7) a. Summary of Mission (Brief outline of a mission):

Two daylong workshops on the National Social Security Strategy (NSSS) and Child-Sensitive Social Protection for official of field administration were organized by the Cabinet Division and UNICEF, with support from the district administrations of Chapai Nawabganj and Rajshahi. The workshops were held on 24 May 2025 in Chapai Nawabganj and 25 May 2025 in Rajshahi.

The primary objective was to build awareness and enhance the capacity of district and upazila-level relevant officials to effectively implement the National Social Security Strategy (NSSS), with a special focus on Child Sensitive Social Protection, ensuring inclusive, efficient, and rights-based service delivery for vulnerable groups, particularly children. In addition, exchange ideas to identify problems in the implementation of social protection programmes and to determine possible solutions.

Participants in the workshops included the Deputy Commissioners, Additional Deputy Commissioners (ADC), Deputy Director, Social Welfare & Deputy Director, Women Affairs, all Upazila Nirbahi Officers, Upazila Social Welfare Officers, and Upazila Women Affairs Officers. From the Cabinet Division, Ms Murshida Sharmin, Joint Secretary & Project Director SSPS Programme and Mr. Sarowar Kamal, Deputy Secretary (social security branch) attended in person. Additionally, Mr. Khaled Hasan, Additional Secretary, Cabinet Division, Mr. Aminul Arifeen, Programme Manager SSPS Programme, UNDP Bangladesh and Mr. Ashik Iqbal, Social Policy Specialist, UNICEF Bangladesh, joined the sessions virtually. The Divisional Commissioner of Rajshahi was also present during the workshop held in Rajshahi.

7) b. Key Findings:

1. The workshops significantly improved the understanding of the National Social Security Strategy (NSSS) and Child-Sensitive Social Protection among District & upazila level government officials;
2. High-level presence from the Cabinet Division, UNDP, and UNICEF—both in-person and virtually—added value to the sessions and emphasized the importance of the initiative;
3. Field officials highlighted several challenges in the effective implementation of social protection programmes. For example, resource constraints, fraud in mobile financial services (MFS) like Bkash, Nagad & Dutch Bangla Agent Banking;
4. The Mother and Child Benefit Programme currently supports only 9 women per union (Chapai Nawabganj district) & 7 women per union (Rajshahi district), which is significantly low in the context of Bangladesh. Additionally, the disbursement of allowances is often delayed, which reduces its intended benefit for both mother and child;
5. At the Upazila Women Affairs Offices, there is insufficient manpower to effectively implement and manage multiple social protection programmes, leading to inefficiencies in service delivery;
6. Every person with disabilities is receiving allowances in every union, the same cannot be said for elderly individuals, widows, and destitute women. Moreover, the old age allowance programme is accessible in rural areas but not in urban ones, creating disparities and hardship for urban elderly residents;
7. Persons with disabilities face a lack of adequate educational and vocational training institutions, as well as insufficient healthcare facilities. Their access to local educational institutions remains very limited;
8. Vulnerable individuals do not receive adequate support due to a shortage of trained personnel dedicated to their care and assistance;
9. There is a shortage of dedicated manpower for probation services, which hampers proper monitoring and rehabilitation of minors involved in juvenile offenses;
10. Upazila Management Committee on Social Security often do not play an active or effective role in implementing social protection programmes.

7) c. Recommendations:

1. Increase budget allocations for old age allowances, widow & destitute women allowances, Extend old age, widow, and destitute allowances to urban areas.
2. Strengthen digital literacy among beneficiaries and enforce stronger monitoring and grievance mechanisms to prevent fraud in platforms like Bkash, Nagad, and agent banking systems;
3. Beneficiaries will get their own choice where they want to take their allowance like bank or MFS (Mobile Financial Services)
4. Increase the number of beneficiaries every union based on population needs &
5. Ensure timely disbursement of allowances through a digitized and automated payment schedule aligned with health milestones;
6. Recruit additional manpower (community workers) at Upazilla Women Affairs offices to enhance their implementation capacity.
7. Regularly update beneficiary databases to reflect local needs and ensure inclusivity across all vulnerable categories.
8. Establish more inclusive education and vocational training institutions in both rural and urban areas. Increase investment in accessible healthcare services and assistive devices.
9. Create a trained social worker (Care giver) to support vulnerable individuals, including children, elderly, and persons with disabilities.
10. Introduce community-based care programs with proper training and incentives.
11. District and Upazilla management Committee on Social Security should more active and   effective in program planning and monitoring.
12. Develop a Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) dashboard at upazila & district level.