Community Based Monitoring: A Dozen Things to Know

This fact sheet, published by the Soul City Institute for Health and Development Communication as part of the Reducing Maternal and Child Mortality through Strengthening Primary Health Care in South Africa Programme (RMCH), outlines some of the key points about a community-based monitoring model which has been piloted under the RMCH project by the Soul City Institute in South Africa. As stated in this factsheet "CBM is a form of public oversight that uses local information to describe and track changes within the health care system. It is aimed at promoting accountability through increased involvement of users in the delivery of health care services."
The document is broken down into twelve questions to help explain how the model works, what processes are involved, some of the lessons learned, and the factors that are key to its success. The questions are as follows:

1. What is community based monitoring (CBM)?
2. Why is CBM important in maternal and child health (MCH) services?
3. How was the Soul City Institute (SCI) CBM programme implemented?
4. What structures are important in implementing the CBM model?
5. What lessons can be learnt about good practice in the selection and constitution of various teams and committees?
6. What are the capacity needs of the general public and various committees to effectively monitor health services?
7. What is the BEST VEHICLE to deliver and strengthen these capacity needs?
8. What processes and tools are necessary to increase public participation and involvement in the successful implementation of the model?
9. How can efficiency be improved and the model optimized?
10. How has the intervention facilitated enhanced communication between the community members and the health services?
11. What structures are important in facilitating such interactions?
12. Has the model been effective in increasing demand, access to and utilisation of quality maternal and child health services?

The RMCH programme is being implemented by GRM Futures Group in partnership with Health Systems Trust, Save the Children South Africa, and Social Development Direct, with funding from the UK Government. It is working to help reduce the high number of avoidable maternal and child deaths in South Africa by strengthening the primary health care system.
For a more detailed report on this programme, see Related Summaries below.