FINAL CP and ICT Innovations_Final

Innovations in technology for
child protection
A landscape and gaps analysis with recommendations for
future action
Prepared by William C. Philbrick
for the UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office in 2014-2015

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Contents
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.......................................................................................... v
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................... vii
1. INTRODUCTION................................................................................................. 1
WHAT IS AN INNOVATION? ............................................................................................................. 1
UNICEF SUPPORT FOR TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS ......................................................... 1
ICTs AND CHILD PROTECTION: SCOPE OF WORK...................................................................... 2
METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................................... 3
LIMITATIONS ..................................................................................................................................... 3
ORGANIZATION OF THE REPORT.................................................................................................. 3
2. ICTs AND CHILD PROTECTION PROGRAMMES............................................ 4
THE USES OF ICTs IN CHILD PROTECTION PROGRAMMES ...................................................... 4
1. Data collection, management and analysis ................................................................................ 4
2. Notification and reporting............................................................................................................ 5
3. Reminders................................................................................................................................... 5
4. Sharing information, giving instructions, making referrals .......................................................... 5
5. Registration................................................................................................................................. 5
6. Tracking ...................................................................................................................................... 6
7. Supply management ................................................................................................................... 6
8. Mapping ...................................................................................................................................... 6
9. Worker supervision ..................................................................................................................... 7
10. Training reinforcement.............................................................................................................. 7
11. Decision support ....................................................................................................................... 7
12. Payments .................................................................................................................................. 8
13. Feedback loops for accountability and quality assurance ........................................................ 8
14. Referrals.................................................................................................................................... 9
15. Teaching and raising awareness .............................................................................................. 9
USING ICTs IN PROGRAMMES........................................................................................................ 9
Priorities for improvement in child protection programmes .......................................................... 10
STEP-BY-STEP APPROACH TO USING ICTs ............................................................................... 12
1. Perform a situation or bottleneck analysis ................................................................................ 13
2. Develop a theory of change...................................................................................................... 13

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3. Develop a monitoring and evaluation framework ..................................................................... 13
4. Identify the business process.................................................................................................... 13
5. Analyze the potential for using ICTs ......................................................................................... 14
6. Perform feasibility and costing assessments............................................................................ 16
7. Identify the requirements .......................................................................................................... 16
8. Negotiate with vendors/operators ............................................................................................ 17
3. USING ICTs IN BIRTH REGISTRATION AND CASE MANAGEMENT........... 18
BIRTH REGISTRATION................................................................................................................... 18
CASE MANAGEMENT ..................................................................................................................... 19
LESSONS LEARNED....................................................................................................................... 20
Ensure that child protection specialists spearhead the process................................................... 20
Reflect innovation principles ......................................................................................................... 21
Address both demand and supply factors .................................................................................... 21
Mainstream gender and social inclusion....................................................................................... 21
Ensure that programme needs drive decisions about whether and how to use ICTs .................. 21
Ensure that users perceive a benefit from using ICTs.................................................................. 22
Consider interoperability issues and disclosure standards........................................................... 22
Ensure sufficient capacity to manage the system and address malfunctions .............................. 22
Incorporate an evidence component into the design.................................................................... 22
Determine how information will be managed and viewed ............................................................ 22
Use ICTs to strengthen a programme, not salvage it ................................................................... 23
Conduct cost analyses to integrate and manage ICTs in each intervention ................................ 23
4. OPERATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS............................................................... 23
PRIVACY, CONFIDENTIALITY AND DATA PROTECTION............................................................ 23
INTEROPERABILITY ....................................................................................................................... 24
MAINTENANCE AND TROUBLESHOOTING ................................................................................. 24
5. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS................................................. 25
CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................................................... 25
RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................................................................................... 25
1. Programme design................................................................................................................ 26
2. Use of data............................................................................................................................ 26
3. Standards and guidelines ..................................................................................................... 26
4. Capacity building................................................................................................................... 27
5. Leveraging of existing platforms ........................................................................................... 27
6. Monitoring and evaluation..................................................................................................... 27

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7. Partnerships.......................................................................................................................... 28
ANNEXES................................................................................................................ 29
Annex A. UNICEF priorities and experience using ICTs in Africa.................................................... 29
Annex B. Key informants.................................................................................................................. 34
Annex C. Tools to support optimization of use of ICTs .................................................................... 36
Annex D. Country experiences in using ICTs for birth registration .................................................. 38
Annex E. Country experiences using ICTs for case management and related applications ........... 42
ENDNOTES ............................................................................................................. 47
FIGURES AND TABLE
Figure 1. Child protection functions supported by ICTs ..................................................................................................... 4
Figure 2. Steps in optimizing use of ICTs for child protection.......................................................................................13
Figure 3. Illustrative business process for CRVS ................................................................................................................14

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Figure 4. Theory of change for using ICTs for case management in emergencies
.........15
Figure 5. Enabling environment considerations ...................................................................................................................16

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Many individuals provided guidance and contributions that were invaluable to the preparation of this
report. Thank you first to the Core Group: Andrew Brooks, Karin Heissler, Milen Kidane, Erica Kochi,
Mirkka Mattila, Marietta Muwanga-Ssevuma and Cornelius Williams. Each and every one of these
individuals patiently provided keen insights and technical inputs for conceptualizing how innovations in
technology can add strategic value, and perhaps even serve as game-changers, to child protection
programmes.
Thanks also to UNICEF colleagues from country and regional offices and headquarters: Miranda
Armstrong, Stuart Campo, Neidi de Carvalho, Michael Copland, Christopher Fabian, Mac Glovinsky,
Kendra Gregson (Steering Committee), Georgia Hill, Mayke Huijbregts Ann Kangas, Jonna Karlsson,
Yves Olivier Kassoka, Daniela Luciani, Robert MacTavish, Nankali Maksud, Sharon Oladiji, Brendan
Ross, Sharad Sapra, Bettina Schunter and Evan Wheeler. Their expertise in child protection and
technological innovations reaffirmed UNICEF’s position as a leader in understanding the potential of
technology innovations to dramatically improve the well-being of vulnerable children.
Gratitude is due to the UNICEF Country Representatives in the focus countries for the Innovations and
Child Protection Initiative in the Eastern and Southern Africa and West and Central Africa regional
offices, namely Giovanna Barberis (Senegal), Jean Gough (Nigeria), Mahimbo Mdoe (Malawi) and
Koenraad Vanormelingen (Mozambique).
Thanks also to the members of the UNICEF Steering Group for the Innovation and Child Protection
Initiative: Angela Bond, Tom Fenn, Debra Jackson, Maria Muniz and Juan Pablo Ospino. They made
important contributions to setting the course for the Initiative.
Numerous individuals outside UNICEF provided vital technical expertise and insight that contributed to
this report. They include: Addishiwot Arega (Maestral International), Beth Bradford (Maestral
International), Madhu Deshmukh (CARE), Edward Duffus (Plan International), Andrea Fletcher
(Dimagi), Philip Goldman (Maestral International), Nadi Kaonga (Health.Enabled), Siân Long (Maestral
International), Patricia Mechael (HealthEnabled, Personal Connected Health Alliance), Marc Mitchell
(D-Tree International), Raj Mitra (UNECA), Ekesa Obando (Health.Enabled), Jini Roby (Maestral
International), Anneke Schmider (World Health Organization), Pamela Young (Plan USA), and John
Williamson (USAID, DCOF).
Lastly, many thanks to the individuals whose professionalism and unparalleled skill sets permitted the
successful completion of this report: Stefanie Bammer Amy Blomme, Mari Nakano, and Mima
Stojanvic.

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ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS
APAI-CRVS Africa Programme on Accelerated Improvement of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics
CHW Community Health Worker
CPIMS Child Protection Information Management System
CRVS Civil registration and vital statistics
CSI Child Status Index
CVSU Community Victim Support Unit
ESARO Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office
FTR Family tracing and reunification
GBV Gender-based violence
GBVIMS Gender-based violence information management system
HMIS Health Information Management System
iCCM Integrated Community Case Management
ICRC International Committee of the Red Cross
ICT Information and communication technology
IMS Information management system
INAS National Institute of Social Action (Mozambique)
M&E Monitoring and evaluation
MNCH Maternal, Newborn and Child Health
NGO Non-governmental organization
SGBV Sexual and gender-based violence
SMS Short messaging service
T4D Technology for development
UNDP United Nations Development Programme
USAID United States Agency for International Development
UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund
VRS Vital registration system
WASH Water, sanitation and hygiene
WCARO Western and Central Africa Regional Office

