Asessing families’ needs: A UNHCR partner staff conducts a household visit using a standard questionnaire which enables a wide range of information to be gathered on a family and their circumstances.
Determining eligibilty: Following the household visit, UNHCR and partners use vulnerability assessment frameworks to assign each household a vulnerability ranking, which is then used to determine assistance levels.
Selection Processes: Based on their vulnerability scoring, the most vulnerable refugees are selected for cash assistance. The scoring criteria is aligned across all humanitarian organizations delivering cash to ensure that the most vulnerable people are targeted and selected according to common standards.
Enrollment: UNHCR’s cash team enrols the most vulnerable families in the beneficiary list. The level of assistance provided depends on household size, based on the basic needs component of the Minimum Expenditure Basket (MEB) for each country, which includes recurrent costs and non-food items. A food consumption component is calculated by the World Food Programme (WFP).
Waiting lists: There is often a gap between the number of persons assessed as vulnerable and the resources available, so those who rank highest in the vulnerability scoring are prioritized for immediate assistance and others are placed on a waiting list. In Jordan, the waiting list at the end of the year was 14,500 families, a significant increase from the 9,000 families at the start of the year. The increase is attributed mostly to the increasing vulnerability of many families.
Delivery mechanisms: Families are informed by SMS once their cash assistance is available. UNHCR CBI is delivered through a variety of means across the region including bank transfers, vouchers, and mobile money. In Jordan and Lebanon, beneficiaries can access their cash assistance by scanning their iris at iris-enabled ATMs.
Monitoring: Post-distribution monitoring (PDM) is done soon after the assistance to assess how the money was used and the short term impact, while outcome monitoring tracks longer term impact. Meanwhile, market assessments and other monitoring exercises are used to collect information on a wide range of issues, including price levels, coping mechanisms, access to basic services, and the quality of the cash distribution process.
Appeals process: A complaints and feedback outlet is also available via call centers. Meanwhile, those not found eligible for cash assistance or those removed from the beneficiary list due to a change in their vulnerability scoring can appeal and their case will be re-examined.
Coordination: Coordination is vital to ensure a collaborative approach between humanitarian agencies delivering cash assistance. In many countries this is done via interagency cash working groups. In Jordan, the Common Cash Facility ensures coordination of beneficiary payments and minimizes potential duplication. In Turkey, in order to avoid anomalies and potential community tension, UNHCR’s monthly payments have been standardized with the amounts delivered by the World Food Programme (WFP) / Turkish Red Crescent (TRC)
Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN).