FINAL REPORT
Strengthening social workforce for community
capacity to protect and care for vulnerable children
in Sierra Leone
@ UNICEF Sierra Leone/ Oliver Asselin, September 2013. Portrait of a girl in the town of Makeni, Bombali District.
Aurora Foundation and
Icelandic National Committee for UNICEF
(Grant: SC/2011/0189)
Table of Contents
PAGE
Programme Objectives ................................................................................................................... 5
Programme Strategies ................................................................................................................... 6
Key Results ......................................................................................................................................... 6
Impact of Funds ................................................................................................................................ 8
Lessons Learned ............................................................................................................................... 8
Future Work Plan .............................................................................................................................. 9
Expression of Thanks ...................................................................................................................... 9
Acronyms
CRA
Child Rights Act
CWC
Child Welfare Committee
MSWGCA
Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs
MOHS
Ministry of Health and Sanitation
NatCom
National Committee
NGO
Non-Governmental Organization
UNDP
United Nations Development Programme
UNICEF
United Nations Children’s Fund
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Summary Table
UNICEF Report
Final Report
ASSISTED COUNTRY
Sierra Leone
ASSISTED PROGRAMME
Child Protection
PBA NUMBER
SC/2011/0189
PROGRAMMABLE AMOUNT
US$ 311,588
UTILISED
BALANCE
Reporting period: $ 224,088
Total: US$ 298,445
US$ 13,143*
REPORTING PERIOD
January 2012 – December 2013
DATE PREPARED
18 December 2013
GRANT VALIDITY
1 March 2011– 21 Dec. 2013
Contacts:
Gopal Sharma
Deputy Representative
UNICEF Sierra Leone
gsharma@unicef.org
Matthew Dalling
Chief, Child Protection
UNICEF Sierra Leone
mdalling@unicef.org
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/unicefsierraleone
twitter:
@UNICEFSL
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/UNICEFSL
*The fund utilisation report shows a programmable balance of USD 13,143.
However, this amount is already committed under a consultancy contract to
support the roll out of the implementation plan of the National Child Welfare
Policy and it will be utilised accordingly. The system will reflect the change in
2014.
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Executive Summary
This is the final report to the Aurora Foundation and the Icelandic National
Committee for UNICEF. It focusses on the support towards "strengthening the
social workforce for community capacity to protect and care for vulnerable
children in Sierra Leone". The purpose of the grant is to build a protective
environment for children with a particular focus on strengthening the capacity of
social workers, Government staff (the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and
Children’s Affairs (MSWGCA) and local councils), and of communities to
effectively prevent and respond to child protection issues. The total
programmable allocation was US$ 311,588 and US$ 298,445 were utilised. The
fund utilisation report shows a programmable balance of US$ 13,143. However,
this amount is already committed under a consultancy contract to support the
roll out of the implementation plan of the National Child Welfare Policy and it
would be utilised. The system will reflect the change in 2014.
Key results include UNICEF's crucial support to the finalisation of the National
Child Welfare Policy in November 2013 after national and regional consultations;
the policy guides future child protection programming. Capacity development of
local councils resulted in devolved social welfare functions from MSWGCA to all
local councils. At the same time it built the awareness of service providers on
their obligations to ensure that children’s rights are met.
The finalisation and approval of the National Child Justice Strategy in November
2013 is a significant landmark and aligned with standards and principles to
ensure that children in contact and conflict with the law are better protected.
Support to the newly launched birth registration task force in September 2013
has been instrumental in bringing together donors and stakeholders towards
developing a joint vision to strengthen civil registration systems.
Advocacy and awareness raising efforts on children’s rights, in particular their
rights to protection from violence, exploitation and abuse, culminated in a 90
second video on ending violence against children produced by UNICEF that has
received 718 hits in 14 days on Global UNICEF YouTube channel http://youtu.be/AFmEulakoxA. It has also been broadcast on facebook, national
television and in public screenings.
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Overview of the Child Protection Situation in Sierra Leone
Eleven years after the end of the civil war, children in Sierra Leone continue to
be exposed to various forms of violence, exploitation and abuse. The civil war
eroded community capacity to respond to the needs of vulnerable children.
Sierra Leone is currently ranked 177 of 187 in the UNDP Human Development
Index 2012. The majority of the population lives in abject poverty; under-five
and maternal mortality rates are considered to be among the highest in the
world; and more than 30% of school aged children are not enrolled in primary
education (MICS 2010). This is compounded by significant regional disparities
with regard to basic services, lack of data required for planning and monitoring,
weak infrastructure and a limited capacity to deliver basic services.