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
International agencies and non-governmental organizations working in development and humanitarian
relief are increasingly exploring innovations, particularly information and communication technologies
(ICTs), to determine how they can add value, increase cost-effectiveness and improve programme
outcomes. Most governmental and non-governmental donors and programme country governments
have embraced ICTs as a practical and strategic programme tool.
In the international community, UNICEF has emerged as a leader in both advocating for and using ICTs
and other innovations to benefit children and their caregivers. UNICEF defines innovation as doing
something new or different that adds concrete value. With respect to ICT innovations, UNICEF
programme staff have been strategizing about the role that ICTs could play in achieving programmatic
success. Accordingly, an increasing number of UNICEF programmes across technical sectors boast an
ICT innovation component.
Child protection has been a focus of UNICEF’s exploration of the potential value of ICTs. In recognition
of their increasing use in child protection programmes, the Child Protection and Innovations sections at
UNICEF headquarters and in the Eastern and Western Africa regional offices launched a partnership
initiative, the Innovations and Child Protection Initiative. Its purpose is to (1) understand the ICT
landscape and how it is being used in child protection; (2) survey opportunities and gaps in
programmes that can be addressed with ICTs; (3) identify opportunities for using ICTs that UNICEF can
leverage; and (4) make recommendations for bringing coherence and a strategic approach to using
ICTs to improve child protection outcomes.
Research undertaken through this initiative revealed that country office child protection teams in the two
regions prioritize birth registration (as part of a larger agenda on civil registration and vital statistics
[CRVS]) and case management (as part of a child protection system and within the broader
programming on violence against children) as focus programme areas for using ICT.
The research identified programme challenges that can potentially be addressed by using ICT,
including:
 Collecting, managing and using data
 Building capacity and supervising workers
 Coordinating and tracking
 Increasing access to and demand for services
 Addressing social norms and behaviours
 Minimizing stock-outs of supplies
Experience with using ICTs in development programmes in general provides useful guidance for
conceptualizing how to use them for child protection. These uses include:
 Data collection, management and analysis
 Notification and reporting
 Reminders
 Registration
 Tracking

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 Supply management
 Mapping
 Worker supervision
 Training reinforcement
 Decision support
 Payments
 Feedback loops for accountability and quality assurance
 Referrals
 Teaching and raising awareness
Deciding whether and how to use ICTs for child protection programmes should be driven by
programme needs and principles, including a determination of how ICTs contribute to a programme’s
theory of change. This process should include the following activities:
 Develop a situation analysis or bottleneck analysis
 Develop a theory of change
 Develop a monitoring and evaluation framework
 Identify business processes
 Analyse ICT functions
 Prepare feasibility and costing assessments
 Identify requirements
 Negotiate with vendors/operators.
A number of recommendations emerged from the study on how UNICEF should move forward in using
ICTs for child protection, based on analysis of global trends and opportunities in child protection; case
studies and lessons learned; and UNICEF’s strategic priorities. Those recommendations fall under the
following categories:
 Design programmes using ICT
 Improve data and how it is used
 Develop standards and guidelines
 Build capacity
 Leverage existing ICT platforms
 Monitor and evaluate
 Explore new partnerships.

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1. INTRODUCTION
In recognition of the increasing use of ICTs in child protection programmes, in 2013 the child
protection and innovations units at UNICEF headquarters and in the Eastern and Western Africa
regional offices launched a partnership initiative, the Innovations and Child Protection Initiative. Its
purpose is to (1) understand the information and communication technology (ICT) landscape and
how it is being used in child protection; (2) survey opportunities and gaps in programmes that can be
addressed with ICTs; (3) identify opportunities for using ICTs that UNICEF can leverage; and (4)
make recommendations for bringing coherence and a strategic approach to using ICTs to improve
child protection outcomes.
The multi-phased initiative addresses processes and activities to strategically harness innovations in
technology, particularly ICTs, for child protection. Its ultimate objective is to support a coherent and
systematic approach to using technological innovations to achieve child protection outcomes, with a
focus on birth registration and case management. This report is part of the initial phase of the
initiative.
WHAT IS AN INNOVATION?
‘Innovation’ has become a catchword in humanitarian and development work. Many donors now
require grant proposals to include sections describing how innovations would be used to maximize
outcomes. The dictionary defines innovation as “the act or process of introducing new ideas,
devices, or methods.”1
‘Innovation’ implies not only something new, but something that can change
the status quo.2
For purposes of this report, ‘innovations in technology’ or ‘technological innovations’ refer to ICTs.
Mobile phones, computers, the Internet and geographic information systems all provide new
opportunities to overcome traditional barriers in delivering services to individuals and populations,
particularly those who may be marginalized or isolated due to geography, economic status or
ethnicity. Technology is changing how development works not only by changing the lives of those
who are most vulnerable, but also by empowering them.3
UNICEF established an innovation function in its communications division in 2007, and in 2013 the
Innovations Unit was opened in the Office of the Executive Director. UNICEF has promoted
innovations in technology in diverse areas of its work, including:
 Reuniting displaced children with their families (child protection/emergencies)
 Registering births (child protection/health).
 Collecting and managing data and cases connected with children in emergencies (child
protection/emergencies).
 Collecting and managing data on services for survivors of gender-based violence (child
protection/health).
UNICEF SUPPORT FOR TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS
In addition to establishing the Innovations Unit at headquarters, UNICEF has been spearheading the
use of technological innovations in country offices across all programmatic sectors. The Strategic
Plan for 2014-2017 advocates for harnessing innovation, monitoring results in real time and
improving data collection.4

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UNICEF took a significant step to integrate ICT innovations into its programming with the 2014
launch of RapidPro, a mobile phone application for data collection and communication. It is the next
generation of RapidSMS, which UNICEF and its partners have used since 2007. RapidSMS powers
U-Report, EduTrac and other UNICEF applications using SMS. RapidPro is built to operate in
difficult environments with limited connectivity, minimal information technology equipment and poor
infrastructure.5
An analysis published in January 2014 identified 52 initiatives in the UNICEF Eastern and Southern
Africa region (ESAR) using technological innovations, of which 38 used mobile phone technology.6
The majority were in health, HIV, education and child protection.7
The analysis identified eight child
protection initiatives in five countries that were using technological innovations. All involved mobile
phones, most commonly for civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS), primarily birth registration,
as well as citizen reporting and family tracing and reunification (FTR).8
The majority of the initiatives
were characterized as pilots, although a significant number were being scaled up. These included U-
Report (South Sudan, Uganda), Mobile VRS (Uganda), Mwana (Zambia), mTrac (Uganda), EduTrac
(Uganda), DecTrak (Uganda) and Community Victim Support Unit (CVSU) Mobile Tech Info
Management System (Malawi).9
While these technologies are still nascent, an increasing body of evidence gleaned through rigorous
research demonstrates the impact that ICTs can have in development.10
This impact has been
documented across diverse sectors including child protection, health11
and education.12
Noting the
increase in the use of ICTs in child-focused programmes, UNICEF’s Innocenti Office of Research
released a study in April 2014 exploring how ICTs contribute to achievement of child-focused
development goals.13
That study, consisting primarily of a literature review and key informant
interviews, noted that while ICTs can deepen existing social divides, they also can contribute to
child-focused development efforts.14
ICTs AND CHILD PROTECTION: SCOPE OF WORK
The innovation partnership, the Innovations and Child Protection Initiative, was fueled by (1) the
growing body of evidence for using ICTs, particularly in health and HIV/AIDS programming; (2) the
increased use of ICTs for child protection interventions; and (3) the inherent relationships between
interventions in child protection and other technical sectors. This partnership also aims to foster
collaboration with other technical sectors, including health, HIV and education. The objective of the
initiative is to develop a conceptual and strategic framework that can guide UNICEF country offices
in analysing their child protection programmes, identifying gaps and strategizing on how to integrate
innovative technology, specifically ICTs, to maximize children’s protection from violence, exploitation,
neglect and abuse and improve their well-being.
Central to the initiative is the substantial guiding role to be played by the regional offices in ESAR
and the West and Central Africa region (WCAR) and UNICEF country offices in those regions.
Accordingly, the initiative’s initial geographical focus is Eastern, Southern, Western and Central
Africa.
While UNICEF engages in a wide spectrum of child protection work, for purposes of analysing how
ICTs can improve programme outcomes and efficiencies, two areas of study were prioritized:
 Birth registration, as part of broader CVRS systems

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 Case management, including violence prevention and response services.
METHODOLOGY
UNICEF commissioned the study that led to this report to (1) map key gaps in UNICEF and global
child protection programming in its two regions in Africa; (2) identify how innovations in technology,
specifically information and communications technology, can be used to address those gaps and
improve the well-being of children; (3) identify strategic opportunities for UNICEF to use ICT for child
protection; and (4) make recommendations to guide UNICEF, particularly the country offices in
ESAR and WCAR, on how best to use ICT for child protection programming. The study was
undertaken in 2014 and updated in 2016. The methodology of the work leading to this report was as
follows:
 Literature review of published and grey literature articles, including UNICEF reports, addressing
technology (specifically ICTs), child protection, health, education, HIV and other humanitarian
and development areas
 Review of UNICEF country office annual work plans
 Key informant interviews with UNICEF country office child protection specialists, leaders of
UNICEF regional office, headquarters technical staff, and global child protection and ICT experts
 Country visits to four UNICEF country offices — Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria and Senegal — to
observe country programmes and interview country office staff and other stakeholders in the
governmental, non-profit and private sectors.
 In addition, findings from two other studies commissioned by UNICEF were incorporated into this
report: a report on ICT for child protection case management in emergencies (commissioned by
headquarters) and one on integrated case management (commissioned by the ESAR office).15
Interview questions were semi-structured. Interview responses were informally coded according to
theme and issue. Codes were grounded rather than a priori. These methods were deemed feasible
based on the study scope, available resources and accessible capacity. Key informants’ subjectivity
played a role in identifying child protection priorities and gaps.
LIMITATIONS
The study faced certain limitations:
 With a few exceptions, most details regarding specific technological innovations used in child
protection programmes came from written anecdotal stories and interviews with UNICEF country
representatives, deputy representatives and child protection and technology specialists based in
UNICEF country offices or with external organizations, not from rigorous research studies.
 Since so few studies have been undertaken across technical sectors, particularly child
protection, the evidence base demonstrating child protection outcomes attributable to ICTs is still
small.
ORGANIZATION OF THE REPORT
Following this introduction, section 2 outlines the general functions of ICT that can be used for child
protection and offers examples of how ICT can be used to address child protection priorities and

