The concept

(Extracted from BAPPENAS and TNP2K_Activity Note-IRS- (14/12/14))

1.What is the Problem?

This Activity aims to address the following constraints and problems in the SP system in Indonesia:

1. Fragmentation of the Existing Social Protection Programmes – Apart from being limited in scope, funding and quality, national and sub-national social protection programs are highly fragmented in many ways. Targeting mechanism is not standardized, resulting in the overlap of target beneficiaries.
2. Lack of Coordination Among National and Local Level Programmes – Several local level SP programmes are being run in parallel and without any coordination with the central SP programmes. There is need to update the poverty database regularly by providing local governments with the tools to promote coordination of programs at local levels and to make the programs more responsive and relevant to local needs and desires
3. Limited Outreach of the Programmes – Outreach of the national and sub-national programs is limited and complaints handling is scattered and uncoordinated between programs at all levels. All this has resulted in less efficient and effective programs and in many cases the poor and vulnerable do not receive comprehensive social protection services.
4. Inclusion and Exclusion Errors in the Unified Database – The UDB is considered to be developed using a top-down approach leading to little local level ownership. It is a databse of 40% of the poorest in Indonesia but suffers from some inclusion and exclusion errors which need to be removed through a comprehensive combination of top-down and bottom-up approaches for beneficiary identification.
5. Challenges with Institutional Capacity – The government institutions have limited capacity to integrate the referral system and to adopt a comprehensive system of providing programme coverage.
6. Limited Awareness of the Beneficiaries – There is evidence that beneficiaries are not aware of the available SP programmes or their eligibility for the same and that information is often note publicly available. This creates a wedge between their unmet needs for SP and the supply of these programmes benefits.

7. Limited access of beneficiaries to SPPs – even though some districts have provided one-stop shop services where the poor and vulnerable can apply for inclusion in a range of SPPs, the time and cost involved in accessing these services can be prohibitive for the rural poor. In addition, there is another critically important step, particularly for female headed households: fulfilling the identity part of eligibility requirements. Women, for instance, must have a divorce certificate to be recognized as the head of a household and therefore receive benefits for herself or her children from any social protection program. Getting that certificate (and often the marriage certificate that precedes it) is a significant undertaking.

 

2. What is the Proposed Solution?

The IRS proposes to address these constraints by providing a comprehensive solution in the following manner.

1. Innovative Technological Solution for Removing Fragmentation and Improving Coordination – IRS will aim to remove the existing fragmentation and lack of coordination of national and local social protection programs, as well as updating poverty database regularly by providing local governments with the tools to promote coordination of programs at local levels and to make the programs more responsive and relevant to local needs and desires. This solution will help improve the outreach and capacity of the SP programmes through improved coordination and exchange of information.
2. Inclusion of Local Level Ownership – By providing a platform for integration of referral system for local level SP Programmes with the national level programmes, IRS will help introduce improved local level ownership of the poverty database.
3. Capacity Building – IRS Activity is based on test-learn-adopt approach followed by an initial technical support to the participating districts and municipalities to provide not only Proof of Concept but also demonstrate success through Practice Learning. This will build the capacity of the participating districts and municipalities to adopt the new tools, systems and approaches to SP programme coordination and delivery. Training and workshops for local governments as well as social workers and facilitators at sub-district levels will also be an integral part of the design and implementation mechanism.
4. Providing Information to the Beneficiaries – The IRS will allow local facilitators to counsel families on where to seek assistance and what to do, depending on the current programs they receive. The IRS tools will help provide a mechanism to link the unmet needs of the beneficiaries on the one hand and the supply of programs available at national and local levels on the other. In addition to providing case-by-case information, there will be an effort to provide public information through various channels (e.g. NGOs, media etc). All this will help bridge the gap between the supply and the demand sides of the SP programmes.
5. Grievance Mechanism – The IRS tools will also be a conduit for the target beneficiaries to present complaints and grievances to the different programs in a systematic manner. The tools will enable for the complaints to be tracked and monitored to make sure timely solution and responses.
6. Improved Planning, Budgeting and Future SP Programme Designs – IRS system along with its tools will be able to inform national and local planning, budgeting as well as feed into the design of the future SP programmes. This will help national and local agencies project their budget needs and prioritise programs to address gaps in social protection of poor and vulnerable people including abandoned women and children, disabled persons, and elderly poor.

3. How will this Work? What are the Tools and Deliverables?

To carry out these multiple functions, the IRS is composed of the four main tools described below:

1. The Unified Database (UDB) Updates through Technological Solutions – IRS will be implemented using a specialised application which helps integrate the social programmes data at the local level and allows for safe data transmission to the central repository which will help update the Unified Database regularly. Similar software App based solution has been tried in other developing countries successfully. This initiative is aimed at adapting the technological solution for contextualising the same. The software will be supplemented with the user guides, manual and training materials. This will help prepare the integrated registry of beneficiaries of SP programs using the UDB and help in regular  and dynamic updates.
2. Family Profiles – IRS will help create Family Profiles based on Needs Assessment. The SP demands and needs of the households will be determined through a consultative process and Family Profiles will be created for both existing and potential beneficiaries. The family profiles are critical for providing individual case management assistance to poor and vulnerable families.
3. Programme Profiles – IRS will help develop a Programmes Profile based on the inventory of existing SP services in the corresponding district and municipality. This will integrate the available supply side information to help bridge the gap between the demand and supply of the SP Programmes.
4. Complaints Resolution Tracking System – The SP program inventory tool envisages a Complaints Resolution Tracking System, which allows facilitators and managers alike to follow the complaints’ progress towards resolution, throughout the stages of initial presentation, investigation, resolution and appeals. The case manager will help candidate beneficiaries with fulfilling requirements for accessing programs such as obtaining ID cards, getting divorce certificates for women or at least coordinating with the courts for support.