The Puente Program, a bridge between the family and its rights

Panel 1 – Modernizing social assistance to promote social inclusion

World Conference - Social protection and inclusion: converging efforts from a global perpective.

Lisboa, Portugal – 2 & 3 October of 2006

Fernando Ossandón C.Head of Communications,

representing Cecilia Pérez DíazExcecutive Director

Solidarity and Social Investment Fund – FOSIS (Chile)fossandon@fosis.cl

www.fosis.cl

The Problem

Overcoming extreme poverty is a question of dignity.

Why has the reduction of extreme poverty stagnated?Social benefits intended for the indigent have been

used by others. It is not easy to deal with Hard Poverty.

The State itself should deal with the problem, by building an adequate model of social intervention.

The Task

Objective

“to overcome the situation of extreme poverty in which 259,398 indigent

families live.”

“that at least 70% of the participatingfamilies, at the end of the intervention,

are families with mutual support practices, who are integrated into their local

environment, who make use of the social benefits intended

for the poorest upon demand, who are linked to the existing social networks and havean autonomous economic income above

the line of extreme-poverty”

Result

Guaranteed Social Protection for 5 YearsGuaranteed Social Protection for 5 Years

Commitment to participate

Continuity Voucher

Guaranteed Subsidies

Student Retention

SAPPASISSUF

Protection Voucher

psychosocial sprt.

Preferential access to social promotion programs

Families in Extreme Poverty

Families autonomously

using the network of social

services available

1. The government “goes to” the people, where they live

and feel comfortable.

2. Social intervention seeks to be integrated and holistic, and is designed around 53 minimum social rights.

3. The focus of the intervention is: the family, and within it, the woman. Each family receives personalized accompaniment.

“A bridge between families and their rights”

4. ¿What are the elements that provoke “a bridge for change”? Subjective conditions. Access to resources and networks. Personal and family projections for the future. As a result, conversations change within the families as well as with the public agencies.

5. Joint effort: Central government (FOSIS), along with local government (municipality) + a social public (and private) network.

6. Family participation is always on a volunteer basis.

7. Co-responsibility.

8. Standardized device for conversations.

9. On-line control, capacity-building and training.

Criticism

The program design incorporates elements that the State was not prepared to deal with.

What happens to those citizens who received subsidies or support, and now are not eligible to receive them, because they are not the poorest?

The risk of politicization and patronage.

The Program could do more to build social capital.

Tensions

From assistentialism to promotion.

From sectorial to integrated work.

From the Counselor who “knows everything” to the Counselor who seeks key information & opportunities.

From individualized social protection, to a guaranteed minimum social right system.

Challenges for 2010

Social rights must be guaranteed, not only provided as a response to the pressure of group demands.

More extensive, now seeking to include: homeless persons, senior citizens who live alone, children up to 10 years of age, and increasing worker¨s social guarantees.

Families must be more linked to their communities and social environment, including citizenship and civic participation.

To consolidate a social protection system founded upon rights, means:

Thank you for your attention!

fossandon@fosis.cl

www.fosis.cl