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challenges. It also provides a step-by-step framework for implementing ICTs in child protection. In
section 3 the report describes how ICTs have been and can be used in the child protection priority
areas of birth registration and case management and provides lessons learned. Section 4 addresses
operational challenges that must be considered in using ICTs. Section 5 of the report summarizes its
conclusions and offers recommendations to guide UNICEF’s future use of ICTs for child protection.
2. ICTs AND CHILD PROTECTION PROGRAMMES
THE USES OF ICTs IN CHILD PROTECTION PROGRAMMES
The health and HIV sectors have arguably the most documented experience with ICTs. Studies have
demonstrated a correlation between using ICTs, particularly mobile phones, and improved
outcomes.16
Such technologies have been found to help in improving important aspects of an
effective programme, including data collection, incidence and prevalence surveillance, community
education, worker supervision, programme monitoring and performance feedback.17
All of these
functions are equally relevant and important for child protection programmes, and much of this
experience can inform the use of ICTs for child protection (see Figure 1).18
Figure 1. Child protection functions supported by ICTs
1. Data collection, management and analysis
Child protection programmes must collect and manage data about protection incidents and make
them easily accessible for analysis and decision making. The data can be used for reporting to
donors, making referrals, planning, informing budget allocations and influencing policy.

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2. Notification and reporting
In managing cases and registering births, information and messages must be transmitted from
sources to other parties. ICTs such as phone calls, SMS messages and Internet-based databases
make these functions more efficient.
Examples:
 Community Victim Support Units (CVSUs) in Malawi use of mobile phones to send incident
and case reports of violence to district offices.
 Health centre workers in Nigeria, Senegal and Uganda use of mobile phones, the Internet
and RapidSMS technology to send birth registration data to local government offices.
3. Reminders
Reminders must be sent to clients to attend appointments, register births, get vaccinations, etc.
Community and social workers also receive reminders to perform job-related tasks such as following
up on case referrals and checking the status of victims of violence. SMS messages are a useful
technology for these tasks.
4. Sharing information, giving instructions, making referrals
Child protection staff frequently need to share essential information, give instructions on technical
procedures and make referrals, especially in cases where physical meetings may be difficult. Service
providers in different locations also need to consult with one another. Children who are victims of
abuse and exploitation need access to child helplines to be counselled and referred to service
providers. Phone calls are crucial to these activities.
5. Registration
Registration involves collecting information about an event (such as a birth, a case of sexual
violence or a case of family separation), officially transmitting it to the appropriate authority and
acknowledging receipt of the information. Internet and mobile phone applications make these
functions more efficient.
Examples:
 Mobile Vital Records System (Mobile VRS), a tool developed under a public-private partnership
between Uganda Telecom and the government of Uganda to address bottlenecks in the paper-
based system. It enables the use of an Internet-based application and mobile phones to register
births and deaths in health facilities and communities.19
 Rapid FTR, an open-source mobile phone application and data storage system that allows
humanitarian workers to collect and share information about unaccompanied and separated
children so they can be registered for services and reunited with their families. Originally
launched in Uganda, the system has also been used in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti,
India, the Philippines and South Sudan. 20
A recent review in South Sudan indicated that while
the tool helped to speed up the registration of unaccompanied and separated children, it was
being “stretched beyond its original scope — from rapid registration to partial case management,
and its optimal scale — from short, targeted registration of limited numbers of children to long-

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term use with four times the caseload originally envisioned.”21
It is being merged with Primero
(see below).
 Primero, an Internet-based inter-agency case management tool for FTR in humanitarian
situations. It is being launched in Iraq, Lebanon, the Philippines and Sierra Leone, and is about
to be launched (August 2016) in Kenya.22
Primero and RapidFTR are being merged, and Primero
will make use of lessons learned from Rapid FTR in registering unaccompanied and separated
children in emergencies.23
 ICT-based tools used by other organizations working in emergencies to register unaccompanied
or separated children, including proGres v.4 (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
[UNHCR] and PROT6 (International Committee of the Red Cross [ICRC]).24
6. Tracking
Tracking involves monitoring the status and location of people, supplies and services. It can be used
in supply management or for case management, through use of unique identification numbers or
names and scannable bar code labels on products. ICTs for this function include Internet-based
tracking applications and SMS messages.
Example: UNICEF’s mTrac in Uganda.25
7. Supply management
Supply management or supply chain logistics involves tracking inventories of supplies and
commodities to prevent stock-outs. It generally includes a mechanism that triggers or prompts
reordering, and Internet-based tracking applications make this work more efficient, as demonstrated
especially with health commodities.26
Such tools could arguably be adapted for child protection
needs. For example, tracking applications could be used to ensure sufficient paper supplies to print
birth certificates (a common challenge) and inventories of rape kits for cases of sexual violence.
Examples:
 mTrac27
 cStock28
 CommCare Supply (formerly known as CommTrack), developed by Dimagi.29
8. Mapping
Identifying and mapping locations of services and organizations working in a particular geographic
area are useful for accessing services for children. Mapping is also used to identify locations where
violence is prevalent. This is applicable both for service provision and for identification of trends,
used in advocacy with policymakers to encourage action and allocation of resources. ICTs for these
functions include mobile phone data collection/reporting applications and Internet-based mapping
applications
Examples:
 DevTrac: A Ugandan initiative, led by a consortium of government and donor agencies including
UNICEF, that works to monitor the status of national services (schools, health centres, water

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points, etc.) and development projects. Through a combination of innovative data collection
mechanisms, including mobile phones for community reporting and information management,
DevTrac merges traditional and real-time data, allowing observers the opportunity to view
locations of available services.30
 GBV Map (also known as GBV Kenya), an Internet-based national referral directory of clinical,
legal, security and coordination service providers for victims of gender-based violence (GBV) in
Kenya. It maps service providers so survivors and organizations working with victims can seek
help close to their locality.31
 HIV and child protection service mapping (under development, Malawi).
 Ushahidi (now called ‘Crowdmap Classic’), for mapping incidents of post-election violence (see
Annex F).32
9. Worker supervision
Supervising service providers’ performance is essential to ensure that children’s needs are
effectively addressed and services are of sufficient quality([See ‘Accountability and quality
assurance’). Mobile phone applications with a GPS function allow a supervisor to determine, for
example, whether a worker visited a household and how long they stayed. Mobile phone
applications that include a decision-making algorithm allow supervisors to determine if a worker
followed proper and service protocols (see ‘Decision support’).
Worker supervision functions also protect workers by providing proof that they carried out their
responsibilities. Some programmes use mobile phones to promote social accountability by giving
communities the opportunity to provide feedback about service provider performance (see
‘Accountability and quality assurance’).
Example:
 UNICEF Nigeria’s RapidSMS birth registration system (see Annex D).
10. Training reinforcement
Reinforcement of training helps to build the capacity of service providers to perform their
responsibilities. Messages and decision support protocols delivered via SMS messages help to
reinforce lessons taught at training workshops after participants have returned to work.
Example:
 After a training workshop, participants receive SMS messages about symptoms of sexual
violence that were taught at the workshop. Mobile phones can be equipped with video capacity
that allows workers to review training videos.
11. Decision support
Decision support protocols guide service providers to recognize symptoms, diagnose conditions and
make decisions about service referrals. Such job aids, delivered via mobile phones, can also be
used to reinforce procedures taught at capacity-building workshops. Proven as useful in the health
sector,33
they can be adapted for child protection contexts. For example, decision-support
applications on mobile phones can guide workers through a checklist or a decision tree to diagnose

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signs of abuse or exploitation and provide prompts for making appropriate referrals. Decision-
support job aids are particularly useful where supervisors may not be accessible, such as in isolated
rural areas. They also can be used in emergency situations to conduct situation analyses regarding
unaccompanied children.
Example:
 One-stop centres: In collaboration with other UN agencies, UNICEF supports the strengthening
and scale-up of one-stop centres to offer multidisciplinary services to victims of gender-based
violence and child abuse. UNICEF Malawi has been working with D-Tree guides to develop
mobile phone-based decision-support protocols for case entry points and one-stop centres. The
application guides workers at entry points (e.g., police stations and health centres) to go through
basic details about the case when referring the individual to the one-stop centre. At the centre,
medical examination, police, counselling and social worker protocols guide workers to provide
better and more holistic care to survivors.
12. Payments
Making payments for services and disbursing funds for conditional cash transfers are common child
protection functions. Mobile phones can be used to transfer funds to pay for services and to make
conditional cash transfers for social and health services,34
as seen particularly in the health sector.35
In the child protection sector ‘mobile money’ can pay for commodities, transportation and the salaries
of community workers. Mobile money transfers are becoming increasingly common in Africa.
Examples:
 Paying the salaries of polio workers through mobile phones (UNICEF Nigeria)36
 Using ‘smart cards’ for cashless payments to vendors37
 Compensating community workers and volunteer service providers with mobile phone minutes.
13. Feedback loops for accountability and quality assurance
Service providers and other duty-bearers must be held accountable for the quality of services they
provide. One effective tool is feedback loops, which allow recipients of services to provide feedback
on their perceptions of service quality.38
There is a growing body of evidence on the use of ICTs to
promote accountability39
as users of services turn to SMS messages, hotlines and social media to
voice their opinions on the accessibility and quality of services they receive.40
Examples:
 U-Report (described below under ‘Teaching and raising awareness’) includes a survey function
that poses survey questions to U-Reporters about their opinions on the quality of various
services.
 In Malawi UNICEF is using a mobile phone-based client satisfaction feedback mechanism.
UNICEF has been seeking a way to elicit feedback from women survivors of physical and sexual
assault about the services they received in 34 police victim support units across the country.
UNICEF has been developing a mobile technology platform using CommCare, an open source
mobile and cloud-based platform, to facilitate real-time collection of data from clients at the point
of interview when they exit the units. The system is expected to improve quality assurance efforts

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and reduce the time needed to produce reports by streamlining data entry and analysis. Clients
will be able to provide feedback about how friendly (or hostile) the police were. Given that many
victims of violence are reluctant to report their abuse because of fear about treatment by the
police, such feedback will be crucial for gauging how effective the units are. The system will also
support periodic reporting and analysis of data and tools to educate the public about the units’
services. The new system will improve upon an earlier database that Malawi police found difficult
to use.
14. Referrals
Referring children to appropriate services is a core child protection function. In cases of abuse or
exploitation, referrals are commonly made to social, health, police and legal services. SMS
messages can be used to facilitate referrals by (a) providing referral prompts to a caseworker in
response to certain triggering information collected upon registration of a child victim of violence; (b)
automatically alerting the referral services to expect a case; and (c) providing protocols and
assessment guidelines as job aids to make referrals. Referrals can also be made by telephone and
email. Studies, primarily from the HIV/AIDS and maternal and child health sectors, provide examples
of the effective use of mobile phones to make referrals.41
15. Teaching and raising awareness
Raising awareness within communities about protection and other issues related to children’s well-
being serves both prevention and response. With heightened awareness about the consequences of
neglect or physical punishment, caregivers may be less prone to engage in harmful behaviour
towards children. Also, children are more likely to access services when they know what services are
available and where they are located.
ICT tools for raising awareness and teaching include SMS messages, video messaging and Internet
and radio broadcasts. Such tools have been used to disseminate messages about diverse topics,
including why birth registration is important, how to report an incident of violence and how to be a
good parent, leading to changes in behaviour and social norms. For example, radio dramas have
been shown to contribute to changing attitudes and behaviours concerning HIV in a number of
African communities.42
Using radio and other ICTs to raise issues for community dialogue and
reflection enables communities to critically examine practices and traditions that may have
hampered children’s well-being.
Example:
 UNICEF’s mobile phone survey tool, U-Report, is a potentially powerful tool for changing social
norms. It sends survey questions via SMS to U-Reporters, generally young adults, who respond
via SMS. Though untested in the child protection area, U-Report can theoretically help in
operationalizing proven behaviour change strategies by initiating community discussions on
topics involving social norms, such as gender-based violence, child marriage and female genital
mutilation. Uganda alone has nearly 300,000 U-Reporters. U-Report also operates in
Mozambique, Nigeria and Zambia.
USING ICTs IN PROGRAMMES
The ICT functions described above can be used to address child protection programme challenges
and improve operations in the African context. However, technology cannot salvage a programme if

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the underlying fundamentals are not in place — for example, technology won’t help in case
management if the programme lacks clear referral pathways.43
Integrating ICTs into child protection
programmes should add value to the programme either by increasing efficiency or by improving child
outcomes.
The first step in determining if and how to use ICTs is identifying the challenges and operational
areas that could be improved. This is generally accomplished through a situation assessment or
bottleneck analysis. Only then is it appropriate to assess whether technology can address the
challenges or otherwise improve the programme.
Priorities for improvement in child protection programmes
Part of the study involved assessing what challenges and operational issues stakeholders would
prioritize for improvement. The key informant interviews, field visits and desk review revealed the
following target areas as priorities:
 Collecting, managing and using data
 Building capacity and supervising workers
 Coordinating and tracking
 Increasing access to and demand for services
 Addressing social norms and behaviours
 Minimizing stock-outs of supplies
Table 1 summarizes how ICTs could address these issues.
Table 1. Use of ICTs in child protection
Child protection programme issues ICT examples
Collecting, managing and using
data
 Data collection, management and analysis: Use of mobile
phones and Internet-based systems by case workers or birth
registrars to collect client data, manage caseloads and
identify trends requiring reallocation of resources
 Notification and reporting: Use of mobile phone- and Internet-
based systems to send information to stakeholders and
policymakers
 Registration: Use of Internet and mobile phone applications to
open new case files based on information collected from the
client and verified with authorities
 Tracking: Use of Internet-based tracking applications and
SMS messages to gather information on client movements
and progress in accessing services
 Supply management: Use of Internet-based tracking
applications to gather information on post-rape kit inventories,
to prevent stock-outs and indicate prevalence of sexual
violence and extent of access of services
 Mapping: Use of mobile phone data collection and reporting
applications and Internet-based mapping applications to
collect information on availability of sexual violence services
or birth registrars in a geographic area
 Worker supervision: Use of mobile phone applications with a
decision-making algorithm and GPS to collect routine

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information on worker performance (e.g., numbers of clients
visited, degree of compliance with protocols, etc.)
 Decision support: Use of mobile phones to collect information
on service providers’ compliance with protocols and the types
of issues and cases they encounter
 Payments: Collecting information on costs and expenses for
costing analyses and budgeting
 Accountability and quality assurance: Use of SMS messages,
hotlines and social media to collect feedback from clients to
gauge perceptions of quality and efficiency of services and
service providers, and gaps in services
 Referrals: Use of SMS messages to collect information on
types and numbers of cases, issues handled, services
accessed, etc.
Building capacity and supervising
workers
 Worker supervision: Use of GPS-equipped phones to track
community-based worker visits and their length
 Training reinforcement: Use of SMS messages to reinforce
lessons from training sessions
 Teaching and raising awareness: Use of Internet-based
videos to teach social work skills to front-line workers located
in remote areas
 Decision support: Use of decision-support algorithms on
mobile phones to guide front-line workers through protocols
and checklists when working with clients, reinforcing their
knowledge of processes and procedures
 Data collection, management and analysis: Use of Internet-
based applications to collect and transmit performance data
to gauge worker performance
 Accountability and quality assurance: Use of SMS-based
surveys to gauge client satisfaction with police victim support
units.
Coordinating and tracking  Tracking: Use of mobile phone- and Internet-based
applications to record when and where clients access a
service
applications to track supply inventories (e.g., post-rape kits)
at service delivery points to determine which services are
most often accessed and where
 Worker supervision: Use of GPS-enabled phones to
determine when community-based volunteers visit a client to
provide a service and how long they stay
Increasing access to and demand
for services
 Mapping: Use of mobile phone data collection / reporting
applications and Internet-based mapping applications to
identify locations of all services
 Notification: Use of SMS messages to alert service providers
to prepare for pending cases
 Teaching and raising awareness: Use of SMS messages to
spread public awareness about sexual and gender-based
violence (SGBV) services and information on where to find
them; use of mobile phone and Internet-based applications
with videos to teach about protection issues
 Reminders: Use of SMS messages to remind community
social workers to follow up with clients to ensure they access
services, and to new parents to register births
 Referrals: Use of mobile phones and Internet-based
applications to refer clients to service providers

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 Assistance to service providers or access to help lines: Use
of phone calls to provide assistance to service providers in
remote areas, or to alert them to prepare for pending cases;
and by child victims of child rights violations to access help
lines for counselling
applications to ensure service providers have adequate
stocks of supplies to provide services (e.g., paper for birth
certificates, post-rape kits etc.)
Minimizing stock-outs  Supply management: Use of Internet-based tracking
applications to track inventory and send alerts when supplies
fall below certain levels
 Notification and reporting: Use of SMS messages to send
alerts to notify suppliers to restock inventory in advance of
stock-outs
Addressing social norms and
behaviors
 Notification and reporting: Use of SMS-based surveys to
gauge community perceptions about protection issues and
stimulate reflective discussions about protection topics
 Data collection, management and analysis: Use of ICT
survey tools to collect data on social attitudes and behaviors
relating to violence against children and to inform
appropriate interventions
 Mapping: Use of mobile phone- and Internet-based mapping
applications to map areas where harmful behaviors are
prevalent (e.g., child marriage) to aid in focusing
interventions
 Teaching and raising awareness: Use of SMS messages or
Internet videos to raise awareness about the importance of
birth registration or to report sexual violence, or provide
information on whom to contact when encountering a
separated or unaccompanied child
 Training reinforcement: Use of SMS messages or Internet
videos to inform service providers on how to address cultural
practices that may hinder access to protection services by
vulnerable children.
STEP-BY-STEP APPROACH TO USING ICTs
ICTs can improve a child protection programme, not salvage it. Before a decision is made on
whether and how to use ICTs, the basic programme fundamentals must be in place, such as service
providers and referral pathways.
Optimizing the use of ICTs for child protection programmes calls for implementing a step-by-step
process, ideally during programme design (see Figure 2). The steps help staff in deciding whether
and how to use ICTs.44
The steps may or may not occur consecutively and some may take place
simultaneously. Child protection programming specialists and ICT specialists should work
collaboratively through each of the steps.

