A Review of Disability Protection in Nepal Through Social Allowance: Policies, Practices, and Paucity

Dr Sipho Sibanda serves as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Social Work and Social Policy at the University of Western Australia’s School of Allied Health. He also serves as a Research Associate in the Department of Sociology at the University of Pretoria’s Faculty of Humanities. With over a decade of experience in higher education, he has extensive expertise in teaching and supervising postgraduate research projects. He completed his academic training with a DPhil in Social Work (2022) and a Master's in Social Work (2014) from the University of Pretoria, following his Bachelor's in Social Work honours degree from the University of Zimbabwe (2007). Before entering academia, he accumulated substantial professional experience in child protection organizations, progressing through various roles including social worker, supervisor, and manager. His research focuses on multiple aspects of child welfare and social policy, particularly child protection systems, foster care practices, family reunification processes, out-of-home care solutions, child protection legislation, forced migration, human trafficking, social development strategies, social entrepreneurship, human rights issues, and social justice initiatives. He has conducted research in Australia, Nepal, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Dr Sipho Sibanda is also a Board Member of Future Families, South Africa. He also serves on the scientific review board of several journals, universities, and research institutions.

Daniel Doh completed his Ph.D. study from Edith Cowan University. He is currently a Senior Lecturer in Social Work and Social Policy at the University of Western Australia (UWA). Prior to that, he was an Assistant Research Fellow at the Centre for Social Policy Studies, University of Ghana. He also serves as a Social Work Lecturer at the University of Western Sydney, a Senior Research Officer for the Silver Chain Group – Access Care Network Australia in Western Australia, and a Sessional Academic at the School of Arts and Humanities - Edith Cowan University. He has been involved in several governments and civil society research and policy initiatives. His work with the Government of Ghana, UNICEF, HelpAge Ghana, Revenue Watch Institute-UK, and other not-for-profit organisations in Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Kenya has led to critical policy outcomes in social protection for children and older people. His research interests include social work, social policy, and other cognate disciplines, including Ageing and health, long-term aged care, disability, informal care, child protection, and the intersection of migration.