child sensitivity in poverty alleviation programming: an analytical toolkit

72 Pages·2017·5.31 MB·English

CHILD SENSITIVITY IN POVERTY
ALLEVIATION PROGRAMMING:
AN ANALYTICAL TOOLKIT
Version 1.0
The children the world
chooses to forget
Published by:
Save the Children International
Registered office:
St Vincent House
30 Orange Street
London WC2H 7HH
UK
Tel: [phone]
[email protected]
www.savethechildren.net
Published by Save the Children International, a company limited by guarantee, company number 3732267 and a charity registered
in England and Wales number 1076822. Save the Children International (Charity) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Save the Children
Association, a non-profit Swiss Association formed with unlimited duration under Articles 60–79 of the Swiss Civil Code.
Published July 2017.
Design work by Helen Waller (iCRE8DESIGN)
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 4
ACRONYMS 5
CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW 6
1.1 Introduction to Child Sensitivity in Poverty Alleviation Programmes 6
CHAPTER 2: ABOUT THIS TOOLKIT 7
2.1 Intended Audience 7
2.2 Purpose of this Toolkit 7
2.3 “Living” Toolkit 7
2.4 Using this Toolkit 7
2.5 Infographic: The Toolkit’s Three Building Blocks 10

CHAPTER 3: THREE BUILDING BLOCKS FOR INCLUDING CHILD
SENSITIVITY IN POVERTY ALLEVIATION PROGRAMMING 11
BUILDING BLOCK A: ANALYSIS 11
Building Block A: Analysis – Background 11
Analysis Action 1: Identify Child Deprivations, Aspiration and Context 12
Analysis Tool 1.1: Child-Sensitive Assessment Matrix and Accompanying Guide 14
Analysis Action 2: Identify Root Causes of Child Deprivations 18
Analysis Tool 2.1: Problem Tree 18
Analysis Tool 2.2: Problem Prioritization 21
BUILDING BLOCK B: DESIGN 22
Building Block B: Design – Background 22
Design Action 3: Identify Potential Solutions 22
Design Tool 3.1: Objective Tree 22
Design: Action 4: Plan to Address Risks and Question Assumptions 24
Design Tool 4.1: Risk and Assumption Matrix and Accompanying Guide 25
Design Tool 4.2: Risk Plot 27
Design Tool 4.3: Risk Mitigation Plan 28
Design: Action 5: Consolidate Child-Sensitive Design 29
Design Tool 5.1: Theory of Change Model 30
BUILDING BLOCK C: MEAL 34
Building Block C: MEAL – Background 34
MEAL: Action 6: Select Indicators 34
MEAL Tool 6.1: Menu of Child-sensitive Indicators Manual 36
MEAL: Action 7: Engage Children, their Caregivers and the Community 37
MEAL Tool 7.1: Checklist for Engagement of Children 37
MEAL Tool 7.2: Menu of Child Participatory Methods 39
MEAL Action 8: Focus on Accountability Measures 40
MEAL Tool 8.1: Checklist to Ensure Effective Child-sensitive Accountability 41
MEAL Action 9: Advance Learning on Child-Sensitive Poverty Alleviation 42

