Social Services Delivery through Community-Based Projects
Summary — This paper examines World Bank involvement in community-based social care service projects. It identifies good practices and common pitfalls to improve social care service provision in future projects. The study focuses on projects providing services to vulnerable individuals and families to reduce poverty and exclusion.
Key Findings
- Community-based social care services (CBSCS) is a fast-growing field with World Bank lending growing significantly.
- The Latin America and Caribbean region has the largest portfolio of projects offering community-based social care.
- Intended beneficiaries for social care are predominantly children and women.
- Many community-based projects providing social care have not worked closely with local governments, yet securing buy-in from governments is essential.
- Social care projects should fit within the overall policy framework, so that demand-driven subprojects are complemented and guided by a larger system of norms and standards.
Full Description
The study reviews World Bank-financed community-based social care service (CBSCS) projects, focusing on projects that deliver services to vulnerable individuals and families to reduce poverty and exclusion. It aims to determine the extent and nature of World Bank involvement in these projects and to identify good practices and common pitfalls. The paper analyzes trends in CBSCS, including the growth of World Bank lending, the regions with the largest portfolios, and the types of services provided. It also examines the beneficiaries of these projects and the implementing agencies involved. The study provides lessons learned and recommendations for improving social care service provision in future community-based projects, covering topics such as policy context, decentralization issues, local authority involvement, recurrent costs, economic analysis, public information, targeting, and the role of NGOs.