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- Convenors:
-
Becky Carter
(Institute of Development Studies)
Paul Harvey (Humanitarian Outcomes)
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- Discussants:
-
Sarah Blin
(Partage Consulting)
Vincent Van Halsema
Abeer Al-Absi (Independent Consultant)
Rachel Slater (Independent)
- Format:
- Roundtable
- Stream:
- Social protection, health, and inequality
Short Abstract:
A roundtable discussion on the opportunities for smarter investment in frontline capacities for social protection in deepening crises, sharing experiences and evidence from aid practitioners and researchers working across the humanitarian-development-peacebuilding nexus.
Description:
Recent reviews of how humanitarian actors are approaching commitments around localisation and how development actors are engaging with frontline capacities for delivering assistance suggest important skills are being neglected and sidelined. Research by the Better Assistance in Crises (BASIC) research programme (led by IDS, funded by the UK’s FCDO) has found social workers – key actors in ensuring inclusive cash and food transfers – have been overlooked in international aid actors’ social assistance approaches in protracted crisis settings such as in Yemen, Syria and Iraq. Due to the increased demands of delivering large cash transfer programmes, their role in supporting vulnerable families is being sidelined. Meanwhile research by WFP and UNICEF mapping social protection frontline workers in Sub-Saharan Africa highlights broader tensions arising from formalisation and institutionalisation of social protection cash transfer programmes using voluntary and informal community support structures. Without a more central role given to the social service workforce we may miss the mark of addressing the needs of those who are most at risk (persons with disabilities, chronic illness, gender diverse and older people).
This roundtable discussion would bring to bear practitioner experience and research evidence to illuminate the opportunities to invest in social workers, and the linkages between that workforce and inclusive and gender-responsive assistance. One of the themes to explore will be how support to social workers can navigate the uncertainty that arises from shocks, through adaptive development and humanitarian approaches that can flex to sustain capacities during pervasive crises.
Discussants in person and online.
Accepted contributions:
Session 1Contribution short abstract:
The social protection workforce, and particularly frontline workers delivering social assistance and social care, needs greater attention (in research, policy and practice) to provide the services that can respond to economic and social vulnerabilities.
Contribution long abstract:
- Social protection systems strengthening has focused on "hardware": PMT, MIS, AI, banking, etc., less on the workforce required to deliver these programmes, and especially at local level.
- In many places, the Ministries responsible for social assistance were historically those responsible for social care.
- Large "standalone" programs disconnect social care entirely from social assistance, whilst, when integrated to Welfare Ministries, the workforce gets diverted away from care, to focus on administrative tasks.
- "Multi-purpose" cash can be misleading into thinking that cash alone responds to multi-faceted issues. Cash "plus" language puts centrality on income, considering the rest as a bonus. But social care and social assistance are part and parcel of social protection. A conditional approach blurs the line between incentivising, supporting and penalising families who may face complex situations, that cash alone may not solve.
- Inclusive social protection is a pleonasm; social protection was designed to address risks around vulnerability and marginalisation, in part captured through "categorical" social assistance (the notion of 'disability extra costs' is very helpful to understand this ie the combination of economic poverty and other costs compound vulnerability risks for persons with disability). These vulnerabilities are not easily captured in PMT processes, but they are easily captured when channeled through a social care approach. More focus and investment is needed.
- The emerging literature on care and support systems, and social protection, where women and gender are central concerns, is really helpful going forward.
Contribution short abstract:
The study investigates the experiences of a neglected set of local actors – frontline social protection workers and women in civil society organisations, national organisations and local authorities involved in the delivery of assistance.
Contribution long abstract:
Recent reviews of how development and humanitarian actors are supporting locally-led aid and frontline capacities suggest important skills are being neglected and sidelined. Building on our previous study on social assistance capacities in Yemen, we are looking deeper at the role and practice of social protection workers and local organisations in providing food and cash transfers in two governorates in Yemen. Informed by BASIC Research conceptual framing of capacity, we focus on how international and local capacity strengthening efforts take into account the needs of women and girls and are strengthening frontline capacities to provide fair and equitable support for women and men in terms of process and outcomes. Our research will be published as an IDS working paper.
Contribution short abstract:
The Frontline social assistance workforce in Africa and elsewhere is overworked, relying on unpaid volunteers and other sectors' professionals. As social protection systems grow and respond to crises, this workforce is strained, risking collapse. Improved support and recognition are essential.
