The IASC Common Monitoring and Evaluation Framework for MHPSS Programmes was released for field test in 2017. In 2021, the Common Framework was updated to include qualitative and quantitative means of verification (MoV) for impact-level indicators in the framework. MHPSS.net developed the IASC MHPSS M&E Framework MoV toolkit to accompany the framework and serve as a resource to maintain and disseminate these tools in a single, easy to use format.

"The monitoring and evaluation of MHPSS programmes can often be a challenge for practitioners and agencies in the field. The landmark IASC Common Monitoring and Evaluation Framework was developed to provide a shared basis on which the impact of diverse interventions could be assessed, and the inclusion of recommended means of verification in the 2021 update will offer significant additional support to those trying to assess the impact of their work in the field"

Ananda Galappatti
Ananda Galappatti, Co-Director (Strategy)

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FUNCTIONING
SUBJECTIVE WELLBEING
DISABLING DISTRESS/SYMPTOMS
SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR
SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS
OTHER MOV TOOLS & RESOURCES

This toolkit includes means of verification (MoV) corresponding to the six goal impact indicators of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee’s (IASC) Common Monitoring and Evaluation Framework for MHPSS in Emergency Settings. These MoV were identified via a systematic process that included literature reviews and a call to member organizations of the IASC Reference Group on MHPSS in Emergency Settings (IASC MHPSS RG) to share commonly used quantitative and qualitative MoVs and approaches. Published studies were also identified from six literature reviews, which were included in the larger selection process if they had used at least one measurement tool (MoV) to assess one of the six goal impact indicators of the Common Framework.

Quantitative approaches were identified through the review process, a thematic working group within the IASC MHPSS Reference Group determined “inclusion/exclusion” criteria against which every identified measure was assessed. For an MoV to be included it had to meet four criteria, which were assessed sequentially. The criteria were (in order):

  1. Accessibility (that is, a global public good with free access);
  2. Relevance (that is, relevant to at least one of the six indicators; used in at least one other language other than the language it was created in; used in a low-resource setting); 
  3. Feasibility, (that is, brief administration time, available guidance for scoring and interpretation of data); and 
  4. Appropriate measurement properties (that is, demonstrated to be adequately reliable and valid in at least two settings).

Measures meeting the criteria were sorted according to age ranges and impact indicators. A multi-stakeholder meeting reviewed these measures and selected final measures for each impact indicator and age range. 

For each quantitative MoV in this toolkit, the IASC MHPSS RG sought permission from the relevant developers for their materials to be included. Developers additionally confirmed information provided in the guidance sheets in this toolkit. 

Qualitative approaches were identified in the literature reviews and attempts were made to organize them according to a commonly used framework. However, this resulted mainly in using only common qualitative approaches, such as focus group discussions (FGDs) or key informant interviews (KIIs), and the literature did not specify the range of strategies that could be used within such approaches (for example, body mapping, ranking). Therefore, a different strategy was employed. The working group defined the core concept of each goal impact indicator, with the intention that this could be used to inform the selection of qualitative methods. Next, the working group requested commonly used qualitative approaches from members of the IASC MHPSS RG. These approaches were accordingly assessed for their appropriateness to the age-related impact indicators, with support from expert consultations. 

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This toolkit will be reviewed regularly as newer and more up-to-date resources and tools become available. The feedback we receive from users is essential to this process and your considerations for improvement and overall feedback are welcome. Please email us to share your experience in using the toolkit and alert us to any new resources.

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Acknowledgements

The content of the toolkit from the IASC Common Monitoring and Evaluation Framework for MHPSS in Emergency Settings: With means of verification version 2.0, including the selection of tools and guidance for means of verification (MoV), was developed by the IASC MHPSS Reference Group.

The development process was managed by WHO and overseen by a thematic working group of member agencies of the Reference Group, including Church of Sweden / ACT Alliance, Americares, ARQ National Psychotrauma Centre, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Humanity & Inclusion (HI), the IFRC Psychosocial Centre, International Medical Corps (IMC), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Johns Hopkins University (JHU), Medair, Médicins du Monde (MdM), Médicos del Mundo (MdM), Médicins Sans Frontières (MSF), the MHPSS Collaborative, Save the Children, Terre des Hommes (TdH) and UNICEF. Through consultation and peer review processes, valuable inputs to the common framework and its update were also received from IASC MHPSS Reference Group agencies and from additional organizations, academic partners and other stakeholders.

This MHPSS.net toolkit was developed as part of a collaboration between MHPSS.net and WHO for the IASC MHPSS RG. The toolkit was developed by Shilpa Samaratunge and Valeria Florez with support from Marcio Gagliato, Ananda Galappatti and Brandon Gray. The development of the online toolkit site was by Cezar Neaga (const NEXT).