You are in: Better Practices I F. Build, Maintain Core Components I Over-Arching SH Policy
Elements of this Better Practice Include: Policy-making Cycle I Require Multiple Interventions I Emphasize Equity I Accompanying Action Plan
Related Better Practices Include: Shared Vision I Situation Analysis I Ministry/Agency Action Plans
Elements of this Better Practice Include: Policy-making Cycle I Require Multiple Interventions I Emphasize Equity I Accompanying Action Plan
Related Better Practices Include: Shared Vision I Situation Analysis I Ministry/Agency Action Plans
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Summary of This Better Practice: F-1 Adopt, Maintain an Over-Arching SH Policy
Health, education and other ministries, local agencies, schools and regulated professions should adopt, adapt, implement, maintain or renew an over-arching policy, ongoing declaration or coordinated set of related policies requiring/supporting a multi-component approach to promoting educational success, health and social development as well as multi-intervention programs to prevent identified education, health or social problems. The jointly-adopted macro-policy statement should describe the linkages among health status, equity and educational success (access, attachment to the school and academic achievement), identify critical health, social and equity problems relevant to the jurisdiction, define the role of the education sector when working with sectors to achieve health, equity & social goals as well as the role of those other sectors in supporting educational success, define the roles of local agencies, professionals other professionals, parents and young people, define a vision to be promoted with stakeholders that emphasizes equity and set long term goals as well as measurable objectives. The policy should allocate funding and staff as well as designate a lead or co-leading departments, units or staff to coordinate and facilitate the multiple components and interventions. The policy should require ministries, agencies and schools to identify a limited number of priority issues within their planning, budgeting and monitoring/ improvement cycles to focus their resources. Equity should underpin the policy, defining barriers and sub-populations that need to be addressed. Policies, mandates & procedures should be adopted, communicated and implemented by education, health, social services, law enforcement and other ministries as well as by school boards, health authorities, municipalities, police services, social service agencies and others. Regulated and self-governing professions should also publish standards of practice or guidelines for their members. International and national donor organizations should adopt similar policies & priorities for their funding programs. Each ministry and its respective local agencies should adopt an over-arching policy stating that it will require the use a multi-component approach when promoting educational success, health and social development through schools. Examples of such over-arching policy frameworks that can be adopted and adapted include School Health & Nutrition, Health Promoting Schools, the Essential Package and others. Note: Comprehensive policies that are part of multi-intervention programs on broad health or social issues (such as school nutrition or substance abuse prevention) are included in some of the selected research, resources and reports related to this better practice. This is because, in some jurisdictions, especially in the education sector, there may not be an over-arching school health policy but there are several multi-intervention programs/policies are in place that together can be considered an over-arching policy. However, specific policies on specific aspects of such problems such as school food sales or no smoking policies in schools are not discussed as part of this better practice. Pathways to Improvement This web site and workbook uses the four-point scale or rubric developed by the World Bank to assess and improve policies, programs and organizational practices in an incremental and continuous manner. These stages include:
Participants in the improvement process are encouraged to make their on judgements as to their own progress and not view the stages or criteria as set in stone. The goal of this process is to identify targets for improvement, not to issue a report card based on external standards that may or may not be relevant to the context. From a latent/dormant to emerging/restarting stage The essential criteria for effective practice on this item Include:
From an emerging/restarting to established/maintained stage Other high- quality elements that can lead to a self-rating as “established/maintained” include:
From an established/maintained to advanced stage More qualitative, incremental practical Improvements that can be considered while seeking a self-assessed advanced stage include ensuring that:
Key Sources:
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Self-Assess to Improve
Read this web page and its related research, reports and resources. Then download and use this Self-Assessment Worksheet/Tool to assess your progress to determine your stage of development and next steps on this better practice. Once you have completed that assessment with your colleagues we ask that you complete this anonymous online survey version to help us compile and periodically publish global tabulations. (Your responses will be kept confidential) These tabulations will offer reasonable comparisons with similar countries (low,high resource and conflict/disaster affected) to help you in your improvement planning. Key Readings/Resources:
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The Research & Rationale for this Better Practice:
(Research, reports, data, statements etc. that support this better practice) Key References: Please review, add to or comment on our Summary of the research, resources, survey data and reports on this practice |
Resources Related to this Better Practice:
(Examples, Tools, Manuals, Presentations) Key Resources: Please review, add to or comment on our List of Resources on this practice, |