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Figure 2. Steps in optimizing use of ICTs for child protection
1. Perform a situation or bottleneck analysis
Programming needs should dictate the use of technological innovations. A situation or bottleneck
analysis helps to determine the needs and identify appropriate interventions, while also pointing out
current and potential gaps in programme implementation. The analysis should also include an
assessment of how ICTs are already being used in the organization and by partners.
2. Develop a theory of change
Informed by the situation analysis, programme designers identify an evidence-based theory of how
change takes place. It includes inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes and impact, along with the
necessary enabling conditions for achieving the desired outputs, outcomes and impact. 45
All of these
are mapped out in a results or logical framework.
3. Develop a monitoring and evaluation framework
Concurrent with the programme design process, programme planners develop a monitoring and
evaluation (M&E) framework that includes indicators of success and the process for collecting data
to measure those indicators. Part of the M&E plan ideally includes indicators to measure the
correlation between use of ICTs and outcomes.
4. Identify the business process
Identifying the business process — the set of activities that must be executed to accomplish a
specific business objective — for the child protection programme helps in planning programme
activities and identifying where ICTs may add value. 46
The business process can be visualized with
a flowchart showing the sequence of activities and the stakeholders responsible for each activity
(see Figure 3.) Graphically depicting the work and information flows helps to identify where in the
cycle efficiencies can be made, including where ICTs can be used. This activity may be carried out in
conjunction with the analysis of ICT functions.

Figure 3. Illustrative business process for CRVS
Source: Business Process Modelling Guide in Plan International and Jembi Health Systems, ‘Civil Registration
and Vital Statistics Digitisation Guidebook’ (APAI-CRVS, 2015), accessed 19 July 2016, www.crvs-dgb.org/wp-
content/uploads/2015/11/Business-Process-Modelling-Guide.pdf, 4.
5. Analyze the potential for using ICTs
Armed with a theory of change for the programme, informed by the situation/bottleneck analysis and
guided by the mapping of the business process, programme planners analyse whether any ICTs can
address actual or anticipated programme challenges or otherwise contribute to elements of the
theory of change. Developing a separate theory of change causation statement for using ICT can be
useful:
Example 1 — where large caseloads hamper case workers in following up on cases: Text messages
are sent to remind caseworkers to follow up with child survivors within x days after the initial report of
sexual violence and visit with a social worker more survivors access and receive health,
psychosocial and legal services within x days of the initial report and visit to the social worker
fewer survivors report reproductive health and traumatic stress issues within a year after the incident
 greater number of survivors attend school and perform well.
Example 2 — in contexts where managing case information is hampered by the need for multiple
paper forms for many cases: Use ICTs to collect, manage and analyse data on individual cases of
separated or unaccompanied children  case worker is better able to manage and utilize case

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information to make timely decisions  follow-up on family tracing and reunification efforts is quicker
 less time elapses between separation and reunification with families.
Figure 4 shows how the theory of change applies to using ICTs for child protection case
management in emergencies.
Figure 4. Theory of change for using ICTs for case management in emergencies

Source: mHELP/Health.Enabled, ‘Information and Communication Technology for Child Protection Case
Management in Emergencies: A framework for design, implementation and evaluation; (New York: UNICEF,
UNHCR, ICRC, 2016), p. 11
6. Perform feasibility and costing assessments
The use of ICTs is very context specific. Even where it is determined that ICTs could be beneficial,
there may be practical obstacles to using them. For example, using text messages to remind
community volunteers to follow up on protection cases won’t work if the volunteers are illiterate.
Mobile phones are impractical where phone coverage and electricity are unreliable or there is social
resistance to using phones. A feasibility assessment conducted by child protection and ICT
specialists is useful for assessing the enabling environment, which should address user attitudes
and capacities, power sources, connectivity, the legal framework, social norms and gender dynamics
(see Figure 5). 47
Part of the assessment should include an analysis of the financial and opportunity
costs involved in setting up and managing the ICTs, such as costs of user training, troubleshooting
and routine maintenance of the ICT system.
Figure 5. Enabling environment considerations
7. Identify the requirements
Once planners decide to incorporate ICTs into the child protection programme, they must be able to
identify and clearly communicate the requirements to the ICT specialists.48
Most operational
problems can be attributed to poorly identified and/or communicated requirements. The ICT
specialist must be able to understand the programme enough to ask the right questions so the ICT
will respond to programme needs.
There are two types of requirements: functional and non-functional. Functional requirements address
what the ICT solution should do and how it should perform in measurable terms, while non-functional
requirements specify the constraints in the system. Articulating the requirements demands
Enabling
environment
Literacy
of users
Connectivity
Phone
coverage
Laws and
policies
Initial and
long-term
costs
Users’
attitudes
and
traditions
Power
sources

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collaboration between the child protection programming specialists, the ICT specialists and the users
of the system.
Requirements can be further broken down into:
 Data requirements: The types, accuracy, volatility, values, amounts and updates of data required
Example: Records will be kept for up to 5,000 cases. Seven categories of information will be
collected. Some data will be numbers and some will be words. The range of values for some
categories will be 1-5; for others it may be 1-1,000. Updates will be made weekly. Graphs to
depict trends will be required. Data will be collected by mobile phone by volunteer community
members, who will pass the information to their supervisors, who will then pass it to district
supervisors, after which it will be aggregated at regional and national levels. All text will be in
Swahili.
 Environmental requirements: The context or enabling environment where the solution must
operate
Example: Mobile phones will be used to collect data in rural areas with no network coverage or
Internet connectivity. The mobile phone application must be able to collect information in those
areas so it can later be downloaded when the data collector returns to an area with coverage and
connectivity.
 User requirements: Characteristics (capacities and skills) of the intended user groups
Example: Community workers have only basic literacy skills in Swahili and do not necessarily
have in-depth knowledge of social work. They will require prompts to help them recognize signs
that may indicate violence or other protection concerns. All users will know how to use mobile
phones and send simple text messages.
 Usability requirements: Usability goals and related measurements in terms of efficiency, utility,
satisfaction, learning and security
Example: Users must be comfortable using keyboards. A feedback mechanism will be needed so
that users see the results when they input information, and they must be able to use that
information to improve their work performance. Individual case information must remain private
and secured, and must only be accessible to the case worker and the supervisor. Data collected
can only be shared with people who are authorized.
8. Negotiate with vendors/operators
Where the ICT specialists who will be designing or adapting the ICT application/system are not staff
of the organization, it is necessary to negotiate with the vendors who will provide it. Where possible,
any ICT already in use by the organization or any of its partners should be adapted or reused.
In developing a brief for the external vendor, specificity about requirements is imperative. Other
elements should address whether the organization can make adaptations or revisions; how the
organization’s staff will be trained to do routine maintenance and troubleshooting; who owns the
source code of the application or system; and the role of the vendor in correcting operational issues
with the technology.
It is important to negotiate with mobile phone operators when the volume of text messaging may be
high (such as when it is used for community awareness) and to get good rates for those text