WORKSHEETS AND KEY TOOLS 44
POVERTY ALLEVIATION INTERVENTION TIPSHEETS 65
RESOURCES 69
GLOSSARY 71
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This toolkit is a Child Poverty Global Theme product with inputs from colleagues around the
world in Bangladesh, Canada, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Myanmar, Nepal, Somalia, UK,
and US as well as colleagues from the East and Southern Africa Regional Office, the West and
Central Africa Regional Office and the Asia Regional Office. The toolkit responds to the need
for practical guidance in poverty alleviation programming to actively ensure positive impacts on
children’s lives.
The first draft of the toolkit was written by Sophie Martin-Simpson, Soraya Verjee and Silvia
Paruzzolo with significant inputs and editing support from Kate Kenny and Julia Freedson.
Sincere thanks to the following colleagues who provided invaluable feedback throughout the
toolkit’s development: Richard Morgan, Burcu Munyas, Vanessa Self, Jo Grace, Tessa Vorbohle,
Amy Jo Dowd, Samiera Zafar, Ritu Mahendru, Nelly Maina as well as colleagues who provided
their feedback and piloted the toolkit during the Nairobi Workshop in 2016 and the Kathmandu
Workshop in 2017. Thanks also to Josh Chaffin who provided inputs and feedback from an
external perspective.
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ACRONYMS
BCC Behavior Change Communication
CCT Conditional Cash Transfer
CRSA Child Rights Situation Analyses
CS Child-sensitive
CsPA Child-sensitive Poverty Alleviation
CSI Coping Strategy Index
DRR Disaster Risk Reduction
EBF Exclusive Breastfeeding
FCS Food Consumption Score
FGD Focus Group Discussion
FG Focus Group
FSL Food Security and Livelihoods
HEA Household Economy Approach
HH Household
KIF Key Financial Indicator
KII Key Informant Interview
MEAL Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning
MIYCN Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition
P-MEAL Participatory Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning
PA Poverty Alleviation
PDM Post Distribution Monitoring
RI Respiratory Infection
RTR Real Time Review
SBCC Social Behaviour Change and Communication
SC Save the Children
ToC Theory of Change
UNCRC UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
WASH Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
WCBA Women of Child Bearing Ages
VSLA Village Savings and Loans Associations
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CHAPTER 1
OVERVIEW
1.1 Introduction to child sensitivity in eliminates harm to children by ensuring that dedicated
resources and attention are directed towards children
poverty alleviation programmes
throughout PA programming.
Child-sensitive policies, programmes and interventions
Essential elements of a child-sensitive approach
explicitly aim to maximize the benefits for
to PA programming
children and minimize any harm.
✓ Assessment of the positive and negative impacts
They do so by:
of PA programmes on children.3
✓ Assessing and monitoring both positive ✓ Listen to and take account of children, their
and negative impacts for children, caregivers and the communities throughout the
disaggregated by the age, gender and programme cycle.
vulnerabilities of the child.
Additional principles of a child-sensitive
✓ Listening to and taking account of the
approach to PA programming4
voices and views of children in their planning,
design, implementation and review. ✓ Flexible and adaptive programme design and
implementation to ensure “do no harm” to
Including child-sensitivity in poverty alleviation (PA)
children.
programmes is a practical approach that ensures
PA programmes explicitly maximize benefits and ✓ Accountability of project teams to children and
minimize harm to children. caregivers.
Historically, poverty alleviation interventions have ✓ Take a rights-based approach.
tended to assess risk, measure impact and provide
✓ Aim for gender transformative programming
support at the household (HH) level. These interventions
often assume that increasing the incomes and ✓ Collaborate closely with other sectors (i.e.
strengthening the livelihood strategies of poor HHs will using an integrated approach) to address all root
result in positive impacts for children in those HHs. In causes of children’s deprivations (including and
fact, there is a growing body of research1 highlighting beyond poverty).
the positive impacts of PA interventions on child
✓ Use innovative and evidence-based
survival, nutrition, learning and protection.
approaches to enhance PA interventions (e.g.
However, increasing income and assets at the HH level tackling behavioural barriers to improve
does not always result in positive impacts for children. children’s wellbeing by incorporating a Social
Some PA interventions can have neutral or unintended Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC)
negative impacts on children. For example, programmes component).5
engaging caregivers may show evidence of effectiveness
Save the Children has adopted child-sensitivity as a
at the level of the HH, but may be ineffective in
key value added to its work on addressing economic
contributing to positive changes for the youngest in the
barriers to achieving Save the Children’s three strategic
house. In the worst-case scenario, such programmes
“Breakthroughs” (i.e. all children survive, learn and are
can even put children at greater risk of school-leaving,
protected by 2030)6 for children in very poor HHs. This
exploitation or harmful labour.2
is consistent with the “safe programming” component
Therefore, a child-sensitive approach to PA
of Save the Children’s “Child Safeguarding Strategy and
programming is needed to ensure that PA programmes
Child Rights principles.” This toolkit advances this effort
target children and truly lead to positive benefits
by supporting project teams to develop methods and
for them, and most importantly, to ensure that PA
increase capacity to design, implement and assess child-
programmes cause no harm to children. A child-
sensitivity in PA programmes across the entire range of
sensitive approach to PA maximizes benefits and
Save the Children’s child poverty work.
1 Josh Chaffin (2016) Outcomes for Children in Household Economic Strengthening Interventions; World Vision Review (2016) Economic Strengthening, Resilient Livelihoods Approaches and
Child Well-being: Evidence and knowledge gaps; ODI (2014) Economic Strengthening Activities in Child Protection Interventions: An Adapted Systematic Review; EU/UNHCR/DRC (2015) Protection
Outcomes in Cash Based Interventions: A Literature Review; World Bank (2015) Generating Employment in Poor and Fragile States: Evidence from Labor Market and Entrepreneurship Programs;
2. Josh Chaffin et al (2011) The Impacts of Economic Strengthening Programs on Children
3. This relates to Save the Children’s three Breakthrough areas: all children Learn, Survive and are Protected.
4. Also see STRIVE (2015) Supporting Transformation by Reducing Insecurity and Vulnerability with Economic Strengthening, Final Report
5. Save the Children (2017) Cash Plus for Children Resource Paper
6. Save the Children (2016) Save the Children’s global strategy: Ambition for Children 2030 (2016-2018)
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CHAPTER 2
ABOUT THIS TOOLKIT
2.1 Intended audience 2.4 Using this toolkit
The intended audience for this toolkit are child poverty Three building blocks of child-sensitive PA
technical advisors/specialists (including those working programmes
on food security and livelihoods and social protection).
This toolkit presents three primary building blocks for
It also includes programme managers, monitoring,
integrating child-sensitivity into PA programmes. These
evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL) staff
are:
and field level practitioners involved in the design,
implementation, monitoring and evaluation of child- • Building Block A: Analysis
sensitive PA programmes. • Building Block B: Design

