WHY CHILD AND YOUTH HELPLINE
AS AN ADVOCACY PROJECT
INTERVENTION IN SOS CHILDREN’S
VILLAGE PROGRAMME IN UZBEKISTAN
Nigmadjanova Gulchekhra,
Programme Development Advisor for Advocacy
for CHI Asia Pacific Regional meeting, Hanoi, 2013
Presentation contains materials from INTRAC and
UNICEF
ABOUT CHILD PROTECTION SYSTEM
Child Protection:
There is
Laws
General – Systems and
WILLand
- Services
DATA
Policy
Laws
and
Framework
Regulations
Knowledge
and Data
Child Protection
System
Child
Protection
System
Coordinati
Coordination
on
Programme
s, services&
Prevention
to
prevent
Response
and
Services
respond
Human
Capacities resources
human &
financial
Public
Advocacy &\
awareness
Awareness
Promotion\
Raising
Advocacy
How SOS Children’s Village Programme
works
SOS Children’s Villages is
a practitioner organisation
 Key differentiator
•
we provide direct services for children who lost
parental care and are at risk of losing parental care in
a concrete location
 Roots in practical work
•
enables us to engage in advocacy and capacitybuilding for other organisations
 Partner with other implementing organisations
 SOS Children’s Villages Uzbekistan Association
founded 1997
 3 villages in Uzbekistan with about 240 children
and youth in care of 32 SOS families and 3
Youth Facilities, more than 3000 children in
families of origin
 Crisis Centre in Samarkand (FBC)
 Integrated families in Urgench (FS)
 Mobile social centre in Urgench (FBC)
 Playbus in Tashkent (FS)
 Youth Resource Centre and helpline in Leaving
Care project (ADVOCACY)
So what is Advocacy in NGOs??
“to recommend or support by argument a policy,
cause etc…” Oxford English Dictionary
is Advocacy?
A systematic approach toWhat
influencing
governmental and institutional policy and practice
change;
but effective advocacy is about individual people
as decision-makers, not structures
NGO Advocacy …….
 Attempts to form or reform the policy &
practice of institutions
 Influences attitudes, opinions and practice of
individuals in positions of power
NGO Advocacy ….
 Aims to improve the lives of significant
numbers of children
Twin Track Strategies
 Persuasion/insider strategies through Round tables,
conferences, briefings, Forums, networks, coalitions,
alliances
 Pressure/outsider strategies through media,
campaigns, marches etc
SOS Strengthening National Advocacy
November 2010 Chris Stalker
11
SOS Strengthening National Advocacy
November 2010 Chris Stalker
12
Providing services
Advocacy
“philanthropic”
“political”
Meeting the direct needs of
beneficiaries
Calling for changes in
policy and practice
Based on experience on
the ground
Direct benefit to (relatively)
few
Mutual
reinforcement
Based on macro policy &
political analysis
Potential for indirect benefit
to many
Advocacy projects and other interventions
in SOS Children’s Villages
 I MATTER CAMPAIGN in 20 countries, Leaving Care
project in Uzbekistan with Helpline for Young People of
care experience and Resource Centre services
 CARE FOR ME GLOBAL CAMPAIGN, Child Care System
Assessment using instrument developed on the base of
UN Aletrnative Care Guidelines and analysis the child care
system and identify advocacy strategy
 CAPACITY BUILDING for 258 Child Protection Frontline
professionals in 6 regions
 Child Protection Policy implementation
 UPR and CRC reporting
Why a campaign on leaving care
 Integral part of the care system but often a low priority
 Young people leaving care are often more vulnerable than
other young people and they are expected to start their
independent living at a very early age





Same issues in all the countries:
Employment and financial stability
Housing
Education, and
Emotional Stability
Knowledge-sharing
and awareness-raising
 Participation of 2 young people at International Leaving Care
Youth Council meetings
 Workshops and roundtables for dutybearers to rise issues
that challenge young people after leaving care
 Workshops with journalists to send messages to public
 Peer research done by a trained group of young people with
care experience through interviewing of young people
 Guidance for LC youth to serve as a source of all important
and required information
 Resource Centre with counselling services on trauma,
personal relations, professional orientation, child‘s or young
people‘s personal development, training sessions on
advocacy, child‘s and human rights, communication and life
skills computers and internet access, helpline
Most favored features of the Project
 Young people with care experience and those
about to leave care facilities acknowledged their
power, developed self – assurance and know
how to protect themselves, and advocate on
behalf of other young people leaving care
 They are part of national and regional round
tables and conferences to speak about issues
they face to adults
 Their network develops recommendations
 Resource centre as source for development and
learning
 HELPLINE !!!!!!
Helpline data
 Helpline is a tool for LC young people available 5
days a week, with direct support as psychosocial consultancy and referral services
 2010 – 2012 total number of calls - 598.
 158 consultations provided as response.
 36 cases referred and responses from relevant
government bodies monitored
 Data is analized with conclusions to be added to
further recommendations
Number of calls 2012 total
no/%
Content of calls:











1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Qs on what is Resource centre, how it helps
Request for meeting in person
Error
Housing issues
Personal issues
Social relations
To talk – communication need
Request for relevant information
Request for information on employment processes
Request on vocational education
Passport and registration issues
48
25
21
17
12
11
11
9
7
6
5
23,8
12,4
10,4
8, 4
5,9
5,4
5,4
4,4
3,4
2,9
2,48











12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
Education failures
5
HL as a source of information
5
Help on holding an event
5
Joke
4
Career questions
3
Financial issues
2
Conflict with the law
1
Request for self esteem raising technics 1
Conflict between generations
1
Request for admission to exams
1
Complaints on quality of housing
1
2,48
2,48
2,48
1,99
ACHIEVEMENTS
 Recommendations related to housing, education, .. were
developed and submitted to government
 Public is aware about challenges LC young people face
 One state run agency of influence took the issue and
developing approaches together with SOS
 SOS Youth Facility model is under consideration to apply
nationally
 Youth participate at round tables of stakeholders
 Housing, financial support issue is under state body’s control
 Journalists know and write about challenges and stigma
 Young people feel own responsibility over achievements, are
proactive
CHALLENGES




Insufficient interest of caregivers and dutybearers
Lack of special data
Insufficient understanding in the govt and society
Young people with whom we do advocacy may need
more resources to build their capacity for advocacy
due to impacts of institutionalization – lack of trust,
wrong expectations, pessimizm, over-individualizm,
relying on others to do things for them
 Lack or shortage of resources in the government to
support changes
 Shift of influencing power
10 Principles for Effective Advocacy as
recommendation
1. Select the issue that’s right for you
2. Compile strong and compelling evidence;
ensuring that there is a high quality
research and policy analysis at the root of
all advocacy effort
3. Understand power, politics, targets and
audiences and track what’s going on
SOS Strengthening National Advocacy
November 2010 Chris Stalker
23
4. Be clear about what you are trying to achieve;
identify objectives
5. Use a range of complementary tactics according
to the situation
6. participation, accountability, legitimacy - involve
beneficiaries
7. maximising joint-partnership working
opportunities with allies / considering how to
minimise the influence of opponents
SOS Strengthening National Advocacy
November 2010 Chris Stalker
24
8. Communicate well and persistently by being
agile in the short-term and constant in the
long-term
9. Stay with the issue through to resolution,
including having viable exit strategies
10. Promote an advocacy, campaigning,
change-oriented, culture
SOS Strengthening National Advocacy
November 2010 Chris Stalker
25