The Child Support Index in Ethiopia builds on the original Child Status Index and several other adaptations. It is designed to:
1.Screen for program eligibility (based on the number of unmet needs) after it is determined that the child meets at least one category of vulnerability, as determined by the Government of Ethiopia’s Standard Service Delivery Guidelines for programs serving orphans and vulnerable children.
2.Understand and measure the assets and needs of each child and caregiver who is enrolled in the program.
3.Function as a care-plan for recommended interventions, based on the assessed needs of each child and caregiver.
4.Determine priority for care for emergency-action when it is determined that a child is severely malnourished, has (possibly been) abused, and/or is HIV+ but not receiving treatment.
5.Determine whether an enrolled child is eligible for transition out of the program (e.g. graduation) or soon will be.
6.Help Implementing Partners plan and budget for the interventions needed, for example for school supplies or household repairs, based on the aggregate level of need that the CSI assessment reveals.
7.Help Implementing Partners provide background information to partner organizations in the community, such as health centers and other NGOs, so that they can plan for the number and type of referrals that they will receive.
8.Measure change over time.
By contrast to the original Child Status Index and other assessment tools, the Child Support Index of Yekokeb Berhan is unique in several ways:
– It contains 7 indicators directed to the primary caregiver and 13 for each child, thus making it a truly “family” index.
– It requests some indicators not contained on the original CSI, e.g. related to disability, HIV-testing, economic strengthening and the coordination of care
– It is designed so that a combination of pre-selected indicators can serve as a screening tool for specific benefits, e.g. 8 indicators for a Vulnerability Assessment to determine eligibility for Economic Strengthening support; 2 indicators for a referral to the World Food Program, etc.
– It uses culturally sensitive Ethiopian pictographs and other symbols to make it easier-to-use for low-literate volunteers