Eighty-two percent of children aged 2-14 years in Sierra Leone are subjected to
at least one form of psychological or physical punishment. 50 percent of children
aged 5-14 are involved in child labour. The persistent problem of early marriage
violates child rights and contributes to the high rate of teenage pregnancy (38.1
per cent) and is linked to additional health and socio-economic problems.
Sixteen percent of girls aged 15-19 years are married before 15, and 50 per cent
are married before the age of 18 (2010). Nine out of ten women (88%) have
Female Genital Mutilation and Cutting. Although reliable figures are lacking,
indications are very strong that sexual abuse of girls is widespread.1
Violence against children includes emotional and physical abuse, neglect or
negligent treatment, sexual exploitation and abuse. In Sierra Leone this includes
specific forms of violence such as child labour, child trafficking, sexual
exploitation, female genital mutilation, child marriage, teenage pregnancy and
discrimination.
In Sierra Leone, high levels of violence, against women and children are
stabilized by pervasive and abuse-tolerant social and cultural norms and
exacerbated by high levels of poverty, inequality and children living apart from
their parents.
Efforts to address violence against children are often reactive, focusing on
symptoms and consequences rather than on causes. Strategies tend to be
fragmented, rather than integrated, and insufficient resources are allocated.
Prevention of violence should aim to reduce vulnerabilities of children through
efficient community based responses supported by social welfare. Health, social
welfare, police, education, justice sectors and informal community structures
should work together to prevent violence and to ensure that cases of violence
are dealt with swiftly and appropriately.
Programme Objectives
The interventions under this programme aimed to contribute to building a
protective environment for children, focusing on strengthening the capacity of
social workers and other staff members of the MSWGCA and local councils as
well as of communities to effectively prevent and respond to child abuse and
other child protection issues.
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MICS 2010
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The activities funded by this project made an important contribution to
strengthening the child protection system in Sierra Leone. The specific
programme objectives in line with the project proposal are as follows:


To improve social workers’ capacity to support community mechanisms for
child protection;
To increase capacities of local council and MSWGCA staff to plan and
budget for child protection at district level.
Programme Strategies
The programme strategies were strengthening the legal and policy framework
for child protection and capacity building of key government staff at chiefdom
and district level to support prevention and to respond to child protection issues.
The Child Welfare Policy and Child Justice Strategy informed the function and
training of the social workforce and justice sector.
Key Results
Finalisation of Child Welfare Policy
UNICEF provided technical and financial support to MSWGAC to draft and finalise
the Child Welfare Policy. The policy was finalized after national and regional
consultations. Four regional meetings took place with 360 key stakeholders
including Child Protection NGOs, the Inter Religious Council, Ministry of Health
and Sanitation, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, the Family
Support Unit of the Sierra Leone Police, the Ministry of Justice, local councils,
Child Welfare Committees and children. A final consultation was held with the
Technical Working Group and contractor Child Frontiers supported by UNICEF in
August 2013 to discuss management and coordination mechanisms for the
implementation of the policy and next steps in developing an implementation
strategy in 2014. The Policy is instrumental in guiding the national response to
child protection issues.
Devolution of key social welfare functions to Local Councils
UNICEF was instrumental in ensuring that the MSWGCA formally pronounced the
devolution of key administrative functions to social service departments at
district council level, which included the ministry devolving key personnel and
assets to the local councils. Devolution is a significant step towards improving
service delivery at community level. The Decentralization Secretariat was
supported to organize four regional consultative meetings in May 2013, led by
the Deputy Minister. The Secretariat with the support of UNICEF organized three
regional workshops to train 76 local council staff (the chief administrators and
development officers) in all 19 councils on their roles in child protection. As a
result, social services departments are now functional in all councils, though at
varying levels, and have a solid grasp of child rights.
The terms of reference for the national, regional and district Child Protection
Coordination Committee Meetings were reviewed to reflect a child protection
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systems approach. A two-day consultative meeting was organized by the
MSWGCA and included Government, local council and NGO partners. Child
Protection Committee Meetings are now routinely held in 7 districts, at regional
and national levels.
Development of National Child Justice Strategy
A National Child Justice Strategy was developed to guide the provision of
services for children in the justice sector. A UNICEF consultant worked with the
MSWGCA and the Justice Sector Coordinating Committee to lead the process.
Data collected at regional headquarter level on the situation and services
available for children in the justice system informed the development of the
strategy, which was finalized through consultative meetings at regional and
national level. The strategy has been approved by the Leadership Group2 which
is chaired by the Vice President of the Republic of Sierra Leone. The Strategy
lays out five key strategies, defines outputs and targets, and includes an
endorsement of diversion for children in conflict with the law who are accused of
minor crimes from the formal sector to be mediated and resolved informally.
This is in line with the aim of the police force (SLP) goals to facilitate alternative
dispute resolution processes.
