Developing Child Protection Indicators Background:

Indicators are one of the most important tools for monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and, accordingly, the backbone of a M&E System. They help us to identify and specify the changes that we expect to achieve through any intervention in a clear and measurable way. The design of a comprehensive but simple, user-friendly indicator framework needs to be planned before implementation starts and is critical to successfully monitoring and evaluating an intervention or programme. A lack of M&E planning often leads to weak evidence of progress of programmes and can only partially be repaired later on.

• Indicators are quantitative or qualitative variables that allow us to verify changes produced by an intervention relative to what was planned.

• Indicator baseline is the status of the indicator at the onset of an intervention.

• Indicator target is what one hopes to achieve by the end of the intervention.

• Means of verification are the source where the data for the indicator is coming from.

Table 1: Elements of a complete indicator with baseline, target and means of verification

OUTCOME INDICATORS BASELINE TARGET MEANS OF VERIFICATION

By 2018, a system and favourable social norms are in place to prevent and respond to violence in schools

National legislation has been passed that prohibits corporal punishment in schools

No (2013)

Yes (2015)

Ministry of Education decree document

% of schools with a referral mechanism for cases of violence and abuse

3% (2013)

15% (2017) Monitoring system of the Ministry of Education

% of care takers who think that children should not be beaten under any circumstances

47% (2013)

75% (2017)

Additional module to national household surveys

Source: UNICEF (forthcoming). Child Protection Resource Indicators Resource Pack: How to Plan, Monitor and Evaluate Child Protection Programmes

A large number of guidance documents are available to support the process of developing indicators for monitoring and evaluating child protection interventions and programmes. Refer to Table 2.

CP MERG Technical

Note #3

October 2013

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TABLE 2: RESOURCES FOR CHILD PROTECTION OUTCOME INDICATORS

ISSUES GUIDELINES OR IDEAS ON INDICATOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

GENERAL

Measuring and Monitoring Child Protection Systems: Proposed Core Indicators for East Asia and the Pacific, UNICEF 2011, www.unicef.org/eapro/Measuring_and_monitoring.pdf

37 pilot indicators with detailed descriptions covering 7 key domains for governance of national child protection systems

Child Protection Menu of Outcome Indicators - Save the Children, 2012, http://resourcecentre.savethechildren.se/library/child-protection-menu-outcome-indicators-save-children

The Menu contains separate sets of indicators for five thematic areas of child protection: Children without Appropriate Care (CWAC), Children on the Move (CoM), Child Protection in Emergencies (CPIE), Physical and Humiliating Punishment (PHP) and Children and Work (CW;). The first edition only contains sections on CWAC, CoM and CPIE, with those on PHP and CW to be added in subsequent editions in 2014. Available in English, French, Spanish and Arabic

Compendium of Indicators for Measuring Well-being, World Vision International 2012, www.transformational-development.org/ministry/transdev2.nsf/Compendium%20of%20Indicators%20for%20CWBO.zip

Indicators on child care, protection, participation and birth registration (pp. 52-61)

VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN

Violence Against Children surveys under the Together For Girls partnership, www.togetherforgirls.org

National surveys done by the CDC under the Together for Girls partnership data on the magnitude and impact of sexual violence

Manual for the Measurement of Indicators of Violence against Children (draft), UNICEF, www.unicef.org/violencestudy/pdf/Manual%20Indicators%20UNICEF.pdf

12 indicators on violence against children; includes one-page profile for each indicator and methods for measuring it

Violence Against Women and Girls – A Compendium of Monitoring and Evaluation Indicators, USAID/IGWG,MEASURE Evaluation 2008, www.cpc.unc.edu/measure/tools/gender/violence-against-women-and-girls-compendium-of-indicators

Indicators covering: a) magnitude and characteristics; b) health, education, justice/security, social welfare; c) under-documented forms of VAWG; d) preventing VAWG

JUSTICE FOR CHILDREN

The UN Rule of Law Indicators, Implementation Guide and Project Tools, 2011, www.un.org/en/events/peacekeepersday/2011/publications/un_rule_of_law_indicators.pdf

Includes a number of child protection-related indicators

Manual for the Measurement of Juvenile Justice Indicators, UNICEF & UN Office on Drugs and Crime 2006, www.unodc.org/pdf/criminal_justice/06-55616_ebook.pdf

15 juvenile justice indicators and their use

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TABLE 2: RESOURCES FOR CHILD PROTECTION OUTCOME INDICATORS (CONT’D)

ISSUES GUIDELINES OR IDEAS ON INDICATOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

CHILDREN WITHOUT FAMILY CARE

Manual for the Measurement of Indicators for Children in Formal Care, Better Care Network/UNICEF www.unicef.org/protection/Formal_Care20Guide20FINAL.pdf

Set of common global indicators for children in formal care, which includes children living in institutional care or formally arranged foster family care

Children without appropriate care indicators, in: Child Protection Outcome Indicators, Save the Children 2012, resourcecentre.savethechildren.se/content/library/documents/child-protection-menu-outcome-indicators-save-children

Menu of outcome indicators organised around predesigned outcome statements for children without appropriate care

Guide to Monitoring and Evaluation of the national response for children orphaned and made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS, UNAIDS 2005 data.unaids.org/Topics/M-E/ovc_me_guide_en.pdf