• Building Block C: MEAL.
This toolkit uses the term “project teams” to refer to
those who read this toolkit and use it to implement These building blocks correspond to the typical phases
child-sensitivity in PA programmes. For the purpose of of the project cycle, and therefore build on each other.
this toolkit, “project teams” include advisors (those who This sequential structure is intended to help project
design and advise during implementation), implementing teams clearly relate which building blocks are most
staff and MEAL staff. relevant for their projects at any given point in the
project cycle and to ensure that the suggested actions
2.2 Purpose of this toolkit
add value throughout the life of PA projects.
The purpose of this toolkit is to present practical Ideally project teams will use each of the building blocks
guidance to help project teams ensure that PA during the corresponding phase of the project cycle,
programmes are child-sensitive (i.e. maximize benefits from start to finish. However, even when this is not
for children and eliminate harm to children). This possible, project teams will still benefit from using one
involves using child-sensitive approaches in the design, or more of the building blocks (and action steps and
implementation, monitoring and/or evaluation phases of tools within them) that are most relevant to the specific
PA projects whenever possible. needs, capacities, resources and timing of their projects.

(See more on this below in “It’s never too late for a
Additionally, this toolkit leverages Save the Children’s
child-sensitive approach!”)
expertise, knowledge, skills and experience in designing
and implementing PA programming (e.g. food security
PA Intervention Tipsheets
and hunger, livelihoods, social protection, humanitarian
cash/resource transfers) that is child-sensitive by PA intervention tipsheets are available in the Tipsheets
consolidating and presenting relevant tools and section at the end of the toolkit. These tipsheets look in
resources that already exist. more detail at how to make specific PA interventions
(such as IGAs or savings and loans etc.) more child-
2.3 “Living” toolkit sensitive when using the building blocks in the toolkit.
They provide extra questions, prompts and tips relevant
The toolkit is meant to be a working, living document to specific interventions.
that evolves alongside the development of analytical
experiences, tools, and evidence to increase child There are currently tipsheets available for IGA and
sensitivity in PA programmes. savings and loans interventions. Tipsheets for cash and
vouchers, agriculture and homestead food production
Save the Children will pilot version 1.0 of the toolkit in (HFP), and value chains and markets interventions will
2017 and will make future, updated versions accessible be available shortly.
online with interactive modules.

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Each Building Block consists of several action steps and It’s never too late for a child-sensitive approach!
corresponding technical tool(s), as follows:
Project teams can use this toolkit to integrate a child-
sensitive approach into PA programmes at any point
in a project cycle. Even if a project or programme is in
Click on the action or tool to jump to the page.
its final stages, the project team should still adjust and
incorporate some limited child-sensitive aspects (e.g.
Building Block A: Analysis
making sure the final evaluation measures outcomes
Analysis Action 1: Identify child deprivations, on children and not only HH level outcomes). A project
aspirations and context team’s ability to integrate a child-sensitive approach
into PA programmes varies based on the capacity and
Tool 1.1: Child-sensitive Assessment Matrix and
commitment of staff and management, donor priorities
Accompanying Guide
and flexibility, and other factors.
Analysis Action 2: Identify root causes of
The stage of the PA project along the project cycle
child deprivations
also impacts the degree to which project teams can
implement a child-sensitive approach. The ideal scenario
Tool 2.2: Problem Tree
or “gold standard” is that project teams incorporate
T oo l 2.1: Problem Prioritization
a full-fledged child-sensitive approach throughout the