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messages, and to obtain short codes (generally four-digit codes that serve as special telephone
numbers can be used to address SMS text messages from certain service providers).49
3. USING ICTs IN BIRTH REGISTRATION AND CASE
MANAGEMENT
The study revealed that regional and country offices in the UNICEF Eastern and Western Africa
regions have two priorities for use of ICTs: (a) birth registration, as part of a larger agenda on CRVS;
and (b) case management, as part of a child protection system and within broader programming on
violence against children. The experience summarized in this report is derived primarily from
UNICEF-supported programmes but also covers initiatives and programmes supported by other
organizations.
BIRTH REGISTRATION
Birth registration is a child protection priority in ESAR and WCAR, as part of a broader CRVS
agenda that includes death registration. Through its participation in the Africa Programme on
Accelerated Improvement of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (APAI-CRVS) and other initiatives,
UNICEF promotes birth registration and the issuance of birth certificates to establish legal identity for
children. Birth registration has a protective effect by providing proof of a child’s place of birth and
parentage, and of the facts that are necessary to secure national citizenship (a separate process
from birth registration).50
Birth registration may also be vital to confirm nationality during and after
crises such as armed conflict, natural disasters and events leading to displacement.51
Having a legal
identity supported by a birth certificate can be a foundation for reducing children’s vulnerability to
protection-related abuses.52
For example, having a document that proves a child’s age and place of
birth can counter attempts at child marriage or trafficking.53
With support from UNICEF and partners, countries in Africa and other low-resource regions are
increasingly exploring how to leverage and plan for digitalization using ICTs to improve birth
registration and other aspects of CRVS.54
Ten UNICEF country offices in the two regions identified
birth registration as a priority for the use of ICTs.55
ICTs have been or could be used to facilitate birth registration in numerous ways:
 Collecting, managing and analysing birth information
 Raising awareness in communities about the importance of prompt registration
 Reinforcing training of birth registrars in the registration process
 Notifying registration authorities of births
 Registering births
 Managing supplies (i.e. paper) needed for registration
 Reminding caregivers to register births and deaths
 Supervising workers responsible for registration
 Mapping births, deaths and registration for analysis
 Mapping locations for registering births and deaths.

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The evidence of improved birth registration outcomes using ICTs is still limited. But their use in
promoting health services is documented, supporting expansion of their use (especially SMS
messaging) to encourage parents and caregivers to register births and obtain birth certificates (see
also Annex D). Studies have shown SMS messages to be effective in promoting antenatal visits,
encouraging use of skilled birth attendants and reminding women to have their children vaccinated.56
However, one UNICEF informant noted that SMS has been used to support birth notification more
than birth registration.
CASE MANAGEMENT
The processes involved in case management for vulnerable children are significantly more complex
than those for birth registration. In the child protection context, case management involves
coordinating services for effectively preventing, diagnosing, referring and responding to abuse,
exploitation, neglect, violence and/or separation. The process follows an individual child or family
along a chain of referrals and interventions, ensuring follow-through until the well-being of the child
and family is restored and protected.57
Case management has wide application for situations in which a child is at risk of harm or is in need
of intervention or ongoing support to recover from harm or trauma. Not all children who are
vulnerable need to be treated through a case management approach. What determines a ‘case’ and
when ‘case intervention’ is needed often depends on the point of entry – typically determined by
what is locally defined as vulnerability – and the system into which the vulnerable child enters.58
The global child protection community is increasingly focusing on how to conduct case management
that is integrated with other sectors.59
Integrated case management reflects the reality that the needs
of vulnerable children and families are complex, multifaceted and interrelated, and that they cannot
be fully addressed by one sector working alone.60
Having sectors work together to holistically
address these complex cases is increasingly recognized as a best practice.61
In recognition of the
challenges involved in managing integrated cases encompassing multiple services in different
sectors, seven UNICEF country offices from ESAR and WCAR prioritized case management as a
child protection area for the use of ICTs. During this study they were in various stages of
implementing ICT-based initiatives for case management.62
ICTs provide a means for addressing the unique implementation challenges posed by case
management in Africa.63
In general, they are the best way to collect and manage the enormous
amounts of information generated by child protection cases. Relying on paper files to track individual
children and families is simply untenable. This is particularly true in emergencies, which may involve
thousands of cases of separated or unaccompanied children across several countries.64
Use of ICTs
for child protection case management in developing countries is relatively new and undocumented,
yet this study revealed a number of examples:
 Collecting, managing and analysing data about cases: Malawi CVSUs; UNICEF Nigeria; UNICEF
Senegal65
 Notifying authorities and other service providers about case information: UNICEF Malawi
CVSUs66
 Registering social transfer beneficiaries as an entry point to case management: UNICEF
Mozambique67
 Registering separated and unaccompanied children during emergencies: UNICEF, UNHCR and
ICRC in Kenya and South Sudan68

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 Decision support protocols for case workers: UNICEF Malawi One Stop Centres69
 Accountability and quality assurance of service providers: UNICEF Malawi PVSUs; U-Report70
 Mapping of incidents and services: GBVIMS, DevTrac71
 Tracking vulnerable children: Pathfinder in Kenya72
 Person-to-person calling to open cases, access counselling and make referrals: Childline, Child
Helpline73
 Referrals to service providers: Childline, Child Helpline
 Teaching and raising awareness about protection issues such as violence, child marriage and
female genital mutilation: U-Report in several UNICEF countries.74
See Annex E for further details on other applications of ICT in case management.
ICTs also support or can support some of the specific case management implementation challenges
highlighted by child protection specialists. In particular, those primarily engaged in emergency
situations voiced a need for a tool that would enable them to use criteria to prioritize cases in the
face of overwhelming caseloads.75
An example would be a tool incorporating a decision tree
algorithm that enables case workers to run through mobile phone- or Internet-based checklists when
interviewing clients. Such a system would flag cases requiring priority action. This is currently being
done in both health and child protection case management.
Another case management challenge highlighted in the study is difficulties with information sharing
among service providers from different organizations. While concerns about data protection and
privacy are legitimate, numerous stakeholders supported the use of ICTs for exchanging information
because it allows for quicker and better referrals and client tracking. (See ‘Privacy, Confidentiality
and Data Protection’ and ‘Interoperability’ in chapter 4.)
Despite some recent initiatives to study the use of ICTs for child protection case management, the
evidence demonstrating improved impact on vulnerable children is mostly anecdotal.76
However, one
recent study suggests that using ICTs for FTR during emergencies reduces the amount of time
between separation and reunification.77
That study concluded that more research is needed to
confirm the finding.
As discussed previously, ICTs used in the health field could be adapted for many child protection
case management activities, including data collection, management and analysis; reminders;
decision support; tracking and follow-up; worker supervision; and training reinforcement.78
LESSONS LEARNED
Experience from using ICTs in numerous programmes across different sectors, including child
protection, has generated a number of lessons learned.
Ensure that child protection specialists spearhead the process
The design process should be collaborative and should be led by child protection specialists to
ensure the programme reflects and complies with accepted standards and best practices. Without
their guidance ICT interventions may be ineffective or harmful. For example, in Senegal child
protection specialists were not sufficiently involved in the design of an ICT case management
platform for reporting abuse, exploitation and high-risk situations for children. It relied on personal

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digital assistants for data collection and an Internet connection, neither of which were adapted to the
context. It was also too complex and did not enhance coordination among stakeholders. In addition,
the human element — persuading organizations to share information on cases — had not been
negotiated in advance.
Reflect innovation principles
UNICEF, the World Bank and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have
agreed to a set of principles for using technology in development. They are intended as best-practice
guidelines to inform the design of innovative programmes:79
1. Design with the user
2. Understand the existing ecosystem
3. Design for scale using a systems approach
4. Build for sustainability
5. Be data driven
6. Use open standards, open data, open source and open innovation
7. Reuse and improve
8. Address privacy and data security
9. Be collaborative.
To ensure the system is used, it is important to design it in a participatory manner, involving the
intended users in every step of the design and implementation process. This will give users a sense
of ownership and an understanding of the system’s value. Without this users are likely to simply stop
using the ICT after the launch.
Address both demand and supply factors
ICTs may be used to stimulate demand for particular services. When they are used to increase
community awareness about the availability of services, for example, it is essential to ensure that the
services exist and are accessible and sufficient to meet demand. In Ghana, Child Helpline did not
initially succeed because the system could not provide sufficient counselling services to meet the
demand generated from the calls.80
An SMS health programme aiming to increase use of antenatal
services in United Republic of Tanzania was not prepared to handle the overwhelming demand for
services, affecting the programme’s credibility in the community.81
Often with birth registration
initiatives, the biggest challenge is ensuring sufficient paper for printing birth certificates.82
Just a few
reports by families who cannot get their child’s birth certificate can quickly discourage others from
participating.
Mainstream gender and social inclusion
When women gain access to technology, men are sometimes jealous, resentful or threatened, and this
can lead to problems, including gender-based violence.83
Therefore gender issues need to be
addressed when the users or beneficiaries of technology are women or girls.
Ensure that programme needs drive decisions about whether and how to use ICTs
Programmatic needs should always drive the use of technology. A needs assessment and
bottleneck analysis are needed to determine the pathways for achieving programme objectives and
the challenges facing them. These should inform whether and how an ICT solution is integrated into

