On

Investment in Children: Measuring and Tracking

Child Protection, Education and Health budgets in Somaliland and Puntland

Background

For over 90 years, Save the Children has been making a difference in children’s lives in more than 120 countries. We are the world’s largest independent child rights organisation, underpinned by a vision in a world in which every child attains the right to survival, protection, development and participation. Our mission to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children, and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN CRC) in its Article 4 places an obligation on all governments, including the poorest, to make the most out of their resources in order to invest to the ‘maximum extent of their resources’ in children and to ensure that all local and national resources are well spent to bring about positive outcomes for children. Children’s rights remain hollow promises if they are not backed up by appropriate financial allocations and expenditures by the respective governments. . Governments have a core role in making public investments to the fulfilment of children’s rights and wellbeing as highlighted in the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child General Comment 19: Public Budgeting for the Realization of Children’s Rights.[1]

Child Rights Governance is one of the five thematic areas of Save the Children Somalia/Somaliland (SCISOM) Country Office. One of the sub-thematic intervention in the CRG work is Investment in Children (IiC) focusing on child rights based budgeting. Child rights based budgeting consists of a critical element of analysing, measuring and tracking national budgets to determine whether sufficient resources are being allocated, and spent in sectors such as Education, Health and Protection which have a high impact on children’s lives.

To this end, one of the activities of the CRG components of the Danida frame and Norad projects in Somaliland and Puntland respectively is to measure and track budgets in the Education, Health and Child Protection sectors. SCISOM therefore seeks to engage the services of qualified International Consultant/s or firm with demonstrated expertise in child rights based budget work.

Consultancy objectives

The general objective of this study is aimed at improving government budget allocation and spending on child protection, education and health sectors in Somaliland and Puntland, through generating data and evidence on the efficiency, effectiveness and equity of government allocation and spending

Specific objectives

• To conduct a comprehensive and comparative analysis of the adequacy, equitable, allocative efficiency and utilization of the education, protection and health budgets of Somaliland and Puntaland mainly within a national level (Hargeisa, Garowe capital towns).
• To establish visibility of child protection budgetary allocations by the Somaliland and Puntland. governments
• To establish adequacy of budgets in order to effectively implement child protection interventions
• To establish the extent to which the public including children are involved in the budget process
• To develop an advocacy action plan based on the findings of the study for increased and efficient use of budgets within the education, health and child protection sector in fulfillment of the Child Rights principles of non-discrimination, best interests of the child, participation and the right to survival and development

Scope of services

The study will be conducted at national levels within Hargeisa, and Garowe. In Somaliland, the consultancy work covers tracking budgets on education & child protection and in Puntland in education, health and child protection. The consultant shall ensure completion of the following activities in accordance with the terms and conditions of the consultancy contract:

• Identify existing policies in child protection, education, health and analyse or measure the governments commitment to implement the policies.
• Assess and analyse the amount of budget allocated and spent (adequacy, equality, effectiveness and efficiency of of budget allocation) to the ministries of Education and Health as percentage of the GDP, and as a total of the public expenditure, and in relation to other selected sectors to be identified at a later stage.
• Analyse trends or percentage change in the government’s allocation and expenditure on primary education and health care since the year 2012.
• Make detailed analysis of the structure of the education and health budgets by looking into its internal distribution across programmes (early childhood development, primary, secondary, tetiary level , vocational skills trainings, , child health, maternal health) and further analyse budgets based on cost areas (such as capital and recurrent, salaries, overheads, teachers’ salaries etc).
• Assess and analyse the proportion of education and health budget that mostly benefit children (primary school children -such as text books, library, furniture, teachers training) and child health as percentage of administration costs.
• Analyse the impact of budgetary choices on specific groups such as disabled children, street children, children of minority groups, children in selected IDP camps.
• Assess and analyse the trends in changes in education and health situation of children.
• Identify, assess and analyze gaps in the transfer of budget to various levels of the education and health sector (regional, district and school levels)
• Identify key advocacy issues. An advocacy plan will be developed by SCISOM staff.
• Provide practical recommendations including how to implement the recommendations.
• Present the key findings in validation workshops to be organised in Hargeisa, Somaliland and Garowe, Puntland.

