Social Protection
Context
The State of the World’s Cash 2020 report found:
- Working with, through and alongside social protection systems is now considered key to strengthening the humanitarian-development nexus and humanitarians are increasingly active in this space
- Practitioners find that the three biggest challenges to effective linkages are: (i) lack of coordination between the actors involved, (ii) social protection systems are not designed to respond to crises, (iii) humanitarian practitioners lack expertise in social protection
- Critically, there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution to linking CVA and social protection. Trade-offs between efficiency, effectiveness, accountability, and sustainability must be considered to ensure the best outcomes for people living in crisis and depends on context, existing systems, and timeframe. Linking will not always be appropriate and social protection systems may not meet all needs. In many contexts, in the short to medium term at least, humanitarian programming will be required to fill gaps.
Current Priorities
The CALP Network has invested intensely in this thematic area over the last few years. We will continue to work closely with the SPIAC-B Working group on linking humanitarian (cash) assistance and social protection (formerly the Grand Bargain Sub-Workstream on Social Protection) and with the SocialProtection.org platform and the Online Community Social Protection in Crisis Contexts to develop evidence, produce capacity building materials and provide technical support to coordination actors.
Community of Practice
SocialProtection.org hosts a dynamic and collaborative online community of practice (CoP) bringing together individuals from diverse backgrounds interested in expanding social protection in crisis-prone areas. The CoP offers a space to exchange documents, insights, and news in order to progress and learn together. Its inclusive and member-led approach offers organisations and individual members a forum to increase learning and outreach, facilitating the exchange of experiences and expanding knowledge. A discussion group hosted by dgroups.org complements these activities by connecting users rapidly via email.
SPACE
There are a wealth of relevant resources from ‘Social Protection Approaches To Covid-19: Expert Advice’ (SPACE) published in the CALP library.
Featured content
Linking Social Protection and Humanitarian Cash and Voucher Assistance
Report
There is a growing momentum and body of work around the idea of developing stronger links between humanitarian cash and voucher assistance (CVA) and social protection (SP). This Briefing Paper for the CALP Network, based on a literature review, a survey, and interviews, is intended to inform the CALP Network’s overall approach in this area, and subsequently its capacity building and...
Linking Social Protection and Humanitarian Cash
Blog Post
The case for social protection to help people cope with shocks has always been clear and never more obvious than during the current Covid-19 crisis. These issues are currently playing out in real time as governments, donors and aid agencies scramble to find ways to get more help to more people to cope with the economic consequences of illness and lockdown. As the virus starts to take hold in...
Linking Social Protection and humanitarian cash and voucher assistance (CVA) – what do we really know and where to start? Findings from the CALP Network commissioned high level briefing paper at the time of COVID-19
Webinar
State of the World’s Cash 2020 Chapter 8 summary: Linking CVA and social protection
Report
Longstanding efforts to strengthen links between humanitarian CVA and social protection have been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, with significant progress since the last report. CVA should aim to complement robust social protection systems where they exist and contribute to their strengthening where they are weak or early-stage. This chapter asks: ‘What opportunities and challenges...
Supporting the Linkages Between Humanitarian Cash and Voucher Assistance and National Social Protection Systems
Report
This tipsheet aims to support country-level coordination efforts to strengthen the engagement between humanitarian coordination groups that implement cash and voucher assistance (CVA) and existing social
protection or disaster risk reduction coordination actors and groups. In particular, it seeks to offers inter-cluster and cash working group coordinators simple practical tips for engaging...
Case Studies
Linking CVA and Social Protection in the MENA Region – Crib sheet
Report
Building linkages between humanitarian cash and voucher assistance (CVA) and social protection (SP) has become an increasingly prominent topic over the past five years and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has been at the centre of this evolution. The objective of this resource set (the crib sheet and 3, soon to be 6, regional case studies) is to ensure that the CALP Network...
Linking CVA and Social Protection in the MENA Region – Iraq Case Study
Report
Building linkages between humanitarian cash and voucher assistance (CVA) and social protection (SP) has become an increasingly prominent topic over the past five years and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has been at the centre of this evolution. The objective of this resource set (the crib sheet and 3, soon to be 6, regional case studies) is to ensure that the CALP Network...
Linking CVA and Social Protection in the MENA Region – Lebanon Case Study
Report
Building linkages between humanitarian cash and voucher assistance (CVA) and social protection (SP) has become an increasingly prominent topic over the past five years and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has been at the centre of this evolution. The objective of this resource set (the crib sheet and 3, soon to be 6, regional case studies) is to ensure that the CALP Network...
Linking CVA and Social Protection in the MENA Region – Yemen Case Study
Case Study
Building linkages between humanitarian cash and voucher assistance (CVA) and social protection (SP) has become an increasingly prominent topic over the past five years and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has been at the centre of this evolution. The objective of this resource set (the crib sheet and 3, soon to be 6, regional case studies) is to ensure that the CALP Network...
Linking Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) and Social Protection – Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT): Country Summary
Report
This country summary is part of a larger resource set, providing practitioners with examples of different approaches to linking CVA
and social protection.
Linking Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) and Social Protection – Turkey: Country Summary
Report
This country summary is part of a larger resource set, providing practitioners with examples of different approaches to linking CVA
and social protection.
Linking Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) and Social Protection – Lebanon: Country Summary
Report
This country summary is part of a larger resource set, providing practitioners with examples of different approaches to linking CVA
and social protection.
