All social protection programs (SPP) are designed shock responsive as they deal with shocks that negatively affect families and/or individuals. However, most SPPs are designed to support households experiencing shocks because of life cycle events such as birth, old age, illness etc. Shock-responsive social protection instead focuses on disasters and crises. It encompasses the adaptation of regular programs and systems to cope with changes in needs and demands following a disaster. This can be before the shock by building shock-responsive systems, plans and partnerships in advance of a shock to better prepare for emergency response; or after the shock, to support households once the shock has occurred. In this way, social protection can complement and support humanitarian planning and assistance.