{"id":3729,"date":"2024-12-19T17:40:48","date_gmt":"2024-12-19T16:40:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/health-inequalities.eu\/financing-e-guide\/?p=3729"},"modified":"2024-12-20T11:41:21","modified_gmt":"2024-12-20T10:41:21","slug":"portugals-projeto-familia-social-impact-bond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/health-inequalities.eu\/financing-e-guide\/portugals-projeto-familia-social-impact-bond\/","title":{"rendered":"Portugal\u2019s projeto fam\u00edlia social impact bond: supporting families, preventing institutionalisation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Context and problem<\/span>(s)<\/span> addressed\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

In Portugal, approximately 7,000 children and young people are\u00a0<\/span>institutionalised<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>primarily\u00a0<\/span>stemming<\/span>\u00a0from lack of parental supervision and monitoring.\u00a0<\/span>This\u00a0<\/span>institutionalisation<\/span>\u00a0places a significant financial burden on the Institute for Social Security, costing between \u20ac59 and \u20ac85 million annually, with a minimum monthly expense of \u20ac700 per child. The\u00a0<\/span>Projeto<\/span>\u00a0Fam\u00edlia<\/span>\u00a0initiative was launched to address the root causes of\u00a0<\/span>institutionalisation<\/span>\u00a0and reduce associated costs by promoting family preservation.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Intervention and financing model<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

The Projeto Fam\u00edlia was part of the first edition of Social Impact Bonds in Portugal, implemented in Porto between July 2017 and October 2020. It aims to promote the preservation within the family home of children and young people at risk of institutionalisation, through the development of parenting and relational skills and their preparation for self-sufficiency within the family home. The intervention is divided into three key stages: the signalling of children and young people at risk and signing of family agreements, an intensive six-week phase in which a Projeto Familia technician conducts weekly work sessions with the family, and a period of follow-up and potential preservation within the family home. The primary contracted outcome was to ensure that children and young people at risk remained within their family homes for at least 9 months after the intensive phase.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The project was led by the social organisation Movimento de Defesa da Vida, with a total investment of EUR 433 276 provided by the\u00a0<\/span>Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and Montepio bank. The outcome payments were managed by Portugal Social Innovation, with the Institute of Social Security overseeing the project.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Key outcomes (if applicable) and associated measurements\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

After three years, the Projeto Fam\u00edlia\u00ae delivered all the contracted outcomes and achieved a 91% success rate in preserving children and young people at risk within their family homes, surpassing the initially contracted outcome of 60%.\u00a0 Of the 180 children and young people involved, only 17 were institutionalised. As a result of this success, 99% of the initial investment was reimbursed. However, there were delays in reimbursing investors due to the demanding financial reporting requirements.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Results showed that investing in the Projeto Fam\u00edlia\u00ae intervention may represent cost savings of more than 90% in comparison to the institutionalisation of a minor.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It is nevertheless important to note that the SIB model allowed Movimento de Defesa da Vida to focus on families with a higher probability of success, raising concerns about “cherry-picking” \u2013 an practice that is often critisised in outcome-focused incentive systems. In addition, since the outcome payer was not the public entity benefiting directly from the intervention, there was limited incentive to integrate the SIB learnings into public policy.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite its success, the Projeto Fam\u00edlia ended in October 2020 due to the absence of public funding to continue operating in Porto.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Publications:<\/h2>\n