The role of the welfare and protection sectors in ensuring the realization of the rights of children with disabilities. From the parallel working sessions of the 4th Child Protection Forum in Tajikistan, 2013.

1. The role of the welfare and protection
sectors to ensure realization of the rights
of children with disability
4th Central Asian Republics Child Protection Forum
Dushanbe, Tajikistan, 1-3 August 2013
Irina Malanciuc, Country Director for Lumos Moldova

2. Introduction
• Art. 23 Children with disabilities
The right of the disabled child to special
care, education and training designed to
help him or her achieve greatest possible
self-reliance and to lead a full and active
life in society
Convention
on the Rights
of the Child
 Education/training
 Health care services
 Rehabilitation services
 Preparation for employment
 Recreation opportunities
 Social security, including social insurance
 Expression of opinion and participation in decision making

3. Concepts
Disability
Negative aspects of
the interaction
between individuals
with a health
condition and
personal and
environmental factors
Social protection
Set of public measures
that a society provides
for its members to
protect them against
economic and social
distress, the provision
of services and
care, the provision of
benefits for families
with children
Welfare
Services and institutions
concerned with the
physical, social, and
psychological well-being
of children, particularly
children suffering from
the effects of poverty or
lacking normal parental
care and supervision

4. Current situation
 Between 500 and 650 million people live with a significant
disability;
 Out of these, around 10 percent are children and youth with
different levels of sensory, physical and intellectual impairments;
 Persons with disabilities account for up to one in five of the world’s
poorest people;
 Poverty, inadequate medical care and unsafe environments
contribute to the incidence and impact of disability, and complicate
efforts for prevention and response;
 In many countries, by law, children are covered under different
types of social assistance benefits; yet, difficulties exist in accessing
benefits, doubled by their low financial value.

5. Challenges
 Insufficiently accessible and flexible universal services;
 Lack of family- and community-based alternative to institutionalization
services;
 Lack of specialized services that could meet the needs of children and
young people with disabilities at all ages;
 Segregated education system;
 Lack of an integrated system of services;
 Lack of professionals with specialized skills to address the needs of children
with disabilities;
 Insufficient interagency working in relation to children and families;
 Discriminatory practices and attitudes;
 Lack of protective legislative measures in the domain of
education, employment and housing of young people with disabilities.

6. As consequences
1) Families taking care of children with disabilities don’t have
access to services, benefit of limited support, and in most
cases live in extreme poverty.
2) The countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) including
Commonwealth of Independent States continue to rely on
the placement of children with disabilities in large residential
institutions.

7. Institutionalized children with disabilities
 Are isolated from the community, having little opportunity
for inclusion in normal everyday life and experiences;
 Live in large groups of non-family members who are
compelled to live together;
 Experience prolonged separation from their families, friends
and communities;
 Are organized according to a restricted routine that cannot
respond to the individual needs and wishes of the children;
 Are segregated based on diagnosis of disability faraway from
their communities of origin.

8. Views on vulnerability
vulnerability
exposure of
individuals
and
households
to risk
limited
capacity to
respond and
cope
 Vulnerabilities are shaped by underlying structural social, political
and economic factors. Economic and social problems increase
subsequently the family poverty.
 Social protection must work on both reducing exposure to risks and
strengthening individuals’ and households’ capacities to deal with
these difficulties.

9. Social protection components
Key
components
Social
transfers
Programmesto
ensureaccessto
services
Social
support and
care
services
Legislation and
policy
development

10. Social transfers
 Cash transfers: pensions, child benefits (social
allowances), targeted social assistance, special social
benefits and benefits for children with
disabilities, seasonal support;
 In-kind transfers, i.e. school feeding
programmes, schoolbooks, clothing, food
transfers, nutritional supplementation;
 Public works, i.e. special type of transfer (usually cash or
food) that is given on completion of a work requirement
generally to increase workers’ income.

11. Programmes to ensure access to services
 Birth registration;
 User fee abolition;
 Health insurance;
 Exemptions, vouchers, subsidies;
 Specialized services to ensure equitable access for
all.