Contribution long abstract:
With a few exceptions and nuances, the frontline workforce for social assistance across many countries in sub-Saharan Africa - the part that interacts directly with clients at the local level - is highly dependent on an overworked and under-resourced social welfare departments and an army of unpaid and untrained volunteers, paraprofessionals, or professionals from other sectors that are double-hatting. Social protection systems in Africa, as they mature, are increasingly getting more complex with linked programmes and and services, and furthermore being asked to flex to respond increasingly to crises and shocks. All this is placing further burden on the frontline workforce that government, and international development and humanitarian actors rely on. These trends can also be seen in other parts of the world. Actors supporting social protection need to be cognisant of this strain, and the importance of understanding the make-up and needs of the frontline workforce not only for the regular strengthening of routine social protection systems, but to protect them during crises when they are at strong risk of being completely overburdened to the point of collapse. In this intervention I will share some concrete ideas around how, still to be determined, but as possible examples; through improved mapping and systematic support to the workforce, improved processes such as digital systems, better links between humanitarian "frontline workforces" and regular social welfare and social protection workforces, and ensuring their recognition and voice in design and implementation processes.
Contribution short abstract:
This contribution considers the impacts of conflict on the social workforce, particular those delivering social protection, based on empirical work in four sites across Iraq and Syria, and explores how governments and international actors can support capacities.
Contribution long abstract:
While the impacts of violent conflict on workers in the health and education sectors are routinely monitored in crisis settings, the same cannot be said for other parts of the social workforce - especially local level officials delivering social protection and linked programmes. Based on empirical work, including interviews with social sector officials and programme implementers in two sites each in Iraq and Syria, evidence will be shared to highlight how the social workforce has been depleted and how governments and international actors have sought to enhance or rehabilitate capacities. The roles of the social workforce in sustaining existing social protection programmes will be examined, differentiating between competencies (what workers know how to do), capabilities (what workers can do in the real world) and performance (whether they do their work - especially when they are facing, in their personal lives, very real impacts of violent conflict).
Contribution short abstract:
Investing in frontline capacities for social protection in deepening crises: Roundtable R03 on the opportunities for smarter investment in frontline capacities for social protection in deepening crises.
Contribution long abstract:
A recent BASIC study on the role of frontline providers in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) highlights the challenges and opportunities for strengthening social assistance in the region. The research suggests that local organisations could play a key role in bridging the gap between informal, locally led aid efforts and formal social assistance programmes. Their involvement is crucial in ensuring that assistance is not only effective but also accountable, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of the community. The study is found here: https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/articles/report/_A_bridge_to_those_in_need_Frontline_Provider_Perspectives_on_the_Accountability_of_Social_Assistance_in_the_Kurdistan_Region_of_Iraq/27993797?file=51062975
Many local organisations have unique advantages when it comes to social assistance delivery. They have firsthand knowledge of the community and can provide more personalised, context-specific support. We will highlight several areas where local actors say they can play a crucial role: trust and transparency, coordination, participation and the inclusion of affected people in decision making, and strengthening accountability through local networks. We will also outline recommendations to improve social assistance delivery in the KRI that also offer valuable insights for other contexts where social protection systems cannot function or are under development, notably: understanding contextual power dynamics, integrating local networks into formal social assistance programmes, how to prioritise community engagement and frontline decision making, making social assistance more accessible, and using storytelling as an accountability tool.
Contribution short abstract:
The article examines the potential of non-state armed groups for disaster risk reduction, with a focus on the Arakan Army's disaster response during Cyclone Mocha as a case study.
Contribution long abstract:
Disasters, which are increasingly frequent and deadly, often occur in conflict-affected countries, where the risks of both crises are compounded. This article explores the relationship between climate-related disasters and armed conflict, focusing on the role of non-state armed groups (NSAGs) in disaster response. The theoretical framework draws on rebel governance, considering disaster response as a form of governance, and posits that the effectiveness and inclusiveness of NSAG responses can influence post-disaster conflict dynamics. Using qualitative methods, namely interviews and process tracing, the case study examines the Arakan Army, a controversial rebel group in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, and its response to Cyclone Mocha in 2023. The findings suggest that the Arakan Army’s consolidation of territorial control and popular support played a critical role in its disaster response efforts, including evacuation, relief distribution, and recovery. Local ethnic Arakan communities welcomed these efforts, enhancing the group’s legitimacy and weakening the central state authority under the junta regime. The inclusiveness of the Arakan Army’s response appears mixed: while the group neither actively assisted nor strictly excluded the Rohingya population in its territory, its approach was shaped by the strategic belief that a multi-ethnic vision was necessary for its political project. Meanwhile, the Rohingya community hesitated to engage due to past violence, abuse, and ongoing fears. Furthermore, international engagement with the Arakan Army’s humanitarian efforts was limited, illustrating how disaster diplomacy with NSAGs is often contingent on their human rights records.