Keetie Roelen 20 March 2013

1. Lessons about linkages between social protection and child protection from Eastern and Southern Africa Keetie Roelen 20 March 2013

2. A ‘holistic’ approach for children • Cross-sectoral linkages: intersection between social protection and other sectors (including health, education and child protection) • Systems approach • Entry-point: referral mechanisms and case management

3. Process of referral and case management

4. Experiences and best practices • Identification and assessment tools: Ethiopia, Namibia, Tanzania • Formal linkages across sectors: Namibia (birth registration) • Coordination of government services and support by NGOs: Botswana • Decentralised coordination meetings: Tanzania >> little experience with the system as a whole

5. Challenges to effective referral and case management • Absence of national definitions of what effective referral mechanisms and case management are and should do; • Strong policy mandates and clear accountability frameworks are currently missing; • Lack of clearly defined roles and responsibilities across sectors; • Weaknesses within and across the formal (statutory) and informal (community-based) mechanisms;

6. From policy to practice • Linkages between sectors and services need to be clearly spelled out; • Community initiatives are central, and need to be more firmly included in the response to vulnerable children; • Case management needs a focal person with responsibility for overseeing the overall process; • Social workers are a key element of referral systems and case management; • The role of volunteers and their levels of responsibility require more consideration.

7. The evidence we need • Linkages between poverty and child protection outcomes; • Linkages between design and implementation issues of social protection programmes on child protection outcomes • How to create political will and a conducive policy environment • Practical modalities on the ground for linking up programmes and services