ANNEXES TO THE EVALUATION REPORT EVALUATION OF UNICEF’S CONTRIBUTION TO THE NORMATIVE POLICY FRAMEWORK OF THE SOCIAL CARE SERVICES REFORM 2013-2019 IN ALBANIA APRIL 2020 Authored by: Camille Massey and Merita Poni, supported by Elayn Sammon. The findings, interpretations and conclusions expressed in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the policies or views of UNICEF. Readers are encouraged to use material from this report for their own publications. As copyright holder, UNICEF in Albania requests due acknowledgement and a copy of the publication. For further information, please contact: UNICEF Albania Country Office Skenderbej Street, UN House Bld, 3rd floor Tirana, Albania Telephone: +355 4 45 48 400 Email: [email protected] Attribution: Please cite the work as follows: Massey, C. Poni, M. Sammon, E. (2020) “Evaluation of UNICEF’s Contribution to the Normative Policy Framework of the Social Care Services Reform 2013-2019 in Albania”. UNICEF in Albania ANNEXES TO THE EVALUATION REPORT EVALUATION OF UNICEF’S CONTRIBUTION TO THE NORMATIVE POLICY FRAMEWORK OF THE SOCIAL CARE SERVICES REFORM 2013-2019 IN ALBANIA APRIL 2020 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Annex 1: Terms of reference for the evaluation ........................................................................................... 6 Annex 2: Terms of reference for the evaluation reference group ............................................................. 24 Annex 3: Visual Aids to the Theory of Change ........................................................................................... 28 Annex 4: Extended evaluation matrix ......................................................................................................... 36 Annex 5: Ethical Considerations .................................................................................................................. 38 Annex 6: Primary data collection tools ....................................................................................................... 42 Annex 7: List of data collection sites and interviews/focus groups ......................................................... 48 Annex 8: Survey results ............................................................................................................................... 50 Annex 9: Municipal case studies’ profiles .................................................................................................. 58 Annex 10: Correspondence of evaluation criteria with findings, lessons learned and recommendations ......................................................................................................................................... 64 Annex 11: References ................................................................................................................................... 66 Annex 12: Information on the evaluators ................................................................................................... 75 UNICEF in Albania ANNEXES TO THE EVALUATION REPORT 5 ANNEX TERMS OF REFERENCE 1 FOR THE EVALUATION Terms of Reference for the International Consultant for the Evaluation of UNICEF’s Contribution to the Normative Policy Framework of the Social Care Services Reform 2013-2019 in Albania UNICEF IN ALBANIA UNICEF is the agency of the United Nations mandated to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. In Albania, the overarching goal of UNICEF’s engagement with the Government and partners is to achieve, by 2021, the progressive realization of rights of all children in Albania, accompanied by the reduction of equity gaps, based on effective child-focused policies, systematically enforced accountabilities with adequate public resources, and strengthened respect for and protection of children’s rights. Specifically, UNICEF works with the government and other partners towards strengthening governance for equity and social inclusion and ensuring protection and justice for all children. The current Country Programme Document (2017-2021), as part of the “Delivering as One” United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF), will contribute to progress towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in Albania. The country programme is also fully aligned with national priorities of EU integration which includes social cohesion based on a modern educational system, universal and quality health care coverage, expanded employment opportunities, a stronger social protection system, gender equality and social inclusion. ♦ UNICEF results framework (2017 – 2021) contributes to the following results specific to children: ♦ By 2021, health care policymakers and service providers are equipped with knowledge, guidance, tools and mechanisms to effectively scale up and implement the new MNCH normative framework, focused on the most marginalized. ♦ By 2021, education sector policymakers and practitioners at central and local levels are equipped with knowledge, guidance, tools and mechanisms to effectively implement and scale up the reformed, Early Learning and Development Standards-based and equity- sensitive, early learning education framework ♦ By 2021, social protection policymakers and practitioners are equipped with knowledge, guidance, tools and mechanisms to effectively implement the reformed social protection policy (combining cash assistance with decentralized care services). ♦ By 2021, social and child protection practitioners have increased capacity to assist families in situations of particular vulnerability/at risk of separation to provide care for their children, preventing institutionalization. ♦ By 2021, child protection practitioners are empowered with legal and normative frameworks, 6 operational standards and tools to effectively prevent and address situations of child abuse, violence, neglect and exploitation. ♦ By 2021, justice sector policymakers, practitioners and independent human rights institutions have the capacity to fully align the Justice for Children normative framework to international standards and to effectively protect the rights of children in conflict and in contact with the law. BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT COUNTRY CONTEXT Albania is an upper-middle-income country situated in South-Eastern Europe. Rapid demographic changes have taken place in the past years, with a significant decline in the size of the working- age population due to rapid aging and continuous high levels of emigration. Data from the Institute of Statistics (INSTAT) show the shrinking trend in the total population size, from 2.89 million in 2014, to 2.87 million in 2018. The child population (younger than 19 years) has also fallen, from about 28 per cent (2014) to 25 per cent (2018) of the total1. The country has a high human development index, ranked as 68th out of 189 countries in 20172. Over the last quarter of a century, living standards in Albania have seen significant improvement, with per-capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) quadrupling from 1992 to 2017. In 2018, this positive trend in economic growth continued with GDP growth in real terms at 4.3 per cent for the first three-quarters of the year, attributed mainly to Foreign Direct Investment projects and revival of construction, and tourism3. Yet, despite this economic progress, wealth distribution has not been equal, and vulnerable groups continue to be underserved in the areas of health, education, social care and child protection. Albania has high unemployment rates especially among youth and women4. International organizations estimate the share in “vulnerable” employment (those engaged as unpaid family workers or own-account workers) to represent just under 60 per cent in Albania5 and that the country still remains one of the world’s 35 largest remittance-receiving economies. Albania is one the poorest country in Europe. Latest poverty published data are from Living Standards Measurement Survey (LSMS 2012), which indicate the urbanization of poverty due to internal migratory flows, confirmed that children are most affected by poverty: while 14.3% of the population lived in absolute poverty, the figure for children was 17.4 per cent (living in families with less than USD125 a month), and almost two per cent (1.8% or 15,252 children) were living in families with zero income. The Government of Albania (GoA) has signed and ratified various international conventions, documents and resolutions related to human, including child rights, and has been successful to have in place a robust national legislation in line with international conventions. However, it lags behind in the implementation of the laws, policies and strategies6. State’s financial allocations for social sectors—education, health and social protection—make up the largest share of public expenditure as a percentage of GDP; but they are not comparable to international standards for an upper middle-income country and fail to provide the adequate 1. INSTAT, Population Statistics, 2018 2. UNDP, Human Development Indices and Indicators, 2018 Statistical Update 3. International Monetary Fund, European Department, Albania 2017 Article IV Consultation 4. Mainstreaming, Acceleration and Policy Support for Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in Albania (2018) 5. UNDP (2016) Regional Human Development Report 2016 Progress at Risk: Inequalities and Human Development in Eastern Europe, Turkey and Central Asia. Chapter 2. 6. EU Albania 2018 Report, pg. 78; https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/sites/near/files/20180417-albania-report.pdf