Social care services

When a developing country is struggling to meet the very basic needs of its population, it is hardly surprising that national development plans, social protection strategies and donor policies place an overwhelming emphasis on poverty reduction and the provision of basic public services such as health, education, and water and sanitation. It is precisely at these times however that people who are already vulnerable, for reasons not only associated with levels of material income but also with their fundamental human capacities, are even more at risk. This may include children (including orphans, street/working children, children at risk of abuse and neglect, children lacking appropriate care), the disabled of all ages and older people with limited capacities. Whilst poverty may be one of the drivers that leads people to require social care and support, income generation alone will not, in many cases, provide the solution to meeting the needs of people who are dependent on others for basic care or protection.

The essential, but often neglected, role of social care services within the wider social protection landscape is an issue in which governments and donors are increasingly becoming interested, especially as economies develop, domestic social protection policy begins to mature and developments in international policy become more prominent. Key questions that governments need to explore at this stage of the development process often include: What is the purpose of providing social care services? How should eligibility criteria be defined? What types of social services are the most appropriate in a particular setting? How can success be measured? What are the financial implications of providing different kinds of services? How should social services be planned, organised and paid for? Who should be involved in the service delivery? Very often the development and expansion of social services is being considered as part of wider social protection or public administration reform processes such as decentralisation and there are many social, political and economic factors to consider.

OPM’s experience of working with governments, donors and other development actors to address and answer some of these questions ranges from working in countries where there is very little government involvement in policy development and service provision (and where the non-state sector may be playing a very active role) to situations  where the role of the state is very dominant and collaboration between state and non-state actors is underdeveloped. In both cases, the task of strengthening the capacity of government to assume ownership of the policy development and management process is critical if sustainable outcomes are to be achieved. A sound policy development process helps to ensure that social services are appropriate - reflecting evidenced need, adhering to principles of international good practice and human rights conventions - and affordable - capitalising on all available resources, including formal and informal networks and systems.