12. Social support and care services
• Early intervention, juridical, psychological, educational
support to the child and his/her family
• Day care centre for children
• Respite services – foster or residential type of service
• Personal assistant
Family support
services
• Ergo-therapy, physiotherapy/kineto-therapy, speech
therapy, psychological assistance, etc. – provided
within specialized facilities, but also as outreach
services
Rehabilitation
services for children
with disabilities
• Emergency services
• Foster care and small group homes for children
separated from their families
• small group homes, protected houses, social
apartments for young people leaving care
Family substitute
services

13. Legislation and policy reform
 Minimum and equal pay legislation;
 Employment guarantee schemes;
 Maternity and paternity leave;
 Removal of discriminatory legislation or policies affecting
service provision/access or employment.

14. Integrated social protection systems
 Address both social and economic vulnerabilities;
 Provide a comprehensive set of interventions based on
assessed needs and context;
 Go beyond risk management interventions and safety nets to
integrate responses to structural as well as shock-related
vulnerabilities;
 Facilitate multisectoral coordination;
 Coordinate with appropriate supply-side investments to
enhance availability and quality of services;
 Frame social protection strategies within a broader set of
social and economic policies.

15. Development of social protection system
Central level – design of system
Local level – planning and implementing
Individual level – case management
 Inter-sectoral coordination needed at each level

16. The design of social protection systems and services
Vulnerability and child poverty assessments – better understanding of
risks faced by children with disabilities – better decisions upon
interventions
Institutional frameworks and mechanisms existing in the state –
comprehensive strategy/policy establishing the country’s approach to social
protection – provide strategic guidance and oversee implementation
Monitoring and evaluation plan – effective policy tools in social
protection sector – provide evidence to strengthen support for particular
interventions regarding children with disabilities
Participation – key stakeholders, civil society, citizens (beneficiaries and
non-beneficiaries, including children with disabilities)

17. Social planning
Government agencies
engage in large-scale
development, research, a
nd planning to address
social problems
Non-profit
agencies, local planning
councils, and
community groups plan
services and programs
to address community
needs

18. Social planning at local level
1. Social protection financing:
re-allocating current public expenditures is the most
orthodox option, which includes assessing ongoing budget
allocations through public expenditure reviews and thematic
budgets, replacing high-cost, low-impact investments with
those with larger socio-economic impacts, eliminating
spending inefficiencies and/or tackling corruption;
2. Transparent governance structures:
local public authorities should focus on justifying the
expectations of the citizens regarding quality life
improvement and on offering solutions to problems;

19. Social planning at local level
3. Sequencing and prioritization:
by keeping the logical sequence of activities related to social
planning and by putting the real priorities first, local public
authorities can achieve better results with impact on the
lives of children with disabilities and their families;
4. Institutional capacity:
the continuous training of personnel from social services
shall be included in the general social planning process at
local level in order to ensure that they know and use the
most recent techniques and tools in working with the
children with disabilities and their families.

20. Case management
 Case Management is a method of providing services
collaboratively by assessing the needs and
arranging, coordinating, monitoring, evaluating, and advocating
for a package of multiple services to meet the specific complex
needs;
 Case Management addresses both the individual child’s
biopsychosocial status as well as the state of the social
system, the intervention occurs at both the child, his family and
system levels;
 Case Management includes linking the clients with systems, that
will provide them with needed services, resources, and
opportunities.

21. Case management process
Identification Evaluation Planning
ReferralMonitoring
Closure of
case
 The case manager coordinates the whole process, acting as key point for the
beneficiaries.
 The children with disabilities and their families are part of this process.
 Different professionals are involved based on the needs of the child and his/her family.

22. General recommendations regarding welfare
and social protection sectors
 Maximise impacts by integrating social protection efforts;
 Maximise impacts by developing guidance on how to implement
and enforce existing legislation;
 Extend reach of social assistance schemes by reviewing eligibility
criteria and application processes for means-tested social assistance;
 Extend reach of social protection through awareness-raising and
pro-active search and support to vulnerable families;
 Strengthen equity in provision of social protection;
 Continue drive for non-institutional care solutions;
 Ensure evidence-based policymaking by developing effective
monitoring and evaluation systems.