Countries in Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CEE/CIS) have a tremendously high number of children who grow up in formal care: 1.3 million. Around half of them grow up in large scale residential care institutions which risks harming their health, development and future life chances.

1. ISSUE 1 / 2012
INSIGHTS: CHILD RIGHTS IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE
AND CENTRAL ASIA
Keeping families together
Making social protection more effective for children
Abstract
Countries in Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CEE/
CIS) have a tremendously high number of children who grow up in formal care: 1.3 million. Around
half of them grow up in large scale residential care institutions which risks harming their health,
development and future life chances.
Family separation often happens because parents cannot access the support they need to take
care of their children at home. Social protection systems in the region are failing these families.
UNICEF urges governments to take immediate action to support these families by improving social
protection so that it reaches out to and has an impact on those who need it most, including families
at risk of disintegration. Most importantly, governments and societies must work to dismantle the
barriers that vulnerable families encounter when trying to access vital services and assistance.
This can help to prevent children from being arbitrarily separated from their parents.
Separation of children from families: understand why high rates of child placement
a litmus test for the effectiveness in formal care persist despite this, researchers
explored barriers to and impacts of accessing
of social protection social protection in each country.
One indicator of the effectiveness of a social The research offers important insight into the
protection system is its capacity to support weaknesses of and challenges faced by social
vulnerable families to take care of their children protection systems in the region. These countries
at home. Rates of children living in formal care also provide examples of good practice that point
or separated from their biological families are to ways in which policy-makers might maximise
very high in CEE/CIS. the impacts of social protection systems.
This suggests that existing social protection
systems are failing to give vulnerable families Social protection needs to address
the support they need to prevent the kinds complex social realities 1
of crises that lead to a child being placed in
alternative care. Impoverished families face multiple challenges
that combine in ways that make them extremely
This edition of Insights summarises ndings and difcult to overcome. A single mother living in a
recommendations of studies on the impact and remote rural village cannot leave her children
outreach of social protection systems in Albania, and travel to town to nd work, especially as the
Kazakhstan and Ukraine. These countries all strain of caring for her child takes its toll on her
operate social assistance programmes and are physical and mental health. As a lone parent
in the process of establishing social services. To she may lose the support of friends or relatives.
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2. Keeping families together
If she is from a minority group or if her child has empower users, build their resilience and
a disability, she may suffer further stigma and Key Components of Social
isolation. Coping with such circumstances drive Protection Systems
some to alcoholism or drug addiction, and can
lead to destitution and family breakdown.
Social assistance: social benets or schemes
Addressing the multiple, complex problems of that aim to alleviate poverty by giving cash or
vulnerable families demands well-coordinated, in-kind transfers, tax deductions or fee waivers
holistic and multi-sector responses; low-level for basic services.
cash benets are not enough. As one non-
governmental organisation (NGO) worker Social services: family and child support
in Kazakhstan commented, families need, services that can facilitate family life and
SRehabilitation, psychological and moral also prevent neglect and abuse of children
support - and targeted social assistance cannot and family breakdown. Key services
cover this.T To overcome hardships in the long- include day-care, counselling, support and
term, people need to develop their capacity advice hotlines, rehabilitation, legal aid and
to cope with sudden shock or changes in employment of social workers to work with
circumstances, such as the loss of earnings vulnerable people to address issues related
following an unexpected illness, or the burden to housing, employment, and accessing
of looking after a newborn. education and health services. For children
at risk, alternative care services such as
In this way, social protection can play a vital role foster care may be needed.
in preventing vulnerability and strengthening
resilience to sudden life events or crises, as Programmes to ensure access to services:
well as responding to their aftermath. Social
measures that reduce the nancial and social
protection can empower the vulnerable and
barriers households face when accessing
contribute to positive social change. For this
social services, for example, subsidies,
to happen, the different components of the
social protection system (see Box 1) must work health insurance or the abolition of service
together to offer a comprehensive package of user fees.
