Consultant to Develop the National Guidance on CAB/CSC

TERM OF REFERENCE

Support the development of the National Guidance on implementation of Community Advisory Board/Community Scorecard (CAB/CSC) model

Title: A consultant to develop the National Guidance on CAB/CSC

Time frame: 28/6/2021 - 29/9/2021

Requirement: National Consultant

Location: Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh city (Hanoi-located preferred)

Duration: 11 full working days

1. CONTEXT

In Vietnam, although people living with HIV (PLHIV) and clients of HIV services have participated in stigma and discrimination (S&D) reduction efforts, there is a need for approaches to engage and empower the community in service monitoring and quality improvement activities. Under HAIVN’s support, the Community Advisory Board (CAB) model was developed, and CABs were established in 6 provinces (Binh Duong, Thai Nguyen, Hai Phong, BRVT, Long An, Hanoi). Each CAB consists of 10 - 15 members and is designed as a forum where PLHIV and members of key populations (KPs) at risk of HIV can actively participate in efforts to improve the quality of healthcare services and reduce S&D for those seeking HIV related care. The CAB’s primary responsibilities are to 1) facilitate, collect and review client feedback with key staff from health facilities and provincial Centers for Disease Control (pCDC); 2) collaborate with healthcare facilities to develop strategies to improve service quality and reduce S&D; 3) inform and educate the HIV community about health initiatives; 4) provide support to facilitate the implementation of national public health priorities. The CAB is a channel to bring client’s perspectives on the quality of HIV services to healthcare providers. It helps pCDC to monitor the quality of healthcare services in OPCs within province and develop improvement plans to improve service quality. After two years of implementation, the CAB model has proven to be effective in improving quality of care, client experience and satisfaction, and patient health literacy. Many important lessons were learned to inform scale-up efforts.

CABs also facilitate the Community Scorecards (CSC) approach, a two-way, participatory, community-led quality improvement tool used for assessing, planning, monitoring and evaluating health services. Under the facilitation of the CAB, through semi-quantitative scoring of service quality and periodical dialogues with health staff, clients and community representatives are directly involved in ensuring client-centered service delivery at the facility level. A total 15 indicators were developed and harmonized across provinces covering prevention, counseling and testing, care and treatment, facilities, policy and procedures, and overall satisfaction. Additional indicators were developed based on local priorities. Discussions also provided qualitative data for all indicators. Quarterly CSC implementation began in January 2020 at 7 sites; three rounds have recently been completed with accompanying advocacy action plans during dialogue sessions (detail information can be provided in the available SOP). Currently, CSC is being implemented in Binh Duong (4 sites) and Thai Nguyen (3 sites) and soon will be expanded to Hai Phong and Hanoi.

Based on the experience described above, the VAAC plans to develop a National Guidance to support provinces in implementation of the models. HAIVN, in support of this effort, seeks to hire a consultant to review, revise, and package CAB and CSC-related documents (e.g., terms of reference (TOR), standard operating procedures (SOP), training curricula, and tools) into the Guidance. MOH/VAAC approval of the Guidance will be sought and, following approval, the Guidance will be posted online, printed and distributed to pCDCs.

2. OBJECTIVE

The national independent consultant shall support HAIVN/VAAC in developing and finalizing the National Guidance on CAB/CSC which will be ready for MOH/VAAC endorsement.

3. SPECIFIC TASKS, DELIVERABLES AND TIMELINE

Under supervision of HAIVN, the consultant will develop and finalize the National Guidance.  All drafts should be developed in both English and Vietnamese. Specific tasks include:

4. DOCUMENTS PROVIDED BY HAIVN

HAIVN will provide the national consultant with the following documents:

• Bilingual TOR for CAB
• Bilingual SOP for CSC
• Bilingual package of CAB training materials
• Relevant reporting forms and tools for CAB/CSC
• Other relevant available materials.

5. QUALIFICATION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

• Have at least a master’s degree in public health, public policy, medical doctor or related fields;
• Have at least 10 years of experience in a field related to policy and development;
• Have knowledge and understanding about HIV and PEPFAR program in Vietnam;
• Have sound knowledge of Vietnam governmental policy;
• Have knowledge on the development context of Vietnam, coordination mechanism among sectors and levels;
• Have experience in writing reports, research, policy; particularly in writing Vietnam government documents
• Good analytic skill, talented in illustrating complex process;
• Excellent writing skills in both English and Vietnamese.

7. APPLICATION

• Documents to be submitted are:
• Cover Letter (max. 1 pages);
• Comprehensive CV including list of references;
• Sample of research/report or other writing;
• Language: English.

Interested individuals or teams are requested to send the application documents to Ms. Dam Thuy Huong at [email protected]. Please also direct potential questions to this email address.

Deadline for submission is July 9, 2021 at 24:00 VNT