PUENTE PROGRAM – BETWEEN THE FAMILY AND THEIR RIGHTS October, 2009

1. What is the Puente Program?  A decentralized public policy program.  Regulated by Law N° “Chile Solidario” which is part of the Chilean Social Protection System.  Its budget is annually approved by the Chilean Congress.  It is targeted to the country’s most vulnerable families.  It provides psychosocial support to families.  Comprises part of the Chile Solidario network policy: virtuous combination of social services and benefits.

What is the Puente Program?  Psychosocial support is provided by a professional or technical of the social area (so called Family Support Counselor).  Psychosocial support is performed in the homes of the families.  Family intervention lasts for 24 months.  The annual cost is US$ 140 per family.  Family participation is voluntary.

 Puente’s intervention methodology is aimed at the improvement of quality of life in seven dimensions: Identification, Health, Education, Family Dynamics, Housing, Labor and Income.  Each dimension is related to minimum conditions that should be achieved for a better quality of family life.  Puente focuses on resources and potentials of the families, not on their weaknesses.  There are other public programs and services which support the families’ achievement of the minimum conditions in each dimension (preferential access for vulnerable families). What is the Puente Program?

What ist the Puente Program? Outline: Chilean Social Protection System Infant Protection All citizens in general 40% of the most vulnerable children Contribution Reform Benefits for Unemployed Vulnerable Families Homeless persons Elderly persons Social Protection: Chile Solidario Labor Protection Cash Transfers Social Protection Record Children attended in the Public Health Sector

Puente features: Between the families and their rights Network Policies Priority of the Social Protection Record Preferential access Psychosocial Support Services and benefits from different policy sectors Guaranteed Subsidies / Cash transfers: Basic social pensions and family allowances FOSIS is part of the service offer Protection Voucher What is the Puente Program? Selection of targeted families Invitation of participating in the Program

2.- Why arises the Puente Program?  Until 2001, there were no social programs in Chile that offered intervention with extremely poor families.  Until 2001, social programs in Chile were oriented towards specific vulnerable groups of society (young people, women, children, elderly). There were no interventions with families.  The country’s efforts in reducing poverty levels were successful.  But reduction of extreme poverty had stagnated from the year 1996 on.

Why arises the Puente Program?  Poverty is understood as a multidimensional situation that can be overcome by interventions which consider the complexity of the phenomenon.  Puente is defined as an intervention strategy that copes with the phenomenon: psychosocial support for the families, preferential access to social programs and cash transfer through subsidies.

Since the mid-nineties, the reduction of extreme poverty (indigence) has been slowing down. Why arises the Puente Program?

3.-How does Puente work?  The program works with families living in conditions of high social risk and low income levels.  Through the application of a targeting instrument (Social Protection Record), the Program selects vulnerable families who are most likely to be affected negatively and who show less ability to deal with changes in their environment.  Funds from the national state budget are transferred to the Ministry of Planning (MIDEPLAN).  The Ministry of Planning delegates the implementation of the program to FOSIS by signing an agreement.

 FOSIS signs performance agreements (for collaboration or transfers) with the Municipalities (local governments), defining the responsibilities between the parties.  FOSIS responsibility: transfer of program funds, technical assistance, monitoring, supervision and training for the municipal staff.  Municipalities’ responsibility: implementation, program management and local administration.  The Municipality designs an official as the local chief of the program (Head of the Family Intervention Unit), hires the Family Support Counselors and provides infrastructure, equipment and local transport. How does Puente work?

 The Ministry of Planning annually defines the coverage of families at the national level and their distribution in the communes at the local level.  Through a “Coverage Plan”, the Municipalities organize the entry of the families into the program during the year. This depends on the working capacity of the municipal staff (Family Intervention Unit).  The Family Support Counselors invite the families in their homes to participate in the program. Together, they sign the family contract with their commitments.  The Family Support Counselors develop 21 working sessions in 24 months. They are guided by an intervention methodology. How does Puente work?

i  The work sessions with the families are recorded in a special Family Folder and in an online database called Registry and Monitoring System.  The program comprises three phases: a phase of intensive support, a follow-up phase and a closing phase. Each of them contains specific task which have to be developed.  Families can move from one commune to another without dropping out. The program continues in their new home.  When families graduate from the program, they maintain their preferential access to other services and subsidies they need.  The real cost for attending a family during one year is US$ 140. How does Puente work?

4.- Why do we have a Puente Program?  For diminishing socioeconomic gaps in Chilean society  For focusing public resources more efficiently  For overcoming extreme poverty of families

 For achieving a set of minimum conditions (53) for better quality of life.  For promoting inclusion of families into the social services network, accessing available social benefits and strengthening an autonomous use of the networks.  For improving objective and subjective welfare conditions.  For stimulating and/or returning capacities and psychological, social and material resources to the families.  For developing skills which enable the families to manage successfully the risks they to which they are exposed.  For promoting the families’ autonomy. Why do we have a Puente Program?

5.- What are our achievements?  231,000 families graduated from the Puente Program.  106,547 families are participating in the Puente Program at this moment.  339 from 346 Chilean communes are part of the program (97%).  The percentage of graduated families enabled to use the networks is: 72% in 2004; 75% in 2005; 77% in 2006; 75% in 2007; 90% in 2008 and 76% in  We set up specific indicators for each program area.  We established self adjusting mechanisms of supervision and monitoring.

What are our achievements?  43.4% of the families graduated successfully (with all minimum conditions achieved) until December 2008; 42,4% until September  69% of the minimum conditions demanded by the families who graduated in 2009 have been achieved.  We know the opinion of our program users.  We enhanced human capital indicators and increased family assistance to health centers and schools.  We increased the number of social programs for the families.  We increased the families’ participation in the network of public social programs.

¿What are our achievements? We contributed to reduction of extreme poverty in our country:

Summary Legal Framework Law N° Levels of Program Management Methodology National level: MIDEPLAN / FOSIS Agreement Collaboration and/or Transfer Agreement FOSIS / Municipality Family Contract Family / Family Support Counselor Regional and provincial level: MIDEPLAN / FOSIS Local level: Municipality / Family Intervention Unit / Family National level: MIDEPLAN / FOSIS National level: Methodological design MIDEPLAN Technical orientations FOSIS Regional level: Network management MIDEPLAN Technical assistance, monitoring, control, management and supervision FOSIS Local level: Network operation MIDEPLAN Methodology application Municipality / Family Intervention Unit National Puente Team National level: Executive Secretary MIDEPLAN National Puente Team FOSIS Regional and provincial level: SERPLAC / MIDEPLAN / FOSIS Regional Puente Teams Local level: Municipality / Family Intervention Unit

Summary Guaranteed rights for families Access to psychosocial support: Professional support by a Family Support Counselor who mobilizes family resources Generating and recognizing family objectives in the short and medium term Accompaniment in the achievement of goals Access to a Protection Voucher Access to information about Services, related to the achievement of family objectives (social networks) Access to individual subsidies and family allowances Preferential access to social projects and programs provided by the different public services of the network