Social protection entails all public and private initiatives that provide income or consumption transfers to the poor, protect the vulnerable against livelihood risks and enhance the social status and rights of the marginalized with the overall objective of reducing the economic and social vulnerability.

Anchored on social protection are three components that include social assistance, social security and social health insurance through which the various actor’s channel social protection services to the citizens. Social protection goals come in two forms; short-term goals which are meant to mitigate the immediate impact of shocks and to smooth consumption and long-term goals which include improving opportunities for inclusive growth, human capital development, equity, and social stability. Effective social protection systems are vital in fostering a more equitable, just, and inclusive society.

This course will update participants’ understanding on social protection issues by comprehensively covering different approaches to social protection, including design, implementation, challenges, current trends, and how social protection overlaps with other policy sectors. Participants will have the opportunity to actively engage and share their own experiences and perspectives on social protection in different program contexts.

Target Participants

This training on social protection course is highly recommended for professionals working in government institutions, non-governmental institutions, policymakers, practitioners, researchers, civil society, academia, influencers, and project managers who are directly engaged in providing social protection services and its implementation in different programs.

Course Duration

Online     7 Days

Classroom-based     5 Days

What You Will Learn

By the end of this course the participants will be able to:

• Understand the concepts, definitions, and types of social protection.
• Utilize concrete policy steps to design, finance, implement, and deliver appropriate social protection services.
• Identify global trends, tools, and good practices in social protection, particularly in the context of building up individual, household, and national socio-economic and crisis resilience.
• Design enabling policies, legal and institutional frameworks that promotes a socially inclusive, just, and equitable society.
• Actively advocate for establishing universal, comprehensive, rights-based, and sustainable social protection policies and programs in different regional context
• Understand the role of effective leadership towards transformative social protection systems.
• Reflect on the challenges, lessons learnt and success stories from social protection partnerships.

Course Outline

Introduction to Social Protection

• Concepts and Definitions
• Objectives of Social Protection
• Social Protection functions
• Instruments of Social Protection
• Social Protection and SDGs

Types of Social Protection

• Social Assistance
• Social Security
• Social Health Insurance
• Social Care Services
• Labor Market Interventions
• Informal Social Protection

Objectives and Impacts of Social Protection Programmes

• Poverty, Inequality and Vulnerability
• Education
• Health
• Nutrition
• Empowerment
• Social Inclusion
• Economic Growth
• Employment

Design and Implementation of Social Protection Programmes

• The identification of appropriate social protection instruments for specific contexts
• The design of social protection programmes
• Implementation issues, including registration, targeting, payment and information systems.
• Monitoring and evaluation approaches for social protection programmes
• Case studies of successful systems around the world

Social Protection Financing

• Sources of social protection financing
• Determinants of social expenditure
• Social protection and the economy
• Partnerships in social protection financing
• Innovative financing methods and strategies
• Types of financing systems and their application in social protection
• Institutional management of social security reserves
• Financial governance
• Concerns related to social protection financing.

Social Protection and Partnerships

• Budget support for socio-economic development
• Capacity building programs
• Civil society partnerships
• Private sector partnerships
• Beneficiaries of social protection: challenges and lessons learnt.
• Lifecycle risks

Cross Cutting Issues in Social Protection

• Gender Equality
• Social Inclusion
• Human Rights
• Governance

Global Trends in Social Protection

• Digitalization of social protection systems
• Expansion of social protection in informal economies
• Data and evidence-driven policies
• Aging populations
• Migration and diaspora
• Climate change and disaster resilience
• Social protection system post-COVID-19 pandemic

Developing a National Social Protection Policy

• Understanding the country’s socio-economic environment
• Context of social protection
• Policy measures
• Coordination and integration in the implementation of social protection
• The institutional framework
• Monitoring and evaluation, and communication of the policy

Case Study: Social Protection in Kenya

• Introduction to Social Protection in Kenya
• Overview of Kenya National Social Protection Policy
• Social Protection components
• Instruments of Social Protection
• Delivery and implementation mechanisms
• Social Protection success stories

Study Visit to Social Protection Programmes in Kenya

Training Approach

This course is delivered by our seasoned trainers who have vast experience as expert professionals in their respective fields of practice. The course is taught through a mix of practical activities, group work, and case studies.

Training manuals and additional reference materials are provided to the participants.

Certification

Upon successful completion of this course, participants will be issued a certificate.

Tailor-Made Course

We can also do this as a tailor-made course to meet organization-wide training needs. A training needs assessment will be done on the training participants to collect data on the existing skills, knowledge gaps, training expectations, and tailor-made needs.