Session I: Expanded functionalities in social protection

Agenda:

Topic	Input by	Minutes

Topic	Input by	Minutes
Introduction of the session	Siddharth Srivastava (Swiss TPH)	2-3 minutes menti.com (7983 9932)
Introducing CORE-MIS & Technical Roadmap merger openIMIS/CORE-MIS	Andrea Martin (World Bank)	30 minutes Open
Comparison of the beneficiary management related functionalities of CORE-MIS and openIMIS	Afrika Ndongozi-Nsabimana (Swiss TPH )	20 minutes Open
Group discussions and presentation of findings	All participants Facilitated by Afrika Ndongozi-Nsabimana (Swiss TPH) and Siddharth Srivastava (Swiss TPH)	45 minutes

After the presentation on CORE-MIS by Andrea Martin and on the comparison between beneficiary managements related to functionalities to CORE-MIS and openIMIS by Afrika Ndongozi-Nsabimana, a group discussion facilitated by both presentors and Daniella Majakari, Dragos Dobre and Siddharth Srivasta was held.

 Après la présentation sur CORE-MIS par Andrea Martin et celle sur la comparaison entre la gestion des bénéficiaires liées aux fonctionnalités de CORE-MIS et openIMIS par Afrika Ndongozi-Nsabimana, une discussion de groupe animée par les deux présentateurs et Daniella Majakari, Dragos Dobre et Siddharth Srivasta eut lieu .

All participants to the session were divided in three groups and each group had 10 minutes to answer successively the three following questions:

Q1. How is the beneficiary database built in your programme?

Q.2 How and when/how often is the database of beneficiaries requiring updating/amendments or changes?

 Q.3. What kind of benefits might be given to beneficiaries of your programme, to whom and when?

Tous les participants à la session ont été divisés en trois groupes et chaque groupe avait 10 minutes pour répondre successivement aux trois questions suivantes :

Q1. Comment la base de données des bénéficiaires est-elle construite dans votre programme ?

Q.2 Comment et quand/à quelle fréquence la base de données des bénéficiaires doit-elle être mise à jour/modifiée ?

 Q.3. Quels types d'avantages pourraient être accordés aux bénéficiaires de votre programme, à qui et quand ?

At the end of the discussions, facilitators presented a summary of the answers of the participants.

A la fin des discussions, les facilitateurs ont présenté un résumé des réponses des participants.

During the discussion on question 1, participants delved into various aspects and complexities related to data collection for both potential and actual beneficiaries. These encompassed the following key points:

1. Agreement and definition of mandatory and optional variables: Participants discussed the need to establish a consensus on which variables should be deemed mandatory for data collection, as well as those that could be considered optional.

2. Identification of potential duplicates: Particularly in situations where unique national identification numbers are not well established, participants explored different strategies to flag and identify potential duplicates in the collected data.

3. Diverse approaches and sources for data collection: The discussion encompassed various methods for data acquisition, such as initiating new data collection processes, obtaining referrals from other agencies, or migrating existing data from different sources.

SSF Ethiopia provided specific examples of data sources, including referrals by employers, local offices, self-applications, group applications, individuals present in the pensioner's database, and external agencies.

Additionally, the group highlighted the importance of conducting an assessment step to determine the eligibility of potential beneficiaries. The complexity of eligibility checks can vary depending on the specific program being implemented.

Pour la question 1,

Open

For the question 2, the main answer was that the update in database usually can occur due to events related to the structure of the household (new head of the household-death of the former one; new household after marriage), change in policy of social protection schemes ( extension of the program to informal sector workers, end of the program), change in the status of the beneficiary or potential beneficiary, change in the employment  status of the beneficiary (unemployed, retired), group of age, change in the ITC tools used notably for the e-payments.

Concerning the frequency of update of database, it varies from one country to another, from one type of social protection/health financing scheme to another (cash transfers, health insurance, vouchers, free health services for HIV/malaria/under 5 years old children), from one category of population to another (children, pregnant women, elderly persons), from one type of employment status to another (unemployed, formal sector, informal sector, retirement).

Pour la question 2, la réponse principale était que la mise à jour de la base de données peut généralement se produire en raison d'événements liés à la structure du ménage (nouveau chef de ménage-décès de l'ancien; constitution d’un nouveau ménage après le mariage), changement de mesures politiques liées aux régimes de protection sociale (extension du programme aux travailleurs du secteur informel, fin du programme), changement de statut du bénéficiaire ou d’un potentiel bénéficiaire, changement du statut d'emploi du bénéficiaire (chômeur, retraité), tranche d'âge, changement des outils TIC utilisés notamment pour les paiements électroniques.

Concernant la fréquence de mise à jour de la base de données, elle varie d'un pays à l'autre, d'un type de protection sociale/financement de la santé à un autre (transferts monétaires, assurance maladie, coupons, services de santé gratuits pour les malades atteints de VIH/paludisme, services de santé gratuits pour les enfants de moins de 5 ans/femmes enceintes), d'une catégorie de population à une autre ( enfants, femmes enceintes, personnes âgées), d'un statut d’emploi à un autre (chômeur, secteur formel, secteur informel, retraité).

Open

For the question 3, a wide range of benefits and programmes were discussed in the limited time. These included cash transfer programmes like in Gambia or Nepal where benefits can be ether cash transfers or in kind transfers that can also be provided by different entities. While in the case of Gambia the benefits are initiated at the time of an emergency and are stopped after the emergency is considered over, in Nepal the benefit is given on a periodic (monthly) basis to those in rural areas for an indefinite period as a sort of “hardship allowance”. All such benefits are paid at household level. Examples were also discussed such as survival benefits (family gets lifelong/life of survivor payments or children allowance till the child is reaching a defined “adult/independent” age); Pension payments past retirement on monthly basis to caretaker and even beyond household structure as per scheme rules; Disability related schemes where for certain types of disabilities lifelong monthly payments are given. A number of child welfare schemes were mentioned where benefits range from food provision for specific periods after which an assessment is conducted to renew the benefit (directly to family or through school meals) to regular payments to household with children under specific age group receiving unconditional cash to education allowance paid to a household for a set period conditional to child going to specific trainnings to encourage move to formal schooling for informal (religious) schooling. In addition to a couple of health schemes (not the focus of the discussion) the group also indicated Agriculture programmes where farmers are offered seeds or livestock (or other material subsidy) or even cash subsidies. Schemes were as well discussed that covered displaced persons or refugees who are given for set time periods cash, material or health (psychological and social support) or free education as benefits. A more common type of scheme was the social cash transfer where families are annually (or shorter) identified and classified as vulnerable or poor and provided monthly payments. Shorter duration benefits are also provided in special circumstances like during earthquakes where for certain periods of time benefits like cash, material goods of free healthcare provision are provided as benefits as well more standardized longer term benefits like accident injury. One example of work subsidies (identified poor given a work/task to contribute to their own available infrastructure like building roads and paid by programme) as benefits was discussed as well a girl child programme in Nepal offering one time benefits to families having a girl child towards reducing female foeticide/female infanticide.

Pour la question 3,