The effect of social assistance policies on the welfare of persons with special needs, Puntland, Somalia

This study investigated the effect of social assistance policies on the welfare of persons with special needs in Puntland, Somalia. An embedded mixed-methods research design was employed, guided by Ecological Systems Theory. The quantitative component involved a survey of 298 persons with special needs randomly selected from a population of 1,210 registered individuals in Garowe district, while the qualitative component comprised semi-structured interviews with 10 purposively selected officials from the Ministry of Women Development and Family Affairs. Structured questionnaires and interview guides were used for data collection. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and simple linear regression, while qualitative data were analyzed thematically. The regression analysis revealed a statistically significant positive effect of social assistance policies on welfare (R = .732, R² = .536, p < .001), leading to the rejection of the null hypothesis. Social assistance policies explained 53.6% of the variance in welfare outcomes. However, descriptive statistics indicated that policy implementation was perceived as only "fairly satisfactory" (mean = 3.16), and aggregate welfare remained at a "fair" level (mean = 2.82), with critical deficits in housing (very poor), healthcare access (poor), and food security (poor). Qualitative findings revealed that educational interventions had yielded tangible benefits for school-aged children, while health sector policies had failed to translate into accessible services. The study concluded that while social assistance policies demonstrated significant potential to positively influence welfare outcomes, implementation gaps, resource constraints, and systemic barriers at multiple ecological levels continued to limit their transformative impact. Recommendations were developed for government ministries, international donors, NGOs, Disabled Persons Organizations, and healthcare providers to strengthen disability-inclusive social protection in Puntland.