GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION

1. PA ER TL CHILDREN SHG RO ENT CONTEXT OF PARTICIPATORY EVALUATION HOPE IN LIFE HAPPINESS FUTURE LINK TO GENERATIONS AGRI ALLIED RESOURCES AND ACTIVITIES PROCESSES INCLUDE… BANKS AND FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS • DEVELOPING BASE LINE • PARTICIPATORY ASSESSMENTS • SETTING BENCH MARKS • INDICATORS DEVELOPMENT • IDENTIFICATION OF SYSTEM, • SOCIAL AND SERVICE GAPS • SECTORAL SUPPORT INTERVENTIONS • DIRECT CHILD SUPPORT INTERVENTIONS • INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMEWNT WITH • APPROPRIATE AWARENESS ON CR • REPORTING VISUAL AND WRITTEN • PERIODICAL REVIEW/ REFLECTION • PARTICIPATORY REVIEWS,ASSESSMENTS • CORRECTIONAL WAY FORWARD EMPLOYMENT CENTRES GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION “N” Number of years and Partnership towards children Gaining their rights SPEECH/OTHER NGOs/CBOS INSURANCE AND SAFETY NETS KEY: ER – ELECTED REPS PA – PARENTS SHG – SELF HELP GROUPS TL TRADITIONAL LEADERS RO – RESOURCE OWNERS ENT - ENTERPRENUERS SERVICES – EDU., HEALTH, LIVESTOCK, ETC

2. EVALUATION CAN DETERMINE ……. • Whether the intervention achieved its intended spirit • Whether all resources – including human and financial – and systems worked the way it should have been to complete the task • What differently could have been done to reach the destination • What worked well and what not • Re-energized pace and new or alternate mechanisms to be considered • Whether the intervention reached the right corners • Should there be any changes to the approach base or mode of implementation

3. PRINCIPLES OF PARTICIPATORY IMPACT ASSESSMENTS • There is a general negative or policing by outsiders connotation associated • with the term “evaluation” whether it is mid-term or terminal. Hence the term • “impact assessment” is used invariably by many players in participatory field. • Participatory impact assessments are a process of reflection jointly evolved by • all stake holders concerned – starting from the bottom line to the top – as • continuum and not one off event • Outsiders role is limited to the level of facilitator and convener of forums for • dialogue, reflections, ensure space for every stakeholder, be sensitive about • cultural realities and sensitivities • Also the outsider need to help viewing local perceptions having link to wider • concepts, external factors, and contextualize the outcomes with wider • perspectives • The whole process needs to be transparent and accountable to all partners • wherein every decision and change is consulted/informed and involved by all • the partners.

4. Contd …….. • Tools used in the process should be field tested and ensured for cultural • sensitivity, empowering and not excluding any of the stakeholder on any pretext • The tools should also be user friendly and flexible • The assessment should be process oriented since the outputs and outcomes are • subject to be influenced by other external factors too • The process of participatory impact assessment should keep provision to make • assessment of the internalization level from the monitoring record for specific • interventions made by partners to reach the least ones • The mid term assessment should be flexible to accommodate issues that would not • Have been foreseen by the project design originally. • Similarly participatory impact assessments can go beyond the stated objectives of • the project but evolve issues and indicators from user’s experience. This should be • seen as additional benchmarks of navigation by the local players.

5. Planning • Success of the mid term review or impact assessment greatly rely on the • planning process. Thus it begin with basic questions and appropriate/ • clear answers….. • Who are all the stakeholders we consider and their avilability? • What is the right time or season to carry out the participatory evaluation • since it involves livelihoods of many players? • How to carry it out? What tools could be used in the process? • Who will participate in the process, levels and how? • How will the information be analyzed? At what interval the stakeholders • concerned will be updated? (failing which it may become yet another • stamping process with participation lable) • How will this analysis be shared and used by the project partners?

6. Child development in the context of participatory evaluation, by SPEECH, • is seen from ‘Rights perspective”. • Right based approach deals with questions related power, empowerment • processes, practical links between policy and practice and “good Governance”. • Rights based approach with children is enabling the primary stakeholders to • effectively address structural, systemic causes of poverty, deprivation and • exclusion of the vulnerable and weaker by sex, age, social, colour, race, • power and money. • There is a clear need to understand the linkages between the concepts of • participation, development and rights and the change processes between • the inequitable relations of power. This lead to the hearing of the voice of the • poor and marginalized in decision making. • Major duty bearers to ensure child rights in CRA • - Parents • - Service delivery system • - Community • - NGOs, CBOs and INGOs • - State inclusive of its policy, legislative, legal and administrative arms

7. VARIOUS FORUMS THAT COULD BE USED IN THE PROCESS OF EVALUATION • SELF HELP GROUPS • FEDERATION • TRADITIONAL LEADERS • GOVERNMENT EXTENTION STAFF • CHILDREN FORUMS (IN THIS CASE PALAR PANCHAYATS) • REPRESENTATIVES OF SECTOR PROGRAMME COMMITTEES

8. SOME OF THE TOOLS WHICH CAN FACILITITATE PARTICIPATORY IMPACT ASSESSMENT USER FRIENDLY • Social mapping – very useful in facilitating various perceptions and expression of children about their level of rights and user friendly in articulation • Timeline and trend analysis – track changes, pace with external change, space assessment and factors associated with the change • Venn and linkage – specific to depict sustainability factors and possible hand holding support needs, support system functioning and accessibility, positioning of institutional arrangement and dialogue on correctional areas. • Seasonal calendars and daily routine – useful in making especially children below 13 to articulate their views on interventions, dreams and aspirations, strengthening supplementary system (health, education, recreation and skill building • All these tools needs to be backed by appropriate story lines/semi structured interviews/role plays and guide sectoral facilitation against the original objectives

9. Key thrust areas of “Palar Panchayat” • Enable children to reflect on their present situation and social imbalances and create a dialogue forum for themselves. • Better understand child rights in their own context and critically analyse what is accessible and not accessible and why • Facilitate creation of an inventory of skills among themselves which could be further shaped • Orient towards good governance principles and citizenship • Develop exploratory skills on setting benchmarks equity issues around disability, gender, social grouping and rights and obligations • Improve participatory skills by providing hands on experience to facilitate analytical ongoing process of any external and internal system. • Lobby and advocacy for broader issues through networking

10. Milestones crossed BY Palar Panchayats • Palar Panchayat children managed to represent issues related to children falling victim to various child rights violations within their panchayats through regular /elected adult panchayat and government department • Children have raised voice on a National level campaign on child abuse in North India • Children managed to create a clear data base of child right status in their panchayat using participatory tools and semi structured interviewing • Girl children enrollment campaign is conducted and local fund from their own sources are raised to support girl children falling out of school system • Environment protection issues are handled by palar panchayat • Regular gram sabha meetings are conducted one day before the adult panchayat and resolutions are presented to the larger village forum from child perspective • Children have developed indicators to make assessment of their right status within their panchayat • Palar panchayat responded to the disaster situation in the State during tsunami • National convention is jointly organized by palar panchayat to influence policy priorities of National government.