Family and Child Support Services

Breakout Session 3Building and Reforming Child Care

SystemsBishkek, 12-14 May 2009

Focus on Development of Human Capital and Resources

• General prevention of vulnerability (education, health care, income, employment, housing, guarantees of human rights fulfillment for all)

• Entire system is geared towards empowerment, social inclusion and focused on reaching the most vulnerable

• Provision of safety nets in situations of crisis, including social security and cash benefits

Services for children and families at risk

• Statutory Services (non-delegable government functions that decide on eligibility for services and funds to be used, assess the needs, plan, refer to services, monitor outcomes)

- case management - gate keeping• Family Substitute Services (provision of out-home care for

children without parents or whose best interest it is to be separated, temporarily or permanently, form parents)

- adoption - kinship care - foster care - small group home - small institutions • Family Support Services (all families, including the above)

Examples of Family Support Services:

• Day care centers, extended day care, head-start services

• Family outreach (respite services, wrap-around services, personal assistants for disabled)

• Psycho-social support services (counseling, self-support groups, hotlines, diversion mechanisms)

• Legal support (representation, mediation)

What are “qualitative” and "equitable”” FS Services?

• See Quality as the quality of outcomes– Objective measures of service outcomes

(independence, self-reliance, healthy lifestyles…, as per Plan)

• See Equity as equal quality of outcomes – No statistically significant differences among

different groups on outcome indicators– No statistically significant differences among

in-group and out-group social cohesion and social distance

Who can provide FS services?

• State - services founded/organized by national,

regional, local government authorities - new services provided by former

residential institutions• NGOs and private service providers - accredited and contracted by the

government (national or local) to provide specialized services

What needs to be assured?

• Quality standards (safety, skills and competences of staff, content of service…)

• Licensing • Accreditation• Inspection (standards are TOOLS for inspection!!!)

• Professional support and training for service providers

both, for state and non-state providers

Why do we highlight the need for “diversity” and “continuum” of services?

• The central role of social services is to fight poverty and social exclusion (prevent separation/disintegration of families)

• In order to do so, social services have to be accessible to those who need them and to cover the wide range of needs for all population, at all ages;

• Therefore, the respect of the so called “4 A’s” in the social services field is crucial:

Key requirements in social services field • Available – development of the services spectrum, sustainability,

continuity, well geographically distributed• Affordable – everybody can benefit from the services at a reasonable

cost.• Accessible – community-based, mainstreamed and/or specialized

services, gate keeping mechanisms, • Accountable – financial and organizational transparency/ good

governance• Choice – person with disabilities have the right to accessible

information, and a framework that provide a possibility to choose and define his/her individual project

• Qualitative – person centered services, monitoring mechanisms, standards and principles

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What about the money?

• It is more expensive and less effective to invest in institutions, but…

• Transitional costs are significant and necessary• All services should have guaranteed financial

sources (local, national level)• Redistribution of funds on the government level

is also possible• Some new solutions can be introduced without

significant addition in costs• Cost should be calculated per capita rather than

per establishment

From Pilot Projects to System

• Political commitment• Technical knowledge• PLAN !!!• Synchronization of actions and various sectors

within the system• Joint effort (all relevant ministries – no single

ministry can do it alone)• Coordination, implementation monitoring - from

the highest level (who has the “power” over ministries? local authorities? Institutions?)

What effect at policy level?• New procedures and planning “tools”

– Revision of the gate keeping system ;– Maps of needs and services;– Data collection, coherent information system at national level etc.

• New types of services to be designed and regulated by law, especially for the “transitional phases”; ex. early detection centres, day centres, mobile teams, vocational training, mediation for employment, supported housing etc.

• New types of qualifications and functions (ex. support teachers, mediators etc.); which means articulated policies between various ministries

What effect at local level?• A stronger visibility of users and user’s interests and needs;

• Recognition of the role of NGOs in introducing new types of services (flexibility, multi-disciplinary, person-centered)

• A regulatory framework allowing municipalities to use their resources for the local needs;– (Sub) contracting and funding procedures– Decentralization– Statistical and planning tools at local level;

• Needs-driven policy at local level