In preparing the Child Welfare Policy, discussions were organised concerning the
role of probation officers and civil society in the provision of reintegration
services. Initial discussions are underway on police guidelines for handling of
children in conflict with the law. Research is commencing on how traditional
justice mechanisms handle cases of children accused of wrongdoing.
Strengthened Coordination of birth registration systems
The Births and Deaths Department in the Ministry of Health and Sanitation
conducted a review of civil registration systems. A task force was formed
bringing together key government and civil society partners and the task force is
in the process of developing a road map to inform future programming on birth
registration. Currently, civil registration is within the Ministry of Interior,
whereas the Births and Deaths Department sits in the Ministry of Health and
Sanitation. Discussions are underway to ensure joint donor and government
collaboration to strengthen civil registration systems (i.e. including births and
deaths).
Decentralised advocacy and awareness raising on children’s rights
Forty radio spots of 60 seconds each carrying key messages on teenage
pregnancy reduction ran over the course of eight weeks. Teenage pregnancy
reduction messages were also put on 20 billboards located in strategic locations
to emphasize existing television and radio messages. In order to complement
the messages, UNICEF produced a 90 second video to raise awareness on ending
violence against children in Sierra Leone that has received 718 hits in 14 days on
Global UNICEF YouTube channel - http://youtu.be/AFmEulakoxA. It has also
been broadcast on facebook, national television and in public screenings.
2
The Justice Sector Leadership Group is chaired by the Vice President and is comprised of the Heads of each of the sector’s Ministries, including the Judiciary, Ministry of
Justice, Police, and MSWGCA. The Leadership Group is responsible for delivering the goals of the Strategy, and ensuring that Outcomes are met, providing political
accountability, high level policy guidance and coordination.
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Consensus on child protection programme priorities for a country in transition
Given that Sierra Leone transitions from a complex emergency to a development
phase, two regional consultations took place with 50 Government and civil
society stakeholders to review implications for future programming in the area of
child protection. An agreement was reached to work towards strengthening a
national child protection system that improves coordination and use of
resources, builds government and civil society capacities, focuses on prevention
as well as response, and mitigates and promotes accountability for fulfilment of
children’s rights.
Impact of Funds
Through a wide consultative process, the National Child Welfare Policy was
developed and finalized; it now is awaiting Cabinet approval. Each of the 19
local councils now boasts an operational social services department. The funds
also helped strengthening the child protection coordination mechanisms at the
national, district and community levels. Further to policy development, the Child
Justice Strategy was approved by the Leadership Group, and a coordination
strategy for child protection was finalized. These are foundational for guiding
child protection programming nationwide.
The Child Welfare Policy and the National Justice Strategy will strengthen the
national child protection system, especially victims of gender-based violence,
children not living with their biological parents and children in conflict with the
law. It is difficult to quantify the number of beneficiaries, but it is expected that
these strategies will have a significant impact on the social welfare and justice
sector response to children in contact and conflict with the law, and especially
the most vulnerable.
Lessons Learned
Government devolution of core social welfare functions to local councils has
implications for UNICEF’s approach to supporting the government. UNICEF and
other key stakeholders need to work more closely with the local councils to
ensure the delivery of services.
Fragmentation between the birth and deaths office in the Ministry of Health and
Sanitation, and civil registration in the Ministry of Interior with two parallel and
under-resourced structures undermine efforts to achieve universal birth
registration. Efforts are underway to unify approaches and responses through
the two task forces led by both offices, and to build on existing sectoral efforts –
including exploring the integration of birth registration with the Free Health Care
initiative.
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Future Work Plan
Some specific areas of support include the following:

Support to the Government of Sierra Leone to ensure approval of the Child
Welfare Policy by January 2014. By April 2014, UNICEF will support the
development and costing of an implementing strategy for the Child Welfare
Policy, as well as a human resource capacity plan for local councils and the
MSWGCA.

UNICEF and the Government will work to implement the National Child
Justice Strategy, including through the development of diversion guidelines
and standard operating procedures by December 2014.

Development of a curriculum for social workers that incorporates the
principles and vision expressed in the Child Welfare Policy and Child Justice
Strategy.
Expression of Thanks
UNICEF Sierra Leone would like to express our gratitude to the Aurora
Foundation and the Icelandic Natcom for its continued support to the children of
Sierra Leone. With the current funds, progress is being made, the results of
which are being seen in more cohesiveness in the child protection sector while
working towards a strengthened child protection system.
Through better
planning and budgeting for child protection by local councils and ministry staff,
more funds can be leveraged for the protection and well-being of all children in
Sierra Leone.
The Child Protection Section in UNICEF Sierra Leone recognizes the Aurora
Foundation’s and the Icelandic National Committee's crucial support and
commitment to this project.
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