Numerous international agreements and conventions recognize social protection as a fundamental aspect of human rights. This report examines varying conceptions of social protection as it relates to children and existing international and regional efforts to monitor and assess the social protection of children. Existing international and regional sources of social protection data are examined, and those indicators particularly relevant to the welfare of children are identified. Following from this review, the authors set forth a selection of indicators for recommended inclusion in the Holistic Early Childhood Development Index (HECDI), with the main focus on indicators of policy, recognizing that other reviews will focus on child outcome measures.