The Multidimensional Effectiveness Index (IME) is an innovation developed במסגרת the FONDEF ID17I10033 project, "Early Warning Prototype for Child Protection Systems and Programs Based on a Rights-Based Approach." This Research and Development (R&D) initiative addresses a structural challenge within the social protection system: improving the effectiveness of programs through timely, systematized information designed to support decision-making.
Its core proposal is an Early Warning System (SAT) that operates through the IME as its analytical engine, enabling rigorous monitoring of a program's performance across its eight key dimensions. This methodological framework makes it possible to identify progress, setbacks, and critical areas requiring intervention or redesign, thereby fostering institutional pathways of continuous improvement.
This transdisciplinary research sought to uncover the various systemic failures affecting child protection programs and, based on these findings, develop an analytical framework that would support a system for improving program implementation. Preventing harm and strengthening pathways of opportunity for children and adolescents were the project's central goals, adopting a functional perspective that translated a rights-based approach into operational practice.
The project was led by Dr. Teresa Matus, a faculty member at the Faculty of Social Sciences, with Patricio Valenzuela, from the Faculty of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, serving as Associate Director. The research team brought together scholars from three academic institutions: the University of Chile, Diego Portales University, and the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. Researchers represented a broad range of disciplines, including Social Sciences (Social Work, Sociology, Psychology), Physical and Mathematical Sciences (Engineering, Public Policy), Economics, and Law. Public institutions—including the National Service for Minors (SENAME) and the Chilean Gendarmerie—also participated, alongside civil society organizations such as Corporación Opción and Fundación Colunga. The project was carried out between 2018 and 2020.
The project has been recognized for its contribution and innovation. It received the highest evaluation from the Chilean Ministry of Science and was validated by the University of Oxford.
Ministry of Science Evaluation Report Innovation Recognition