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the programme. Ideally the programme design should incorporate a theory of change and a results
or logical framework that clearly depicts how ICTs contribute to outputs, outcomes and impact.
Ensure that users perceive a benefit from using ICTs
One of the biggest challenges in using ICTs in child protection programmes is user dropout. After the
initial launch, many targeted users apply the ICT only intermittently or not at all. Field experience
suggests that users must perceive a benefit in using the technology and understand how it improves
their job performance. For example, users may perceive that using an ICT to submit incident reports
adds to their workload, leading them to revert to reporting only on paper.
Solutions for sustaining ICT use include feedback loops and closer supervision to hold workers
accountable. Some failures in programmes that depend on use of ICTs to transmit information can
be partially traced to lack of feedback. An emerging body of evidence indicates that feedback
mechanisms lead to more complete and accurate reporting than one-way reporting without
acknowledgement by the recipient.84
Feedback allows data collectors to understand why they have
been collecting information, helping to sustain their commitment.
Consider interoperability issues and disclosure standards
The collection of information and personal data is delicate and triggers questions about what
information can be shared, under what circumstances and with whom. As information systems are
increasingly linked with services and referral mechanisms, standards for disclosure must be
developed, particularly in child protection contexts. Some standards regarding privacy and disclosure
of personal information have been developed in the health, CRVS and gender-based violence
sectors, but they are not exhaustive. 85
It is therefore necessary to determine clear protocols for
sharing information.
Ensure sufficient capacity to manage the system and address malfunctions
Working with software vendors has underscored the importance of ensuring sufficient in-house
technology capacity to manage systems and address malfunctions as they arise. Some vendors do
not provide enough training to allow staff to manage the system on their own, instead offering
service contracts. Ultimately, any UNICEF country office launching an ICT platform should conduct
an analysis to compare the costs and benefits of building internal staff capacity for ongoing
management and troubleshooting with those of engaging an outside firm.86
Incorporate an evidence component into the design
Demand for evidence of success is growing, particularly from donors and governments. The number
of studies demonstrating ICT contributions to improved outcomes is increasing, but more evaluation
is needed. As UNICEF and other organizations increasingly promote technological innovations, they
will be held accountable for proving, beyond anecdotal experience, that information and
communication technology ‘works’.
Determine how information will be managed and viewed
ICTs inevitably provide large amounts of data. Experience shows that success depends on users
being able to access the data in a way that supports easy analysis. Accordingly, how the information
is displayed on a ‘dashboard’ is important. Mobile VRS increased the number of births registered in

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Uganda, but in the original version users found it difficult to manage and analyse the large amounts
of information collected.87
Use ICTs to strengthen a programme, not salvage it
If a community programme is not working well because of a flawed framework, adding an ICT
component is unlikely to solve the problem.88
A solid programmatic framework is based on a clear
theory of change, a thoughtfully developed results framework or logic model, and evidence-based
interventions. The programme design must be supported by evidence. ICTs can be used to address
operational gaps (e.g., reaching remote areas), not programmatic gaps.
Conduct cost analyses to integrate and manage ICTs in each intervention
Too often officials fail to analyse the potential cost of using ICTs. Such an analysis identifies costs
associated with the hardware, software, system set-up, training (often the largest line item), licensing
fees and ongoing system management. The cost analysis should also compare the costs of setting
up and using the technology compared to the costs of maintaining a paper-based system, including
the opportunity costs associated with quality control. A number of tools offer guidance in budgeting
for integrating ICT in health programmes, and these can be adapted for child protection
programmes.89
4. OPERATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS
PRIVACY, CONFIDENTIALITY AND DATA PROTECTION
Due to the sensitivities connected with child protection, it is crucial to address privacy, confidentiality
and data protection as part of programme planning. When ICTs are used for child protection they
must include safeguards for protecting personal information. This is particularly critical when dealing
with survivors of violence; situations when personal information could be exploited by perpetrators or
others; in refugee situations where the data could be used against minority groups and others
deemed to be threats to the government; and in birth registration contexts where data could be
stolen to create fraudulent identification papers.90
Using ICTs for case management typically involves sharing sensitive personal information on
vulnerable children. The exchange of this information among service providers raises concerns
about the risk of inadvertent disclosure. The opportunities for inadvertent disclosure increase with
integrated case management, which involves sharing information among numerous technical sectors
and multiple information management systems. (See also ‘Interoperability’ below.)
Safely collecting and storing personal information is central to ensuring access to essential services.
Concerns about disclosure or misappropriation of private information can deter those in need of
protection and health services from accessing them. Breaches of confidentiality are particularly
harmful in protection contexts.
Data protection measures include national and organizational policies mandating the privacy of
electronically transmitted information, data encryption, authentication and the use of identifying
numbers instead of names.91
Many organizations serving children have policies covering how

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information is shared and managed, with specific rules outlining the circumstances under which
personal information can be shared.92
When multiple organizations must share information in
emergency situations, they may execute information sharing protocols to protect data.93
INTEROPERABILITY
Also as part of systems integration, governments and other child protection stakeholders are
increasingly exploring ways to make information management systems interoperable, meaning that
independent technological systems have the ability to communicate, exchange data and use the
information that has been exchanged.94
This issue has arisen particularly with growing integration of
case management in child protection and the integration of CRVS with the health sector.
Interoperability has implications for privacy, confidentiality and data protection. Ultimately, the ability
to deliver and coordinate child protection and other services holistically and efficiently depends upon
interoperability among information management systems, networks and devices. Planning for the
use of ICTs in child protection programmes should therefore anticipate the possibility of
interoperability with other ICT-based interventions. Planning should specifically address mechanisms
for protecting personal information.
Global debate continues on how interoperability will function among information systems. In the area
of birth registration, for example, there are standards addressing the sharing of personal information
in CRVS contexts, but they are not necessarily widely known by child protection and ICT
practitioners. Nor do they address all possible circumstances in which data may be shared.95
Standards on sharing information between systems should thus be reviewed to identify gaps and
determine whether the standards remain relevant in light of the latest technologies. One such review
took place in 2014, when the United Nations Statistical Commission formally adopted the third
revision of the ‘Principles and Recommendations for a Revised Statistics System’. Among other
things, the Commission acknowledged the opportunity to link and match records from CRVS
systems with other information systems.96
It specifically noted that linking records from different
systems “will unavoidably and substantially increase” as civil registration becomes more
computerized.97
Much of the discussion on interoperability and standards has been driven by the
health sector in connection with the launchings of DHIS2 and OpenMRS in many countries. Some
specific examples of the move toward interoperable information systems include:
 UNICEF Nigeria and the Nigerian government have been exploring links between the country’s
CRVS system and the education, national identification and voter registration systems.
Interoperable systems would help to track school enrolment, match identities and prevent voter
fraud.
 UNICEF Mozambique has been assessing the practical advantages of linking the CRVS system
with national identification, social protection, health and education information management
systems.
MAINTENANCE AND TROUBLESHOOTING
The research also found that stakeholders were frustrated by delays resulting from ICT challenges.
Programming staff typically depend on their organization’s information technology department to
troubleshoot minor ICT issues, such as problems in downloading data collected with a handheld
device. High demand for assistance precludes a fast response by ICT specialists, and the resulting

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delays slow down implementation of programme activities. This prevents vulnerable children from
getting the help they need quickly.
ICT staff believe that programming staff could handle many of these minor issues if they had some
basic training. While some ICT specialists may be territorial and reluctant to delegate technology
responsibilities to others, the majority of those interviewed were keen to be relieved of this workload,
which would free up time to attend to more complex issues.
Field observations also revealed that when ICT specialists had some programming training and
experience, they were better able to respond to the ICT needs of child protection programming staff.
With training in basic child protection case management, the ICT specialists were better able to
leverage ICTs to address programmatic needs and achieve better outcomes, such as through better
quality of data.98
5. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
CONCLUSIONS
ICTs are used with growing frequency in humanitarian and development programmes in developing
countries. They have the potential to reach people and places that have traditionally been
unreachable, allowing for unprecedented opportunities in child protection. Evidence of their impact is
slowly accumulating across technical sectors.
How ICTs can contribute to child protection objectives requires using them effectively.
Documentation of pilot experiences, both good and bad, is vital, along with an effective knowledge
management strategy that supports sharing of lessons learned. The technology for development
(T4D) principles, which UNICEF has helped to develop, are an important framework.
UNICEF is well positioned to lead the way in the use of ICTs to improve the well-being of children.
The foundation has been laid by the Innovations Unit at headquarters, the new Innovations Centre in
Nairobi, the Innovations and Child Protection Initiative (which supported the writing of this report) and
the plethora of UNICEF regional and country office programmes that are using ICTs. Yet UNICEF’s
success in this role will depend partly on how it responds to global trends. Increasingly, ICT
specialists need to collaborate with specialists from other technical sectors, leading to integrated,
holistic programmes. This will require cooperation among specialists in child protection, health, HIV,
education and technology.
As the capacity of ICTs to collect more accurate, timely and complete data grows, so too will
expectations and demand for rigorous research and evidence of impact. While it is important for
UNICEF to effectively manage and analyse the data collected, it is equally important to act on it to
improve child protection outcomes. How UNICEF leverages its experience with ICTs and navigates
global trends will influence its future role in improving the well-being of the world’s most vulnerable
children.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The environment is ripe for UNICEF and other organizations to move forward systematically and
strategically to use ICTs to improve child protection programme effectiveness and impact. An
analysis of the current and potential use of ICTs for child protection and in other sectors reveals a