Thematic lead
Latest
Lessons learned and Opportunities: Linking SP systems to humanitarian cash in a pandemic
Webinar
External Evaluation of SDC/HA Emergency Cash Pilot For Earthquake Affected Households in Bubq, Albania
Report
In November 2019, Albania was hit by a large earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4, causing 51 people to lose their lives and injuring 913 people. Around 47,000 additional people were directly affected by the earthquake. The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) immediately deployed a rapid...
Connecting Humanitarian CVA with Government Social Safety Nets
Guidelines and Tools
The objectives of this document elaborated by the regional platform for Social Protection is to : Help actors at national level locate and analyse their countries in terms of context and systems; Identify key aspects to consider and guide national actors towards resources and tools; Support national...
Covid-19 WVI Cash, Voucher Programming Modalities
Guidelines and Tools
With the increasing number of affected countries, confirmed and suspected cases, and mortality rates in March 2020, a holistic humanitarian preparedness, response and recovery effort requires flexible adaptive tools. WVI, based on its strategic Cash Roadmap and Our Promise to serve the most vulnerable...
CCD Social Protection Working Group: Advocacy in response to COVID-19
Policy paper
The need for social protection in response to COVID-19: COVID-19 has an unprecedented impact globally in terms of access to and the capacity of healthcare systems to respond. The health crisis is yet to peak in many countries and in low income contexts, the concern is that its impact will be severe where...
Mercy Corps’ tipsheet No 4: CVA and Social Protection Systems
Guidelines and Tools
Mercy Corps’ Tipsheet 4 – CVA and Social Protection Systems
Tipsheet: CVA and social protection systems (COVID-19)
Guidelines and Tools
Building on the Covid-19 and CVA, the Payments and Digital Data Management, Door-to-Door Distributions and Group Distributions tipsheets, this fourth guidance note offers a brief summary on how to approach anticipated or planned scale up in government-led efforts to combat the economic impacts of Covid-19...
Memorandum Of Understanding Template for use by government and partners, for provision of financial assistance for social support
Guidelines and Tools
Linking Humanitarian Cash and Voucher Assistance for EiE with Social Protection Programmes
Report
Aligning / linking humanitarian Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) for EiE with national social protection programmes requires an understanding of the country’s social protection system to identify opportunities for collaboration and alignment.
Harmonized Post-Distribution Monitoring Tool for cash based support
Guidelines and Tools
Social Protection System Readiness Assessment Tool and User Guide
Guidelines and Tools
The tool is designed for use in countries with some form of social transfer programmes, and a medium to high risk of disasters (refer to the webinar for more details). It aims to:
i. Assess the political, technical, operational and financial feasibility, or ‘readiness’, of the country’s cash-based...
Yemen Social Protection and Humanitarian Cash Linkages
Report
Better Assistance in Crises (BASIC) is a DFID centrally managed programme designed to help poor and vulnerable people cope better with crises and meet their basic needs through more effective social assistance in contexts of recurrent shocks, protracted conflict and forced displacement. BASIC aims to...
ASP Working Group Development Tools – GIZ Social Protection Programme Indonesia
Report
This tool was developed to support the development of a roadmap for Adaptive Social Protection (ASP) in Indonesia.
The goal of the “Gap Analysis” is to help governments and partners understand how far the current situation, that is current efforts in the context of ASP, aligns or diverges from the...
Donor Cash and Social Protection Working Group
Guidelines and Tools
Workplan 2021 Adopted 25th November 2020
Somalia Shock Responsive Pilots: Early Action Protocol
Guidelines and Tools
The development of Somalia Social Protection Policy (SSPP) is a political milestone that begins weaving the fabric for the social contract between the government and the people of Somalia. The policy plays a pivotal role in guiding the implementation of social protection system in two phases. Phase 1...
Humanitarian Assistance and Social Safety Nets in Protracted Crises: A Case Study of Iraq
Report
This case study aims to contextualize cash assistance in a protracted humanitarian crisis like Iraq and how it can be used to transition to social protection in the long run. Humanitarian aid in the country is likely to
continue to meet the needs of the most vulnerable population, especially those who...
Nigeria Cash Working Group (CWG) State Humanitarian Social Protection Forum Draft Terms of Reference (ToR)
Report
The frequency, nature and complexity of humanitarian crisis is changing. At the same time there is greater recognition of the link between pre existing vulnerabilities and people’s ability to cope and recover from the impacts of the crisis. These form some of the key factors that are influencing the...
Humanitarian Cash Voucher Programming To Social Protection – Leveraging Effective Community Empowerment Through Social Accountability
Report
This document is intended for staff working on cash voucher programming (linked into government schemes), social accountability and advocacy. The aim is to support staff who are:
1) involved in working with cash voucher programming working in tandem with government social protection systems in order to...
Multi-purpose cash assistance and health: Evaluating the effect of the Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN) programme on access to health care for refugees in Turkey
Policy paper
This policy brief provides a summarizations of a 2019 analysis of data collected by WFP between 2017 and 2019 on refugees in Turkey including the Comprehensive Vulnerability Monitoring Exercise (CVME) in addition to longitudinal data from Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN) programme applicant households...
Cash Week 2019: Collaborating for quality, today and tomorrow
Event
Cash Week 2019 provided a space to reflect, learn, and look ahead, to ensure quality in our use of cash and voucher assistance (CVA) at scale. An expanded agenda saw events taking place globally throughout November and December.