Scope of measuring and tracking the Child Protection budget

Child protection work is complex and not clearly defined. This is because, violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of children are entrenched within social, economic, political and cultural fabrics of societies. Violence against children happen in private and public settings and assume many different forms. Child protection policies, buddgets and interventions are usually scattered in various government ministries such as Labour and Social Affairs, Women Development and Family Affairs, Justice, Legal affairs, Education and Health

It is thereofre not the responsibility of one government department, but every government ministry and department , to ensure that reasonable efforts are undertaken to ensure that children are protected from all forms of violence, abuse and neglect, based on the purview and mandate of each specific government department.

Child protection budget is defined as the sum total of all budgeted interventions, in any given area that directly contribute to the prevention and or response to abuse, exploitation, neglect and violence affecting children.

The key tasks in tracking the child protection budget includes mapping of government organisations including specific departments within ministries that work and allocate budget for the following CP interventions:

• Government departments such as children’s desks, national coordination mechansims or focal points that Coordinate child protection activities and coordinate and engage in child protection working groups (CPWGs).
• Child protection policy and law reform
• Institutions of care such as orphanages and child protection homes/centres
• Preventive and responsive child protection services (eg. family tracing, referal services)
• Training and capacity building of relevant public service professionals
• Public awareness raisng in child protection

What are we tracking in child protection?

a). Visibility of child protection in national and sector strategies and plans: This is to establish if child protection is one of the priorities of government or not. The extent to which different components of child protection, in Puntland and Somaliland context, are clearly and comprehensively reflected in relevant government plans and strategic documents: Eg.

• Is there budget allocated to protect children from FGM, child marriage, child abuse, child trafficking, children involved in armed conflict and exploitation of children.
• Are there interventions in such as family tracing, psychosocial support services, child protection centres etc.

b). Visibility of child protection in medium term financial plans and funding proposals: Are child protection issues prioritised by government and donors by way of being reflected in strategic plans and programmes of action?

The consultant/s will travel to Hargeisa (Somaliland) and Garowe (Puntland) to collect the required information from the relevant government ministries at national levels only.

The consultant/s will produce two concise reports both for Soamliland and Puntland each excessing 50 pages (excluding annexes) in four hard copies as well as in electronic copies of the study.

Methodology

The consultant/s should come up with a detailed methodology of gathering information or data to inform the measurement and tracking consultancy assignment. However, in education and health sectors the study should mainly focus on review of budgetary and financial plans and expenditure records/documents in the Ministry of Education, Health, Finance and Planning. Qualitative method of data collection (KII) should also be employed to gather information on budgetary allocation and expenditure from key government officials at National levels.

Tracking the child protection budget should mainly focus (refer to the section: scope of measuring and tracking the child protection budget) on mapping out responsible ministries or departments in child protection, assessing visibility of child protection in national and sector plans as well as in medium term financial plans and funding proposals.

Duration of role

The overall consultancy work is expected to be completed within four months. However, the actual consultancy human days will be 48 days starting signing of the consultancy agreement.

Activity

Man days

a. Review of secondary data including government budgetary policy documents, strategic plans and sector relevant policies and programs 5 days

b. Development and submission of the inception report (includes detailed methodology and study tools) 4 days

c. Field work (collect relevant budgetary allocation and expenditure related information from the Ministries of education, finance, planning and other relevant sectors) as indicated in the scope of work)

28 days

d. Data Analysis, report writing and submission of draft reports 8 days

e. Revision, finalization of the report, submission and approval 3 days

Total 48 Days

Key selection criteria

• Post graduate qualifications (MA or higher level PhD) in Economics, Finance, Accounting and Development studies.
• Knowledge and understanding of government budgeting and financial management procedures
• Proven experience in investment in children work including conducting budget studies within the child sector an added advantage
• Knowledge of Save the Children and it’s internal processes will be beneficial but is not essential
• Knowledge and understanding of the social and cultural context of Somaliland and Puntland will be an asset

[1] http://resourcecentre.savethechildren.se/sites/default/files/documents/g1616231.pdf.