation.