Course Details

Boosting Health Outcomes: Nutrition-Sensitive Social Protection Training Course

INTRODUCTION

While social protection programs are powerful tools for poverty reduction, their potential to combat malnutrition and improve nutrition outcomes can be significantly amplified through intentional, nutrition-sensitive design and implementation. Malnutrition, in all its forms, remains a major barrier to human capital development, particularly affecting maternal and child nutrition and contributing to high rates of stunting. This vital training course equips professionals with the knowledge and practical skills to effectively integrate nutrition goals and interventions within social protection platforms, maximizing their synergistic impact. Learn how to leverage social protection for better nutrition through this essential training course.

This comprehensive training course explores the pathways linking social protection and nutrition, and provides concrete strategies for making safety nets more nutrition-sensitive. Participants will learn how to adapt program design features – such as targeting, transfer values, and conditionality – incorporate effective nutrition behavior change communication (BCC), facilitate linkages with essential health and nutrition services, and establish appropriate monitoring systems. By completing this training course, you will be prepared to design and manage social protection programs that not only alleviate poverty but also contribute significantly to improving nutrition security and fostering healthier futures.

DURATION

10 days

TARGET AUDIENCE

• Social protection program managers, designers, and policy advisors
• Nutrition specialists, public health professionals, and dietitians
• Government officials from ministries of social welfare, health, agriculture, education, and planning
• Staff of UN agencies, NGOs, and international organizations implementing social protection, health, or nutrition programs
• Monitoring and evaluation professionals working on social protection or nutrition interventions
• Food security analysts and program implementers
• Researchers and academics focusing on nutrition, poverty, social protection, and public health

COURSE OBJECTIVES

• Understand the complex linkages between poverty, food insecurity, social protection, and nutrition outcomes (including stunting and wasting).
• Define nutrition-sensitive social protection and differentiate it from nutrition-specific interventions.
• Identify key entry points and strategies for integrating nutrition objectives throughout the social protection program cycle.
• Apply frameworks for designing nutrition-sensitive targeting criteria, transfer modalities, and potentially conditions.
• Develop effective Nutrition Behavior Change Communication (BCC) strategies tailored for social protection beneficiaries.
• Design practical mechanisms to link social protection participants with essential health, nutrition, and WASH services.
• Learn how to adapt specific social protection instruments (e.g., cash transfers, public works, school feeding) to maximize positive nutrition impacts.
• Select appropriate indicators and establish monitoring systems to track the contribution of social protection to nutrition outcomes.

COURSE CONTENT

Module 1: The Social Protection-Nutrition Nexus

• Understanding the different forms of malnutrition (undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, overweight/obesity) for this module.
• Exploring the pathways through which social protection can influence nutrition (income, food access, empowerment, service uptake) for this module.
• Analyzing the critical window of opportunity: the first 1000 days (pregnancy to age 2) for this module.
• Identifying the rationale for making social protection nutrition-sensitive for this module.
• Reviewing the global evidence on the impact of social protection on nutrition outcomes for this module.

Module 2: Frameworks and Principles for Nutrition-Sensitive Social Protection

• Defining nutrition-sensitive versus nutrition-specific approaches for this module.
• Exploring guiding principles for designing nutrition-sensitive social protection programs for this module.
• Understanding different program typologies and their potential for nutrition sensitivity for this module.
• Identifying potential risks and ensuring 'do no harm' from a nutrition perspective for this module.
• Examining frameworks for multi-sectoral collaboration between social protection, health, agriculture, and WASH for this module.

Module 3: Nutrition Considerations in Program Design: Targeting and Transfers

• Incorporating nutrition vulnerability criteria into targeting methodologies for this module.
• Targeting specific groups with high nutrition needs (pregnant/lactating women, young children) for this module.
• Analyzing how transfer value, frequency, and modality (cash, food, vouchers) can impact nutrition outcomes for this module.
• Considering the role of conditionality linked to nutrition or health service uptake for this module.
• Designing transfers to support dietary diversity and access to nutritious foods for this module.

Module 4: Integrating Nutrition Behavior Change Communication (BCC)

• Understanding the principles of effective BCC for health and nutrition practices for this module.
• Identifying key nutrition behaviors to promote (e.g., IYCF, dietary diversity, hygiene) among beneficiaries for this module.
• Designing culturally appropriate and engaging BCC messages and materials for this module.
• Selecting effective channels for delivering BCC within social protection platforms (e.g., during payments, group sessions, home visits) for this module.
• Training frontline social protection staff to deliver basic nutrition BCC for this module.

Module 5: Linking Social Protection with Health and Nutrition Services

• Identifying essential health and nutrition services relevant to social protection beneficiaries (e.g., ANC/PNC, growth monitoring, immunization) for this module.
• Designing effective referral systems and mechanisms to facilitate service uptake for this module.
• Exploring strategies like co-location of services or joint outreach activities for this module.
• Strengthening coordination and collaboration between social protection and health sector actors for this module.
• Monitoring the effectiveness of linkages and service utilization by beneficiaries for this module.

Module 6: Adapting Specific Social Protection Programs for Nutrition

• Making cash transfer programs more nutrition-sensitive (e.g., 'cash plus' models) for this module.
• Designing public works programs with considerations for women's time, energy expenditure, and childcare needs for this module.
• Enhancing the nutrition quality and educational components of school feeding programs for this module.
• Exploring how social health insurance can improve access to nutrition-related healthcare for this module.
• Integrating nutrition messaging into emergency social protection responses for this module.

Module 7: Monitoring and Evaluating Nutrition Outcomes in Social Protection

• Selecting appropriate process and outcome indicators to measure the nutrition sensitivity and impact of SP for this module.
• Incorporating nutrition indicators into routine social protection monitoring systems for this module.
• Utilizing specific data collection methods for assessing dietary intake, anthropometry, and nutrition practices for this module.
• Understanding evaluation designs suitable for assessing the nutrition impact of SP programs for this module.
• Using M&E findings to adapt and improve the nutrition sensitivity of programs for this module.

Module 8: Policy Coherence, Coordination, and Advocacy

• Understanding the importance of multi-sectoral coordination platforms for nutrition-sensitive social protection for this module.
• Advocating for the inclusion of nutrition objectives within national social protection policies and strategies for this module.
• Promoting policy coherence between social protection, health, agriculture, education, and WASH sectors for this module.
• Identifying financing opportunities for integrated nutrition-sensitive programs for this module.
• Building political commitment and stakeholder support for nutrition-sensitive social protection for this module.

CERTIFICATION

• Upon successful completion of this training, participants will be issued with Macskills Training and Development Institute Certificate

TRAINING VENUE

• Training will be held at Macskills Training Centre. We also tailor make the training upon request at different locations across the world.

AIRPORT PICK UP AND ACCOMMODATION

• Airport pick up and accommodation is arranged upon request

TERMS OF PAYMENT

Payment should be made to Macskills Development Institute bank account before the start of the training and receipts sent to info@macskillsdevelopment.com