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number of opportunities. The following recommendations should help UNICEF in advancing the
Innovations and Child Protection Initiative. These recommendations supplement those that emerged
from the Civil Registration Study Tour in Uganda in September 2013.99
1. Programme design
a) When using ICTs with birth registration (as part of a larger CVRC agenda) and integrated
case management, consider using ICTs for reporting as the first building block in an ICT-
based integrated case management system. This should focus on how ICTs can address
operational challenges in collecting, managing and using information identified through
bottleneck analyses.
b) Ensure that the decision to use technology is driven by child protection programmatic needs
and by child protection specialists who understand the role that ICT can play in theories of
change.
c) Reflecting the post-2015 development agenda, strategize and leverage ICTs for participatory
monitoring and social accountability in CRVS and case management programmes.
d) Anticipate interoperability or linkages between ICT-based birth registration/CRVS
management information and similar systems in social protection, education, voter
registration and identification. Anticipate information management system (IMS)
interoperability or linkages involving case management between child protection and other
sectors (e.g., health, HIV, justice, education, social protection), particularly as case
management becomes more integrated. Plan carefully to prevent negative consequences
connected with sharing of personal data. Design birth registration and case management
programmes so they can later be integrated, scaled up and sustained at national levels.
2. Use of data
a) For county offices with little experience in integrating ICT into programming, use ICTs for
basic data collection and management that can be used for reports. Provide feedback to the
users collecting the data so they understand the value of doing so. Experience has shown
that feedback mechanisms help to motivate users, promote accountability and achieve
programme objectives. Use data to build political commitment for employing ICTs where
appropriate.
3. Standards and guidelines
a) Develop guidance on how to use ICTs to supervise community workers and promote
accountability in birth registration/CRVS and case management programmes.
b) Identify standards for the use of ICTs in child protection programmes (e.g., birth registration)
and ensure they are reflected in all memorandums of understanding with mobile operators
and other private sector entities.
c) Convene key stakeholders — including legislators, programme staff and communities — to
identify gaps and develop clear birth registration and case management standards, protocols
and guidelines on:
 What types of information collected with mobile and Internet-based technology can be
shared

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 With whom the information can be shared
 Under what circumstances the information can be shared
 Who ‘owns’ the data
 Where the data are stored.
4. Capacity building
a) Build the capacity of programming staff to determine when and how best to use ICTs to
improve child protection outcomes, including on their potential role in theories of change,
results frameworks and logic models for birth registration and case management
progammes.100
b) Build the capacity of child protection staff to use data collected with ICTs for advocacy
around birth registration and case management, while heeding privacy, confidentiality and
data protection concerns.
c) Identify a pool of consultants with technology and/or child protection capacity who can
conduct feasibility assessments, identify business processes and design programmes based
on theories of change.
d) Identify and develop tools that country offices can use to integrate ICTs into programme
design. Country offices have requested validated tools and/or capacity building workshops to
assist them in:
 Negotiating with ICT vendors (e.g., mobile operators, software application developers)
 Assessing the enabling environment for operationalizing ICTs
 Identifying the criteria for comparing different ICT solutions
 Conducting costing analyses for using ICTs
 Developing business plans for using ICTs
 Evaluating ICT interventions.
e) Develop an Internet-based knowledge management platform that will provide country office
staff with access to frameworks, tools, job aids, research, case studies, memorandums of
understanding and programme examples relating to child protection initiatives using ICTs.
5. Leveraging of existing platforms
a) To the extent practical, adapt existing UNICEF tools and platforms for birth registration and
case management, rather than building new ones.
6. Monitoring and evaluation
a) Rigorously evaluate birth registration and case management programmes that have
incorporated ICTs. Develop and adopt an M&E framework that can be used to evaluate
whether and under what circumstances ICTs contribute to improved CRVS and case
management outcomes.
b) Develop a research agenda on using ICTs in child protection programmes.

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7. Partnerships
Numerous opportunities exist for partnerships to expand the use of ICT in child protection:
a) In the private sector: Consider integrating ICTs into child protection programmes that provide
opportunities to work with the private sector. The UNICEF Private Fundraising and
Partnerships unit can aid these efforts. Potential partners include:
 Mobile operators: Any ICT activity that incorporates mobile phones inevitably will involve
engaging with one or more mobile operators, for whom working with UNICEF provides an
opportunity to display corporate social responsibility. A programme that involves a
potentially large number of mobile phone users provides an attractive business
opportunity for operators. Engaging with them may provide funding, business expertise,
or both.
 Large corporate employers in Africa: One model for engagement is UNICEF
Mozambique’s work with a large corporation to support registration of approximately
500,000 employees and children (see Annex D, ‘Working with the Private Sector in
Mozambique’). Engaging on birth registration services provides an entry point for
expanding registration to other children in communities where the corporations operate.
b) With research institutions: Explore collaboration with academic institutions to evaluate the
impact of technology for development. Many research institutions are eager to identify
projects and implementing partners for case studies. UNICEF can partner in such studies.
Research on child protection should ideally be led by or conducted in partnership with an
academic institution based in the region. In this vein, UNICEF Malawi is developing a
relationship with the Centre for Social Research at the University of Malawi. The Human
Sciences Research Council, based in South Africa, is also engaged in evaluating information
and communication technology for development and humanitarian outcomes. Globally,
numerous academic institutions have an interest in research on using technology for
outcomes of interest to UNICEF. The government of Canada’s International Development
Research Centre supports research into development-related issues and has supported
research, particularly by institutions in the South, to examine the impact of ICTs.

ANNEXES
Annex A. UNICEF priorities and experience using ICTs in Africa
The following priorities and experience were indicated by UNICEF county office stakeholders during
key informant interviews and country office visits, though they do not constitute an exhaustive list.
Country Priority child protection functions for
use of ICTs
Experience using ICTs in technical
sectors
Benin Child Helpline
Botswana  Birth registration
 Monitoring national Children’s Act
Burundi  U-Report
 Child Helpline
 Digital Drum
 Project Kira-Mama (health) a system to
track maternal health and coordinate
visits of pregnant mothers;
 Digital Drum
Democratic
Republic of
the Congo
 U Report (to promote birth registration)  Rapid SMS for malnutrition
Ghana  Birth registration
 Communication for social change
 Violence against children
 Managing data (for birth registration)
 Talking Book programme (education
and health behaviors)
Kenya  Childline (gender-based violence)
 Child protection case management in
emergencies (violence against children, FTR
 GBV Service Mapping Project
 Mobile phone technology for integrated
community case management (iCCM)
 Child Protection Information
Management System (CPIMS)
(emergencies)
 RapidFTR/RapidPro
Lesotho  Case management, Childline (violence
against children)
 Case management
 Childline

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Country Priority child protection functions for
use of ICTs
Experience using ICTs in technical
sectors
Malawi  Case management and real-time reporting
and case management
 Using decision-protocols as job aids for case
workers at One-Stop Centers
 ‘Hot spot’ mapping
 CPIMS (non-emergency)
 Childline for HIV and child protection
mapping HIV prevalence service points and
child violence incidence and services (map
have links with referral pathways)
 Birth registration
 Accountability (using mobile phone
application to elicit feedback for monitoring
performance of police victim support units
(PVSUs)
 Reporting to policymakers (possibly
integrating a pay-for-performance
component to motivate users to use the
system)
 Project Results160 (Health: SMS early
infant diagnosis results reporting)
 Anthrowatch (Nutrition)
 Rapid SMS nutritional status monitoring
system for children under 5
 Project RemindMi (Health: Rapid SMS
system to reminds mothers and follow
up during antenatal and postnatal
periods)
 DHIS2 Support (Health)
 Plans for using technology to gauge and
promote social accountability in health
 Education plans for EduTrac
 HIV/AIDS sector plans to use Frontline
SMS (from Clinton Health Access
Initiative to trace losses to follow-up of
mother-baby pairs in programmes on
prevention of mother-to-child
transmission)
 HIV sector interested in implementing a
Zambia U-Report model for HIV
 ICT for promoting accountability (Child
Protection, in planning stage)
Mozambique  SMS birth notification by chiefs to nearest
registration office about births in their
jurisdiction
 Private sector birth registration (working with
private sector to register births of workers,
their children and children in areas)
 Tablets for re-registration of social transfer
beneficiaries
 eCRVS (electronic registration system)
 Electronic child status index (CSI): Case
management for social protection (using re-
registration of social transfer beneficiaries as
first building block and CSI as standard for
assessment)
 Integration of social protection and civil
registration systems under one umbrella
interoperable IMS system
 Employing checklist for case management
using child status index and OVC quality
 SMS birth notification
 Electronic CSI (pilot)
 INAS IMS (information management
system for social protection sector’s
National Institute of Social Action
[INAS])
 eCRVS
 Child Helpline (Linha Fala Criança)
 inSCALE; iCCM (electronic): case
management for community health
workers
 SMS printer system for early infant
diagnosis (health, HIV)
 Point of Care CD4 Count (scaled-HIV),
 PCR Testing for early infant diagnosis
(HIV)
 Vodacom ‘mVacciNation’: improve
immunization coverage and manage
vaccination cases in Nampula: support

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