GEN128 Support the implementation, monitoring, evaluation and improvement of awareness raising around health and wellbeing issues

Overview

This standard covers co-ordinating initiatives and programmes to raise awareness of health and wellbeing issues. It particularly covers supporting implementation; and monitoring, evaluating and improving awareness raising in the future. The standard is based on the belief that it is only possible to raise awareness of health and wellbeing issues if there is prior learning about the concerns, issues and priorities of the target group and the context of their lives. It is also based on evidence that awareness raising is usually most effective when it is integrated across agencies and practitioners so that there is a co-ordinated approach and message. This also leads to better targeting of resources. Awareness raising is also considered to be most effective when health and social well-being is viewed holistically. This standard applies to anyone who has responsibility for co-ordinating awareness raising of health and wellbeing issues, no matter their location or employing agency. The focus of the activity may be those whose health and wellbeing is the subject of the awareness raising or those who may provide access to those who are the focus of the awareness raising. Users of this standard will need to ensure that practice reflects up to date information and policies. Version No 1

Knowledge and Understanding

You will need to know and understand:

1. the purpose of identifying people's and organisation's roles and responsibilities in partnership with them
2. how to encourage people to understand their own and others' contribution
3. the purpose of encouraging people to make suggestions and recommendations
4. the reasons for clarifying with people why their ideas have not been used
5. how to present information to people in a form and at a level which is appropriate to them
6. the range of different support needs which people have from technical support to emotional and psychological support
7. how to recognise and determine the necessary regularity with which people need to be contacted
8. the relationship between offering support and identifying issues and problems
9. for how long it may be necessary to support people and organisations and how the nature of the support may change over time
10. the reasons for encouraging people to seek the support themselves rather than it being directed from others
11. the purpose of disseminating information on achievements and lessons learnt and how this may be done effectively
12. the range of ways in which achievements may be recognised and how these can be altered for different people and different circumstance
13. how to monitor and scan developments and identify trouble spots
14. how to determine the necessary frequency with which awareness raising needs to be monitored
15. how to monitor and scan developments and identify trouble spots
16. how to analyses information to reveal actual or potential problems
17. the range of issues which people and organisations are likely to experience in awareness raising
18. the ways in which issues and problems can be turned around to develop solutions and move practice on
19. the criteria which may be used to evaluate progress and how these differ over time and in different contexts
20. the difficulty of making causal relationships between awareness raising and changes in health and wellbeing and/or people's behaviour
21. the different evaluation methods which may be used to monitor progress and how to use these validly and reliably
22. the purpose of communicating progress and emphasising achievements
23. the qualitative and quantitative data and information which initiatives should produce
24. the data and information which the initiative has produced
25. the different ways of presenting qualitative and quantitative data and information and those which might be most useful for the initiative concerned
26. how changes in interest, legislation, knowledge, practice and technology may affect the initiative
27. how public pressure and lobbying may affect how people think about health and wellbeing and the knock-on effect this may have
28. methods of effectively monitoring external conditions
29. how to assess achievements and shortfalls in awareness raising
30. the different types of shortfalls which might arise and the reasons for them occurring
31. how to assess the impact of shortfalls on plans and agree them with those involved
32. how to develop recommendations which strike the best balance between the different factors which have to be taken into account
33. how to present the outcomes of evaluations in forms which are suitable for different audiences who may use them
34. your own role in taking forward different recommendations and any responsibility which you may have, or have delegated, to others

Performance Criteria

You must be able to do the following:

1. identify the roles and responsibilities of different people and organisations in the awareness raising in partnership with them
2. encourage and support people to understand their contribution to the awareness raising, to offer suggestions, ideas and views and take an active part in the process
3. ensure that where appropriate, you give prompt, clear and relevant reasons why it is not possible to act on a recommendation
4. contact those involved in the awareness raising with sufficient regularity to identify any arising issues and offer solutions
5. provide necessary and appropriate support throughout the awareness raising
6. encourage those involved to seek the support they need at the time when they need it
7. take the appropriate action as soon as is possible to solve any problems arising whilst maintaining the overall direction and thrust of the awareness raising
8. contact people in the target group to gain feedback on the effectiveness of the inputs and outcomes of the awareness raising
9. maintain records of the achievements and lessons learnt and effectively disseminate these to all involved to maintain commitment and target improvements
10. recognise achievements in a way which is appropriate to those concerned, the nature of the achievement and the overall context
11. monitor awareness at optimum intervals to identify how well the inputs are working and the extent to which they appear to be capturing the interest of the target group
12. carry out monitoring in a way which is capable of scanning all parts of the awareness raising and of identifying any trouble spots
13. contact those involved without delay when awareness raising plans need to be revised
14. evaluate the effectiveness of the awareness raising against appropriate criteria using appropriate evaluation methods
15. evaluate the information obtained to determine the outcomes achieved, the extent to which they meet agreed plans and the effectiveness of the different inputs
16. determine achievements and shortfalls, and the reasons for these
17. discuss the ways in which shortfalls can be used to inform future awareness raising with those concerned
18. make recommendations for improving awareness raising that strike the best balance between the achievements made, shortfalls and any other known factors
19. offer recommendations to those concerned in a form and at a time which is suitable for their use
20. communicate with others in a manner and at a level appropriate to the individuals concerned and the decisions which are to taken
21. take the appropriate actions to put agreed recommendations for change in place

Additional Information

This National Occupational Standard was developed by Skills for Health. This standard replaced MH88. This standard links with the following dimension within the NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework (October 2004): Dimension: HWB1 Promotion of health and wellbeing and prevention of adverse effects on health and wellbeing