support. The social protection package must
also have some exibility in order to respond Legislation and policy: reforms that aim to
to the specic individual circumstances that address inequalities in accessing services
families at risk of disintegration may face. or economic opportunities. Examples might
include employment guarantee schemes or
Social protection in CEE/CIS has traditionally legislation against discrimination.
focused on cash transfers for specic groups
of people dened by the state as VdeservingW, Source:Integrated social protection systems: 2
for example, pensioners and military veterans. enhancing equity for children. United Nations
2 During the Soviet era, social support for ChildrenWs Fund, New York, 2012.
vulnerable and poor children was built around
networks of residential care institutions; the
removal of children from parents struggling Box 1
to care for them was standard practice.
Countries have, therefore, inherited systems
that are fragmented, over-reliant on institutional ultimately to help them overcome the difculties
responses and fail to provide individualized they face. Non-cash based support services
support to vulnerable people. Most crucially, to families, which could help build parental
they have not been designed to stimulate and capacities and facilitate family life are now
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3. "
!
When asked why their children were placed into care,
many parents said it was because they could not find or
access other forms of support. INSIGHTS
"
emerging, but are often neither targeted to the
most vulnerable nor widely available within a
given country.
all case study countries have established
clear legislative frameworks for developing
comprehensive social protection systems (see
Box 2). However researchers found that many
Identifying the most vulnerable families living in difcult circumstances are not
receiving effective support. They reported that:
The studies found that low-income families, i) Targeted social assistance programmes
particularly those in remote rural areas or intended to alleviate poverty are not
caring for a disabled child, are at highest risk reaching the majority of needy households.
of family separation. Residential care continues For example, Targeted Social Assistance in
to be the main way states attempt to meet the Kazakhstan reaches only 3 per cent of the
needs of disabled children. Although they only poorest households; in Albania two-thirds
represent 1-5 per cent of the child population, of the poor are not covered by the targeted
in some countries they constitute over 50 per cash-transfer programme called Ndihma
cent of the residential care population. Young Ekonomike.
families with newborn babies and infants often ii) Non-institution based social services are still
struggle to cope with the expense of caring for being accessed only by a small number of
a baby while losing the earnings of one adult. parents and carers. Family and youth social
As a result, large numbers of 0-3 year olds are services are being developed and expanded,
taken into institutional care across the region. especially in the Ukraine. However, access
Single mothers and families with a parent and delivery are patchy. Qualitative data
dependent on drugs or alcohol are agged as collected in all three countries suggest that
particularly vulnerable. Other high risk groups many parents do neither access services
include ethnic-minority Roma families in Albania nor understand the purpose of them.
and migrant families with no xed address in
Kazakhstan.
Experience on the ground
Sometimes the state places a child in institutional
care; sometimes parents themselves decide Interviews with parents and carers, frontline
to do so. When asked why their children were workers and national decision-makers, build a
placed into care, many parents said it was picture of the barriers vulnerable people face
because they could not nd or access other accessing both social assistance and services.
forms of support. They pointed out several important issues:
Why families are not getting 1. Lack of awareness about eligibility for
the support they need assistance
When a social protection system is functioning Vulnerable families say they do not know what
well, parents struggling to care for their children types of social assistance is available for them;
3
are able to: they nd out they are ineligible for existing
i) Receive extra cash or other resources schemes because of restrictions built into the
through social transfers; design.
ii) Access support such as counselling, day- ` In Albania, land-ownership automatically
care or advice through social services. disqualies applicants from receiving
This combination is intended to help families Ndihma Ekonomike. This leaves many
get through tough times without having to needy families that have moved from rural
take extreme measures such as placing their areas, where they may own a small plot of
children in institutions. The governments of land, to urban settlements, without support.
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4. Keeping families together
` Informal carers in Albania d a very large social assistance, spending considerable time
group that includes extended family d when and money gathering documents to prove
taking care of the child of a relative, often themselves eligible.
for extended periods, need to provide for
the extra mouths to feed, but cannot access According to a frontline worker in Ukraine,
social assistance because they are not SThere are so many who cannot gather all the
formally responsible for the child they care necessary documents and do not know where
for. to go, whom to ask, or what type of application
` In Kazakhstan, people who have migrated is needed.T
for work to another part of the country in
which they are not ofcially resident cannot A parent from Kazakhstan added, SApplications
register for Targeted Social Assistance. for benets cannot be led in a village; you have
` Income calculations for means-tested to go to the district centre. I had to spend three
social transfers sometimes include benets days ling an application, because every time
received through other schemes. For some documents were missing, or there were
example, a poor family in Kazakhstan that errors in the papers.T
receives a one-off grant for a newborn may
no longer be eligible for Targeted Social 3. Lack of transparency and fairness to
Assistance. access social assistance
` In Ukraine calculations for the Guaranteed
Minimum Income allowance sometimes take Parents and carers expressed confusion about
into account disability benets, guardianship how and to whom social assistance benets
allowances and old age pensions. This were awarded. They are also frustrated
means eligible households have to choose at inconsistencies in monthly allowances
between benets they may be entitled to. The and geographical variations in the amounts
cumulative effect of these different benets received.
designed to address specic sources of
vulnerability might be lost on those families A parent in Kazakhstan and an NGO worker
who need it most. As a local level social in Albania commented respectively, SThey
care expert in Ukraine commented, SOur calculate the amounts in a way unknown to me.
guardians complain about the system of They write one thing, while I receive another
social benets especially if they have a child amount. I cannot understand whyT and, SThere
with disability. They really have to choose is a lack of transparency of how the funds are
based on what will be the larger amount d used within nancial aid and there is a lack of
the benet for the disabled child or social effective monitoring of the system.T
assistance for child deprived of parental
care. This is not normal. Complex problems Some recipients described discrimination
should be addressed in a complex way. by ofcials administering social assistance
They (government) dene procedures and programmes. In Kazakhstan parents and carers
4 eligibility criteria and then itWs your problem reported particularly aggressive attitudes,
if your prole does not match.T especially towards parents seeking social
assistance for disabled children. A frontline
2. Applications for means-tested social worker in Albania spoke about discrimination
assistance are too complicated against Roma families suggesting that SState
institutions close the doors to them, or they do
In the opinion of a social pedagogue in not provide the right information.T
Kazakhstan, parents must Sgo through all
circles of hellT to access entitlements to 4. Social assistance disbursements are
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5. INSIGHTS
Key Social Protection Policies and Legislation
Albania Ukraine
The development of social protection policy in In April 2011, the Ministry of Social Policy took
Albania is taking place within the context of an over as the lead government agency in the
on-going process of decentralisation. development and implementation of child and
B National Strategy for Integration and family policy. As a result, social policy-making
Development 2008-2013: the Social has been in ux.
Protection Sector Strategy is central to
this. Key areas of focus include: improved Key policies and legislation includes:
targeting of cash benets, decentralisation B Law of Ukraine POn social work
of social services, clarifying the role of with families, children and youthS:
NGOs as service providers and developing amendments in 2009 broadened the scope
community-based services. of social work, put families at the centre
B Social Inclusion Cross Cutting Strategy of service provision and introduced the
2007-2013: addresses access to services concept of the Vcommunity social workerW.
and living conditions of children, people B Concept of Reform of the Social Services
with disabilities (including developing System: this 2007 policy is a clear written
community-based education and services) strategy of activities to improve the social
and minority ethnic groups, most notably services system in Ukraine. It has never
the Roma. been fully implemented because of a lack
of either action or nancing plans.
Kazakhstan B The State Social ServicesS Strategy of
Social Service Development for Family,
Key policies and legislation includes: Children and Youth in Ukraine 2009-
B Ministry of Labour and Social Protection 2014: this aims to Sensure wide access for
Strategic Plan 2011-2015: aims to increase families, children and youth to high quality
the coverage of benets targeted at children social services at community level.T
and families including an allowance to
parents bringing up a child with a disability.
Introduced care allowance for guardians.
B Law on Specialised Services: the 2008
law aims to increase service provision
targeted at families and to develop services
in the community, including home-care for
children with disabilities.
B Children of Kazakhstan 2007-2011: 5
State programme that sought to ensure
high-quality educational, health and social
services and protection of children in hard-
life situations.
Box 2
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6. Keeping families together
insufcient to lift people out of long-term There is a tradition of centre-based institutional
poverty services with less developed networks of smaller
scale community-based services in the three
While most parents and carers appreciate countries. Reaching these may require travel.
receiving assistance, some observed that the Travel and overnight stays are expensive and
amounts were so little that, according to a particularly difcult for parents coming from a
parent in Albania, SNothing has changed; we rural area or caring for a disabled child.
live nowadays, as we lived before, there are still
shortages.T In Ukraine respondents felt that, SLack of wheelchair-accessible public transport
with the exception of the birth grant, most social is a signicant issue preventing people from
assistance was too small to make a difference. accessing services,T said a social protection
professional in Kazakhstan.
5. Parents, staff and decision-makers lack
knowledge about social services In Albania respondents noted that sometimes
husbands do not want their wives to stay
Parents who had received community and overnight outside the home to take the child to
family-based support from social services service centres.
noted mainly positive experiences. However
the studies found that the majority of the people 8. Most people do not trust or know how
interviewed for this research are not aware of to use complaints procedures for social
social services and do not know how to access services and social assistance
them.
ComplaintsW mechanisms can be a good tool
A mother in Ukraine said, SI have absolutely for people to claim their rights. Respondents
no clue where I can refer to for support for my in all countries expressed doubts about the
disabled child.T A local government worker in effectiveness of complaints procedures.
Albania claimed, SThe mentality here is still Comments included:
very much related to money. People do not ` SPeople do not want to complain because
understand the different types of social services it costs money. Besides, I think people
that would support them. More public awareness do not trust and do not believe in positive
of social services is needed.T consequences of complaintsT (a mother,
Ukraine);
6. Availability of social services is variable, ` SFamilies can appeal if they do not receive
delivery inconsistent and capacity of staff the right amount of benet, but I have never
poor heard of anyone actually doing itT (a local
government worker, Albania);
All three countries are developing social ` SThe law is very clear d but often procedures
services, but these are not yet available are not as clearT (a national informant,
on any large scale with sustained funding. Kazakhstan);
6 Respondents reported a lack of specialist social ` In Kazakhstan, SGovernment OnlineT serves
work personnel as frontline workers. SYou might as a complaint mechanism but not everyone
nd the same person opening the door, doing has access to the internet. In Ukraine,
the secretary role, the Social Administrator role, several cases challenging decisions on
and a lot of other roles as wellT said an NGO social benets have gone through the courts
worker in Albania. system, however it is not known which
families use the courts. It is possible it is
7. Centre-based social services usually in not the poorer families who may need the
towns and difcult for vulnerable to reach benets the most.
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7. !
Lack of wheelchair-accessible public transport is a significant
issue preventing people from accessing services.
" INSIGHTS
7
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8. Keeping families together
Policy issues emerging from non-eligible households from receiving social
current experience assistance. But this also results in a more
complex application process which can become
Research about the current situation in Albania, an insurmountable barrier for some families,
Kazakhstan and Ukraine has identied the causing the exclusion of a large numbers of
following policy issues: eligible families.
1. Weak outreach of the available support The inclusion of other social assistance benets
leads to the low take-up by those who need in calculations to determine a poor familyWs
it most income is particularly problematic, especially
when different social benets are meant to
Social workers and administrators do not address different types of vulnerabilities which
systematically and proactively contact, visit and might cumulate in the same household.
inform vulnerable families of the assistance
or services available to them. As a mother in Spotlight on interesting solutions
Ukraine said, SIf parents know, they will be
referred and they will get the benet. It they B Reviewing design of targeted social
donWt know, nobody will inform them.T assistance programmes: in Albania, a
major review of the Ndihma Ekonomike
This is in contrast to residential schools and programme is in the pipeline. This will look
care homes which actively recruit children from at the issue of the exclusion of families
poor rural areas. who own land. In Kazakhstan, rules that
include the value of other social assistance
Respondents in Ukraine describe how workers programmes in the calculations to determine
went to remote areas and persuaded parents a familyWs eligibility for Targeted Social
to place their children or threatened them with Assistance are being reviewed.
removal of their parental rights. B Moving towards categorical benets:
Both Kazakhstan and Ukraine have a broad
Spotlight on interesting solutions range of categorical benets, including one-
off grants for newborns and infants, cash
B Community outreach in Albania: Job transfers for single parent families childcare
descriptions for social workers based assistance for children below three (Ukraine),
in Child Protection Units in Albania now and assistance for families with more than
require them to go out into the community four children (Kazakhstan). Together with
and identify families at risk. disability benets, these categorical social
B Placing social workers: in maternity benets are reaching higher numbers of
wards in Ukraine and in health facilities and the poorest families than means-tested
community centres in Albania, and creating schemes in all three countries. This high
the role of VSocial PedagogueW in schools in coverage is because administrative barriers
8 Kazakhstan has helped identify and make to accessing these categorical grants are
contact with harder-to-reach families who lower and the amounts distributed are higher.
are unlikely to approach services. Ukraine in particular has been phasing out
spending on means-tested benets in favour
2. Excessive administrative barriers results of categorical benets to support children
in the vulnerable unable to access assistance and carers.
Strict eligibility criteria are intended to prevent
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9. !
Social workers in health facilities and social pedagogues
in schools have made contact with harder-to-reach families.
" INSIGHTS
9
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10. Keeping families together
3. Social protection system components B Joint efforts of medical staff and social
need to be integrated and coordinated workers: in Ukraine, and more recently
Kazakhstan, social workers have been
Lack of integration of support mechanisms placed in maternity wards to work with
hampers the effectiveness of the system. pregnant women whose children are at high
SInteragency working between sectors is the risk of being placed in institutional care.
biggest problem. Everyone is working on their These workers are able to access hard-to-
ownn.there is little sharing of information; at local reach woman living in difcult circumstances
level sectors donWt come together naturally; the and offer a range of interventions and
Child Protection Units try to play a coordinating advice. In Ukraine, the joint efforts of
role but this is based on personal relationships medical staff are linked by some research
rather than institutional responsibility,T said a respondents to the marked decrease in
frontline worker in Albania. infants being placed in institutional care. For
a local government expert in Ukraine, SIt is
An NGO worker in Ukraine said, SNo Ministry a positive development that we have more
considers itself responsible for supporting mother and baby units, more social workers
families and children as a whole.T Each working in maternity wards and clinics. As
department focuses on their own specic a result we have less abandonment d the
concern. Frontline workers pointed out that while number dropped 5 times d from 2,500 cases
the Ministries concerned with social protection per year to 800 cases last year.T
in Ukraine work to develop community-based
social services and prevent children being 4. More guidance needed for local
separated from their parents, the Ministry of respondents to plan, nance and implement
Education, Science, Youth and Sports has been services
calling on local governments to organise the
education of children in institutions and actively The need for better planning and clear
recruit children from villages to meet education guidelines for implementation was repeatedly
targets. raised by respondents in all three case study
countries. Respondents felt that the absence of
At the local level, social assistance ofces and such guidelines had led to many of the barriers
social services often do not communicate, even and inconsistencies experienced on the ground.
when operating from the same building. Many complained that strategies are not properly
planned and do not have adequate nancing to
As a nation decision-maker in Kazakhstan become reality.
