Scoping Visit Report: Strengthening an HIV Sensitive Social Welfare System for Vulnerable Children in the Democratic Republic of Congo

The visit aimed to assess the current state of the social welfare system and identify areas for improvement. The scoping visit was conducted by a team of experts from the Coordinating Comprehensive Care for Children (4Children) project, a five-year, USAID-funded initiative designed to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) affected by HIV and AIDS and other adversities. The Democratic Republic of Congo's policy framework to protect children affected by HIV and other adversities is outlined in the National Action Plan for OVC (PAN OEV). The plan aims to provide a comprehensive response to the needs of OVC, including access to healthcare, education, and social services. However, the implementation of the plan faces several challenges, including inadequate resources and lack of coordination among stakeholders. The Ministry of Social Affairs (MINAS) has a mandate to protect children and provide social services, but its role and responsibilities are not clearly defined. The Secretariat General (SG) Office, Direction d'Intervention Sociales pour la Protection des Enfants (DISPE), and Direction d'Etudes et de Planification (DEP) are key departments within MINAS, but their roles and responsibilities are not clearly articulated. The lack of clear roles and responsibilities hinders effective coordination and implementation of programs for vulnerable children. Leadership and governance are critical components of a child-sensitive social welfare system. However, the current leadership structure within MINAS is not conducive to effective governance. The coordination of programs and services for vulnerable children is also a challenge, with multiple stakeholders involved in the process. Recommendations include strengthening the legal and policy framework, clarifying the mandate and roles of MINAS departments, improving leadership and governance, enhancing collaboration and communication, and increasing public and international financing for social services. The scoping visit also highlighted the need for a robust information and monitoring and evaluation system to track progress and identify areas for improvement. The current internal information and M&E systems are inadequate, and external systems are not well-coordinated. Recommendations include developing a comprehensive information and M&E system, strengthening the capacity of MINAS staff to collect and analyze data, and improving the coordination of external M&E systems. The scoping visit concluded that the Democratic Republic of Congo's social welfare system for vulnerable children faces significant challenges, including inadequate resources, lack of coordination, and unclear roles and responsibilities. However, with the right support and investment, the system can be strengthened to provide better services to vulnerable children. The 4Children project is committed to working with MINAS and other stakeholders to improve the lives of children affected by HIV and AIDS and other adversities.