Applying Improvement Methods to Social Services for Orphans and Vulnerable Children

URC leads Care that Counts, a partnership of USAID and programs providing services to orphans and vulnerable children (OVC). The partnership seeks to improve the quality of care for these children affected by HIV/AIDS. Orphans and Vulnerable Children receive quality care when they are offered a mix of services based on current best practices and both indigenous and expert knowledge.

Defining quality requires a client-centered approach to ensure services are relevant to needs and context. This calls for a focus on program outcomes, measured in terms of child health and well-being  rather than the quantity of services provided or received.

Collaborating with international nongovernmental organizations and in-country partners, URC developed the QI Road Map to increase the effectiveness of programs and ensure they are integrated into health and community systems. OVC program managers work with country-level stakeholders to define outcome-based standards. The process engages relevant ministries, civil society, and youth.

Once standards are defined, program managers who supervise service delivery staff identify and apply best organizational practices and measure the resulting changes in child well-being. Care that Counts is building networks of quality improvement champions for OVC programs across countries and organizations to support these promising communities of practice.

Read about the URC programs and initiatives which are seeking to strengthen maternal and child health services and improve the nutritional status of children.