noted, SThe Ministry of Labour and Social Policy
is trying to merge services and the benets SCentral government write the laws but do not
system but itWs not really working d at local provide guidelines for local government on how
level they are completely separate d the local to implement them,T as a local government
benets ofce is standalone.... the service area worker in Albania said. A national level expert
10 is new and underdeveloped.T in Kazakhstan commented, SThe new state
social services law is not yet fully operational d
Spotlight on interesting solutions clarication is needed on the role of social work
at management and practice levels d where
B Coordinate policy-making: in April 2011, they should sit, what is the role of NGOs and
overall coordination for social protection how to involve them.T
was brought to UkraineWs Ministry of Social
Policy to enable better coordination at the Secondary legislation also needs to be
top. developed, especially concerning: eligibility
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11. !
No Ministry considers itself responsible
for supporting families and children as a whole.
" INSIGHTS
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12. Keeping families together
criteria for social assistance programmes; policies, in order to review and rene policy and
roles, mandates and responsibilities within budget decisions, is also not yet a strong and
social services; roles and mandates of NGOs recognized function of the system.
and their relationship with state structures;
funding streams and mechanisms for services; A key informant from an Albanian NGO
complaints procedures; standards for services commented, SDecision-makers donWt have
and codes of conduct for professionals. serious discussions about developing realistic
plans d if they sit down to discuss something ...
Spotlight on good practice they donWt go into detail about how we can reach
this goalnthis is in general our way of working
` Developing protocols for collaborative and thinking from the past nso they donWt think
working: in Albania, Child Protection Units seriously how to formulate a strategy - this
have been set up with the contribution leads to weak action planning, collaboration
of donors and implemented by NGOs in and strategies which are impossible to deliver.T
collaboration with local authorities. To support
this collaboration, the Ministry of Labour, 6. More better-trained and better-paid social
Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities workers
developed, with the support of Terre des
Hommes and UNICEF, the comprehensive Poor working conditions mean that even in the
Working Protocol for Child Protection Ukraine, where 1,350 graduate annually, social
Workers. This document sets out the roles workers are not necessarily taking up relevant
and responsibilities of child protection posts. Interviewees suggested that social work
workers and detailed case management training does not always prepare students
guidelines. It includes the recommendation adequately for the realities of the job. Many
that every case is reviewed at regular struggle to work effectively with marginalised
intervals of three months or more frequently and stigmatized groups.
should a childWs situation deteriorate or
improve. Multidisciplinary teams have Tools that social workers need to do their job
also been established to protect, assess effectively, such as emergency social assistance
and refer children at risk and CPUs are or access to housing to respond to family crisis,
expected to act as coordination points for have not yet been well established. Training
linking families into social support ofces. social workers and specialised personnel to work
Although the study could not assess how with, for example, children with special needs
well the protocol was being implemented, it also needs to be established as a priority.
provides clear instructions and guidance for
workers involved in assessing and working Spotlight on interesting solutions
with families.
B Training social workers: in Kazakhstan,
5. More work needed to monitor and evaluate increasing the number of social workers is
12 the implementation of policies a major priority and KZT 6 million (around
USD 39,300) have been allotted to training
Having moved from a system of centralized 300 new social workers. Ukraine is leading
planning and management of public services, the way developing its social work force,
government workers are not always properly with 1,350 social workers graduating every
equipped with skills and tools for programmes and year.
budgets. Evaluation of the impact, effectiveness, B Involving people from minority groups
efciency, relevance and sustainability of public in recruitment and service delivery: one
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13. !
More social workers are in maternity wards and clinics.
As a result, there is less child abandonment.
" INSIGHTS
13
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14. Keeping families together
NGO in Albania has had success using care institutions continue to receive funding and
VmediatorsW from within the Roma community actively recruit children from poor, rural families:
to help that group access social services institutional care is Vusual practiceW for provision
and social assistance. of healthcare and education to children with
disabilities or from poor families. Parents tend
7. Financing plans must aim to ensure equal not to challenge the advice of education and
provision across regions health professionals and may even consider it
a positive step for their child.
