Well-established linkages between outcomes in family planning (FP) and other development sectors can be leveraged through integrated social and behavior change (SBC) programs. However, as the evidence from integrated programming accumulates, professionals working on multisectoral SBC integration must strengthen these linkages by disseminating programmatic findings in a systematic and coordinated way; sharing useful tools and instruments; and communicating enablers and barriers to integration in funding, design, implementation, and evaluation.
To this end, a new Breakthrough ACTION report outlines enablers and barriers relevant to integration across multiple development sectors. The report includes examples of enablers, such as shared target populations, one development sector providing a convenient entry point to other sectors, and engaged community stakeholders. Among the barriers identified in the report are siloed funding streams, lack of relevant SBC evidence, and disconnected team structures in multisectoral projects.
Another commonly cited barrier, faced by both new and experienced practitioners, is difficulty in identifying and accessing relevant tools and instruments. These desired resources include evidence repositories, guides to design and implement social norms interventions, SBC frameworks, strategy documents, indicator lists, and program results. Such resources are often disseminated shortly after production but can be difficult to find later on. So, despite the existence of a significant number of SBC resources supporting multisectoral integration, practitioners still struggle to find what they need, when they need it. To address these gaps, Breakthrough ACTION developed a web-based repository—MULTI-SBC—that helps SBC professionals easily locate a range of current, relevant SBC resources. The resources housed on this platform are cross-categorized by development sector (e.g., agriculture, food security, and nutrition; population, health, and environment; democracy, rights, and governance) and specific project stages (project design; implementation; monitoring and evaluation), allowing practitioners to narrow their searches to resources best fitting their needs. The list of resources will be updated on a regular basis.
This Trending Topic features a selection of materials, also housed on the MULTI-SBC platform, documenting the work done by various successful multisectoral integrated programs.
