Government Capacity Building Support program
USAID Support to the
Department of Social Development
Systems Strengthening
Presented by Dr Rita Sonko
21 February 2014
program background
• USAID & DSD conceptualised a TA program specifically to
support DSD & developed a TOR which resulted in this
program which was advertised in 2012
• The primary focus of the work is systems strengthening at
national, provincial and select districts across the country
• The Pact Consortium was selected & contracted in Sept 2013
until 30 Sept 2018
GCDS for DSD consortium partners
Prime
Implementer
GCDS for DSD program objectives
GCDS will provide support to DSD to achieve the following
three objectives:
 Improve timely availability of reliable data on program
performance M&E and information on the social effects of
HIV and AIDS and other vulnerabilities faced by children;
 Strengthen coordination, management and oversight of
community care service structures that protect and care
for the most vulnerable children & their families; and
 Strengthen inter-sector integration & coordination
between DSD and other SAG Departments (DOH, DBE) &
build a supportive multi-sector environment led by
DSD through system strengthening at the national and
provincial level .
program background
• Pact expected to deliver targeted technical assistance to assist the
DSD to improve coordination, management and planning for OVC
in:
o Task 1: Support and strengthen health and social welfare system
coordination and integration for improved OVC services;
o Task 2: Support improved management and outcome evaluations of
programs aimed at the most vulnerable children;
o Task 3: Support and strengthen social and individual behavior change
to prevent HIV infection for children under 18 years;
o Task 4: Support & strengthen DSD’s monitoring and evaluation (M&E)
systems & build the research base for cost effective outcomes for
vulnerable children
o Task 5: Support and strengthen the child protection response
framework;
o Task 6: Strengthen the management of the social welfare workforce
GCDS components at a glance
(Component 1)
(Component 2)
(Component 3)
(Component 5)
(Component 4)
(Component 6)
GCBS Theory of Change (draft)
• TOC\GCDS theory diagram draft 1.pdf
Customer Focused –Systems strengthening
Who is the Customer?
Child Centred
Approach
Child Protection Systems: Actors,
Context, and Components
Systems Strengthening - “Building Blocks for
DSD”
Service Delivery
Access
Efficient
Effective
Quality
Tools/
Strategies/
Plans/
Policies/
Legislation
3-6
1-6
Social
Service
Workforce (HR)
(Capacities/
Capabilities /
Competent)
6
Social
Development
Budgetting
& Financing
(Financial
Management;)
Leadership,
Governance,
Management
1,2
Information
Management
Systems) /
M&E /
Research
4
2
Common areas of community level systems
strengthening
1. Enabling environments and advocacy
2. Community networks, linkages, partnerships, and
coordination
3. Resources and capacity building
4. Community activities and service delivery
5. Leadership and organisational strengthening
6. Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and planning
Examples of work plan Activities
Activities
Supporting the development/strengthening of
tools, systems and technical support processes
to enhance NPO reporting
Outputs
Systems for NPO reporting streamlined and
strengthened for comprehensive and efficient
data gathering from service delivery sites
Mentoring and coaching DSD managers on
implementing sound data quality management
systems
DSD managers at different levels supported to
strengthen skills and implement sound data
quality management through mentoring and
coaching
Building DSD managers capacity to analyze
service delivery data so it can be used for
decision-making and planning
improved availability of data for decision making
through deeper analysis of service delivery data
across different districts, provinces and at
national level
Illustrative indicators: Accountability
Information Management Systems / M&E /Research
Indicators at district level
• Number and percent of districts with staff who have received
training in the past 12 months on MERL (disaggregated by type
of training, by province, by gender)
• Number and percent of districts producing quarterly service
delivery data analysis reports (disaggregated by province)
• Number and percent of districts implementing standardised
data quality management processes and oversight of NPO
reporting
• Percentage of registered OVC NPOs in the district reporting
into DSD NPO reporting systems in the reporting period
Accountability
Indicators at CBO/community level
• Number and percent of CBO’s using standard data
collection tools and reporting formats that enable
reporting to national reporting system
• Number and percent of CBO’s that held at least one
documented feedback mechanism with the community
they serve in the last 6 months
Functions;
Governance, Management, Enforcement
Institutional level –Government
• Number and percentage of DSD staff in managerial positions who
received training or retraining in management, leadership or
accountability during the reporting period (disaggregated by
province and gender)
• Number and percentage of districts with staff who have received
training in the past 12 months on strategic planning and policy
development
• Percentage of districts with an active DACCA (meeting at least twice
annually) (disaggregated by province)
Community level
• Number of CBO’s with staff who have received training in the past
12 months on strategic planning and policy development
• Number and percent of CBOs with a functioning governing board A board of directors meets on a monthly or quarterly basis
Challenges with measuring systems
strengthening
• No standards especially in the social
development sector; building blocks of the
“system” not standardised unlike the case
with health- WHO 6 building blocks
• Tons of options of indicators…. Few tested
Challenges
• The E in MERL is particularly methodologically
challenging – issues of attribution/contribution;
counterfactual-ethical dilemma etc• Need to explore and use innovative approaches
to evaluation• developmental evaluations aimed at ongoing learning
and improvement
THANK YOU
Key Pact contact:
Vincent Titus, Country Director
vtitus@pactworld.org
012 361 9885
Rita Sonko, Senior MERL Advisor
Rsonko@pactworld.org
.