Arrangements for nancing social protection
measures d in particular the ow of funds from One child rights expert policy-maker in Ukraine
central to local level d are often inadequate. commented that there was no requirement and
little incentive to work proactively with families,
In Albania nine residential care institutions are SPersonally I think in most cases it is easier to
given funds by central government, but additional work with the child in some type of institution than
resources for community-based services need to work with complex problems of families. And
to be raised by local governments which already it is not required by the legislation to preserve
have constrained budgets, especially in the the family d it is only required to protect the child
poorest and remotest areas. Child Protection and an ofcial can always say that taking away
Units are all funded by NGOs and international the child was a protective measure. Probably
donors, raising questions about sustainability. the state should more strictly require work with
families.T
A key NGO informant commented, SI canWt say
that the state hasnWt done anything d policies Recommendations
have been developed! But policy-makers need
to get out into the communities and understand The ndings from the research in Albania,
real needs more. Now the government has Kazakhstan and Ukraine provide lessons
a strategy [for Roma]nbut no nancing is relevant to many of the countries in the
attached. The strategy is very thorough but it CEE/CIS region. There are seven general
needs an action plan and budget and to have recommendations emerging from this research,
short, mid and long terms goals.T with broad application across the region.
Researchers in Ukraine found that the system 1. Maximise impacts by integrating social
of allocating nancial resources per head for protection efforts
people taken into institutional care creates
disincentives for local authorities and state Better impact can be achieved at low cost by
service providers to invest in alternative social better coordinating and integrating existing
protection. social protection interventions. In practice this
means:
8. Funding and unchallenged public ` Ensuring that different sectoral policies, other
14 perceptions still favour institutional care than dening specic sectoral goals, jointly
contribute to ensure larger public policy
SA lot of ofcials somewhere deep in their heart goals. Databases containing information
still sincerely believe that an institution is better on service users and beneciaries need to
for a child and they motivate parents for thisT, be coordinated, and sharing of information
noted a national-level government expert in facilitated, with due consideration to the
Ukraine. protection of privacy.
` Using the existing infrastructure and reach
Large, well-organised networks of residential of social assistance, health and education
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15. INSIGHTS
structures to extend the reach of social schemes by reviewing eligibility criteria
services. Grants for the newborn, for and application processes for means-tested
example, offer unprecedented opportunities social assistance
to communicate with young families about
other kinds of services. Similarly, medical Different forms of social assistance exist in the
professionals who come into contact region, but outreach is vital to eliminate risks
with vulnerable families who are seeking such as family separation. Ensuring better reach
medical advice related to pregnancy or and addressing some barriers parents and
child birth could facilitate referral to other carers face when accessing social assistance
social services if there is an imminent risk of means in practice:
disintegration of the family. ` Providing clear, publicly available guidance
` Improving information sharing to the public on application procedures, eligibility criteria
on available benets and services. Social and benet entitlements.
workers in particular need to be equipped ` Ensuring that applicants are assessed VnetW
to inform clients of the benets available to of other benets that they are entitled to so
them, and social assistance ofcers should that they do not have to choose between
know about the kinds of services that might different benets in case where they have
benet their recipients. multiple vulnerabilities.
` Developing protocols and training that ` Minimising travel for registration and offering
enable social workers, administrators of support for acquiring documents.
social benets and others who come in ` Raising the value of benets for means
regular contact with vulnerable families tested assistance so that they represent a
(police, staff in schools, health workers) to higher share of average household income
work together. is also likely to increase the coverage and
longer-term impacts of these programmes.
2. Maximise impacts by developing guidance
on how to implement and enforce existing 4. Extend reach of social protection through
legislation awareness-raising and pro-active search
and support to vulnerable families
Legislation has been improved but practice in
the eld is lagging. Improvements in delivery of Extending the reach of social protection in
programmes at the local level can be achieved practice means identifying who are the most
in practice by: vulnerable groups, dening the entry points for
` Setting out clear mandates, roles and how to reach out to them and proactively help
responsibilities for social workers and to eliminate the barriers they may face to get
develop clear guidance on eligibility assistance. For example:
requirements and application processes for ` Targeting mothers in hospitals has had
social assistance. signicant and rapid impacts in Ukraine.