entire project management life cycle. This generally
requires flexible funding, a supportive donor, adaptive
Building Block B: Design
management, as well as sufficient staff time and
capacity.
Design Action 3: Identify potential solutions
However, limited time, resources, donor support and
Tool 3.1: Objective Tree other realities mean that project teams are rarely able
to fully incorporate a child-sensitive approach during
Design Action 4: Plan to address risks and all phases of a PA project. In these cases, project teams
question assumptions may utilize some (not all) of the building blocks and
corresponding action steps or may adapt certain steps
Tool 4.1: Risk and Assumption Matrix and
to their particular situation. Even in the worst case (i.e.
Accompanying Guide
when a PA project is in its final phase and has never
Tool 4.2: Risk Plot
used a child-sensitive approach in previous phases), it
Tool 4.3: Risk Mitigation Plan is still possible to achieve a minimum standard of child-
sensitivity by integrating a child-sensitive approach into
Design Action 5: Consolidate child-sensitive later project phases (e.g. designing the final evaluation)
design or by retroactively updating previous project designs to
reflect child-sensitive strategies.
Tool 5.1: Theory of Change Model
The minimum standard for child-sensitivity
in PA efforts requires that project reviews (i.e. end
Building Block C: MEAL
line evaluations), as well as child-level indicators
and learning questions capture information about
MEAL Action 6: Select indicators any positive and/or unintended negative impacts of
the project on children. The minimum standard also
Tool 6.1: Menu of Child-sensitive
includes gender sensitivity. Project teams can then use
Indicators Manual
this information to inform future PA programming. All

program teams should at least uphold the minimum
MEAL Action 7: Engage children, their
standard of child-sensitivity in all PA programmes.
caregivers and the community
Tool 7.1: Checklist for Engagement of Children
Tool 7.2: Menu of child participatory methods in
MEAL activities

MEAL Action 8: Focus on accountability
measures
Tool 8.1: Checklist for Effective CS accountability

MEAL Action 9: Advance learning on
child-sensitive poverty alleviation
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The Kenya Case Study This case study represents a typical PA project that
aims to improve the food security of HH’s through
This toolkit uses the example of a real Save the
an integrated approach that includes the following
Children PA project in Kenya. This example is a
elements:
practical case study that uses the real facts and details
of this project to show the utility of the various building • Increasing incomes at the HH level
blocks, action steps and tools presented in this toolkit.
Where necessary (i.e. where the information was not • Targeting women
available or where necessary to ensure the toolkit’s
• Increasing nutrition for children under 5 (e.g.
clarity) some additional information has been added to
through improving knowledge, attitudes and
the Kenya Case Study.
practices of mothers.
Brief Outline of the Kenya Case Study
Title: Food and Nutrition Security and Enhanced Resilience Project
Location: Turkana, Kenya
Duration: 2 years (Jan 2016-Dec 2017)
Target Group: Women of child bearing ages (WCBA) and children under 5 (1800 individuals)
Key Activities and Output Indicators:
1. Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLA)
a. Facilitation of formation
• # of women benefitting from small soft loans from VSLA by December 2017
• # of groups successfully linked to financial institutions and accessing financial services by
Dec 2017
• % of VSLA group members using loans to improve household food basket by December 2017
b. Income Generating Activities
• # of VSLAs members successfully implementing IGA by December 2017
• # of VSLAs members benefitting from microcredit by December 2017
2. Monthly meetings to sensitize groups on maternal, infant and young child nutrition
(MIYCN) meetings
• # of reproductive aged women and community members attending monthly MIYCN
sensitization meetings by Dec 2017
• # of monthly MIYCN sensitization meetings held with community by December 2017
• # of national campaigns (Malezi Bora and World breastfeeding week campaigns) successfully
conducted by Dec 2017.
Box 1. Kenya Case Study Project Outline
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2.5 Infographic: The toolkit’s three building blocks
Three building blocks of child-sensitive PA programmes
Action 1: Action 2: Action 3: Action 4: Action 5:
Identify Child Identify Root Causes Identify Plan to Consolidate
Deprivations, of Child Deprivations Potential Address Risks Child-Sensitive
Solutions and Question Design
Aspirations
Assumptions
and Context
Building Block A Building Block B
Analysis Design
Building Block C
MEAL
Action 6: Action 7: Action 8: Action 9:
Select Engage Children, Focus on Advance
Indicators their Caregivers Accountability Learning on
and the Measures Child-Sensitive
Community Poverty Alleviation
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