Methods and tools for monitoring and evaluation of the national response

Developing and Operationalizing a National Monitoring and Evaluation System for the Protection, Care and Support of Orphans and Vulnerable Children Living in a World with HIV and AIDS, Working Paper September 2009, www.unicef.org/aids/files/OVC_MandE_Guidance_FINAL_v3.pdf

Guidance on national OVC monitoring systems, including indicators and costing

TransMonEE database, www.transmonee.org

4 indicators on formal care and adoption in Central and Eastern Europe

CHILD LABOUR

Development of Indicators on Child Labour, ILO 2000, www.ilo.org/ipecinfo/product/download.do;jsessionid=0a038009cea7f8e8109a766429cbd3d8c4fd2af0109.hkzFngTDp6WImQuUaNaKbxD3lN4K-xaIah8S-xyIn3uKmAiN-AnwbQbxaNvzaAmI-huKa30xgx95fjWTa3eIpkzFngTDp6WImQuxb3qRc38Obh4M8OexhOaOgzX9i4j38QfznA5Pp7ftolbGmkTy?type=document&id=445

Contains a list of 22 potential indicators for tracking child labour

YouthSTATS indicators, www.youthstatistics.org/definition-notes.aspx

List of indicators included in the YouthSTATS database incl. definitions

Explaining variation in child labour estimates, UNICEF 2012, www.childinfo.org/webinars.html

Includes a framework for the statistical identification of child labour and UNICEF and ILO standard definitions

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TABLE 2: RESOURCES FOR CHILD PROTECTION OUTCOME INDICATORS (CONT’D)

ISSUES GUIDELINES OR IDEAS ON INDICATOR

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

FEMALE GENITAL MULTILATION (FGM/C)

Revised Logical Framework of UNFPA/UNICEF Joint Programme on Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting, 2011, http://www.unfpa.org/public/home/publications/pid/1294, pp. 22-36

List and description of standard indicators for Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting

CHILDREN ON THE MOVE

Children on the move indicators, in: Child Protection Outcome Indicators, Save the Children 2012, resourcecentre.savethechildren.se/content/library/documents/child-protection-menu-outcome-indicators-save-children

Menu of outcome Indicators organised around predesigned outcome statements for children on the move

EMERGENCIES Core Commitments for Children indicator guide, module on child protection, UNICEF, intranet.unicef.org/pd/pdc.nsf/e59d3405e8ee2cb9852567460068fae4/eba85580d8ad430f85257862007367f1?OpenDocument

14 proxy indicators for high frequency reporting

Common indicators for humanitarian needs assessment, Inter-Agency Standing Committee, www.humanitarianinfo.org/iasc/

Not yet published

Child protection in emergency indicators, in: Child Protection Outcome Indicators, Save the Children 2012, resourcecentre.savethechildren.se/content/library/documents/child-protection-menu-outcome-indicators-save-children

Menu of outcome Indicators organised around predesigned outcome statements for child protection in emergencies

Compendium of Indicators for Disaster Risk Reduction, World Vision, wvasiapacific.org/downloads/drr-toolkit/07_AnnexB.pdf

List of indicators for disaster risk reduction, including protection and participation

Source: UNICEF (forthcoming), Child Protection Resource Pack: How to Plan, Monitor and Evaluate Child Protection Programmes.

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Tools to Support the Indicator Development Process:

• Results-Based Management Handbook, UNDG 2011, www.un.cv/files/UNDG%20RBM%20Handbook.pdf

• Updated RBM Technical Briefs on outcomes, outputs, indicators, and assumptions and risks, UNDG, February 2011, http://www.undg.org/docs/9874/Technical-Briefs-in-one-file---aligned-with-RBM-Handbook.docx

• Handbook for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation and Development Results, UNDP: http://web.undp.org/evaluation/handbook/ch2-4.html

• An Introduction to Indicators, UNAIDS: http://www.unaids.org/en/media/unaids/contentassets/documents/document/2010/8_2-Intro-to-IndicatorsFMEF.pdf

• Some Basic Approaches and Guidelines to Developing Indicators, UNESCO: http://www.unescobkk.org/?id=1014

• Programme’s Manager’s Planning and Monitoring and Evaluation Toolkit, UNFPA: http://www.unfpa.org/monitoring/toolkit/tool6.pdf

• Monitoring and Evaluation Indicators for Integrated Vector Management, WHO: http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/76504/1/9789241504027_eng.pdf

The Child Protection Monitoring and Evaluation Reference Group (CP MERG) is a global forum for collaboration and coordination on child protection monitoring, evaluation and research. For more information, visit: www.cpmerg.org or contact: Secretariat@cpmerg.org.

Disclaimer: As part of the CP MERG’s overall mission to strengthen the quality of M&E, research and data collection in child protection, the Secretariat has produced the series of Technical Notes, which are simple, user-friendly guides for practitioners. The information in the Technical Notes has been pulled from other reports and/or websites with full referencing/credits. The CP MERG Co-Chairs and Secretariat have reviewed the Technical Notes. The content has not been edited to official publication standards and CP MERG core members accept no responsibility for errors. Please address any questions or concerns regarding the Technical Notes by contacting the CP MERG Secretariat.

Copyright of photo on page 1: © UNICEF/NYHQ2012-1520/Holt