` Clarifying procedures for how to make claims ` Families with children from rural areas,
15
and complaints through legal mechanisms families with children with a disability, families
and, as part of this, establishing ways living in extreme poverty, and families where
of enforcing legislation that prohibits drug and alcohol problems and mental health
discrimination at local level. issues are prevalent, should be proactively
` Establishing clear and stable funding targeted. The introduction of a carerWs
streams and mechanisms for programmes allowance in Ukraine, Kazakhstan and
and services. elsewhere, and proactive day care services
such as those introduced in Albania, have
3. Extend reach of social assistance had some success in supporting disabled
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Regional Ofce for CEECIS

16. Keeping families together
children within the family context. benets of keeping children in
` Particular attention should be parental care and about alternative Credits
focused on families with young kinds of social services can help. Insights Issue1/2012
children. Interventions targeting ` A continued and parallel closure of on Social Protection
was written by Peroline
single parent households and care institutions will also contribute Ainsworth and edited
families with large numbers of to shift the demand for support. by Elena Gaia and
Anna Nordenmark
children should also be prioritized. Severinsson. The
Community and home visits, and 7. Ensure evidence-based policy- Design is by Yudi
Rusdia. To download
media and radio publicity might be making by developing effective this issue, please go to
www.unicef.org/ceecis/
ways of reaching these families. monitoring and evaluation systems Insights2012_on_
Social_Protection
5. Strengthen equity in provision of An effective and efcient social This issue is based
social protection protection system is one that is on a study that was
carried out in three
continuously improved, can identify countries in 2011,
Social protection is meant to help its own errors and unintended side- called The capacity
of social protection
overcome inequities, build resilience effects. Therefore, to ensure the best systems to provide
adequate support to
and empower people so that they can possible effects of policies in exchange the most vulnerable
face risk better and not fall through the for the public resources invested, there children and their
families and prevent
cracks. is a need for effective monitoring and family separation -
evaluation. To put these in place in a thematic study
covering Albania,
As such, social protection should not practice means: Kazakhstan and
perpetuate the inequities in societies ` Increasing the availability of Ukraine. The study was
coordinated by Oxford
that it is meant to ght. In practice this information on the take up and Policy Management
under the supervision
means: impacts of social assistance and of Jean Claude
` Ensuring that there is a nationally services among different groups of Legrand, UNICEF.
To download this study,
agreed minimum package of social beneciaries. please go to
protection services and social ` Establishing mechanisms that allow www.unicef.org/
ceecis/2011_Thematic_
assistance for all who need it, the views of users to reach service Study_on_Social_
regardless of where they live in the providers and planners, and that Protection.
country and what vulnerabilities enable them to make complaints The rst edition of
the Insights series
they face. and challenge decisions. This can of analysis was
` Providing a predictable and be part of a comprehensive data published by the
UNICEF Regional
sustainable funding for such social and monitoring system bringing Ofce for Central and
protection from central level funds. together different public services Eastern Europe and
the Commonwealth of
` Delivering social services and that with deal child and family well- Independent States.
social assistance in ways that are being. Insights provide a
focused analysis on a
empowering, respectful of rights specic aspect of child
rights in the region.
and help overcome discriminatory
attitudes which may exist in Readers are
16 societies at large. encouraged to
reproduce materials
from Insights as long
as it is not being
6. Continue drive for non-institutional sold commercially.
care solutions As copyright holders
UNICEF requests due
acknowledgement and
we kindly ask online
Non-institutional care solutions still users to link to the
need to be promoted at all levels. In original URL addresses
mentioned above.
practice:
` Awareness campaigns about the
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