Evaluation of Save the Children Finland’s Child Sensitive Social Protection Programme in Asia and Africa (2025)

Save the Children Finland has been extending support to child-sensitive social protection (CSSP) projects to selected countries in Asia and Africa. This is part of the Save the Children Finland’s Global Programme, which aims to reduce child poverty through CSSP initiatives in six countries across Africa and Asia (Cote d’Ivoire, Somaliland/Somalia, Zambia, India, Nepal and the Philippines). This is pursued through a tripartite strategy focusing on:
Improving access to social protection programmes for vulnerable and poor populations.
● Improving parenting practices in households receiving social protection.
● Increasing commitment to CSSP from governments.

This evaluation report of Save the Children Finland’s CSSP programme followed a mixed-methods approach. The evaluation focused on Save the Children Finland’s programme between 2022 and 2025, and it assessed the CSSP approach using the OECD/DAC criteria. The evaluation draws on the six country-specific evaluation reports, a CSSP parenting research (synthesis) study covering all six countries, as well as targeted KIIs.

The evaluation states that the contribution of Save the Children involved strengthening the foundational delivery architecture of government-led social protection systems. The role of Save the Children varied by foundational work in nascent systems (e.g., Somaliland/Somalia), system strengthening in transitional social protection systems (e.g., Zambia), and advancing policy in mature social protection contexts (e.g., Nepal, Philippines). Save the Children achieved tangible impact on access to and coverage of social protection by strengthening local “on-ramps” like enrolment and registration. System integrity was bolstered by enhancing accountability, transparency, and grievance handling through localised innovations, such as community monitoring and the formation of grievance-handling committees. Save the Children also provided proof-of-concept models for shock-responsive and adaptive social protection.

The CSSP Parenting Programme is Save the Children Finland’s most successful cash ‘plus’ component, consistently showing significant improvements across all six countries. These include increased caregiver engagement, reduced maltreatment, and improved child development outcomes. Save the Children’s technical expertise and evidence generation have been effectively used to influence government policies across the countries to institutionalise child-sensitivity. The CSSP model of Save the Children Finland model is a highly relevant and effective investment in inclusive, child-sensitive social protection. Effectiveness and impact are demonstrated through measurable gains in increased access to social protection programmes by vulnerable households, enhanced caregiver engagement and child development outcomes, improved access to and quality of essential services and policy influence. The evaluation confirms that the CSSP approach is a valuable driver of impactful change, though its durability depends on greater government ownership.