Communication for Development Preparedness and Response for Polio and Other Disease Outbreaks: Training Package

This training package, developed by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), aims to provide field teams with solid understanding of communication for development (C4D) outbreak response and preparedness and skills to draft a C4D response plan for a disease outbreak. This is done by covering some core principles for communication and emergency response and preparedness measures that should be in place, especially for high-risk countries. The design is done in a modular way that is meant to be easily adapted to varying contexts, regions, and/or diseases, drawing on the polio experience as well as insights from other partners and global tools for emergency and disease outbreak response.

The rationale for the training package is as follows: The Polio End Game Strategy and Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) reports have articulated a need to strengthen polio programme capacity for outbreak response preparedness. As part of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), C4D is considered a key strategy to support interrupting virus transmission. Given the urgency in maintaining continuous demand for vaccination services, C4D must be fully integrated as part of outbreak response and preparedness. While the role of C4D interventions varies according to different emergency phases, C4D's ultimate aim is to build resilience by providing caregivers and community members with essential information that enables them to develop the skills and self-confidence they need to make informed decisions.

The training package is organised in 5 core modules and supplemented by additional sessions as per the need of each region. To facilitate rolling out, 2-day and 3-day agenda models are available. The sessions focus on key learning skills, such as: understanding human behaviour, community resilience, understanding and analysing social and epidemiological data, critical media and communication timelines as reflected in the SOPs, external and interpersonal communication tactics, and key stages/relevant responses of a polio outbreak and polio outbreak tools. Communication interventions for each phase of polio outbreak response are also reviewed. Each presentation is accompanied by facilitation notes that outline the duration, objective, methodology, and process for that session. This detailed guide identifies the key questions and concepts the session aims to discuss and the tools that can be used to achieve the learning objectives, especially for the practical component. In addition, a variety of resources such as videos, practical exercises, and information, education, and communication (IEC) materials / hand-outs are included.

Each PowerPoint presentation template is designed to be adapted to the specific workshop context. For regional or country-level additional use, tweaking the following is recommended:

• Exact title of workshop (to be added on the first slide)
• Regional and country context (maps, current data, etc. to be reflected as indicated)
• Scenarios relevant to current disease outbreaks of the concerned region/country
• Examples reflecting the current local situation(s)
• Pictures that reflect the region or country

To date, the C4D Preparedness and Response for Polio and Other Disease Outbreaks package has been rolled out in most UNICEF regions - both through face-to-face workshops and online webinars. Each workshop is implemented through close coordination with the regional C4D advisors and the regional polio focal points. Prior to every workshop, the workshop model and selection of participants (based on the set criteria) and/or other modifications required are agreed upon. Participants include health and immunisation teams who act as polio focal points on the country level, Ministry of Health (MOH) health education and routine immunisation officials, and external communications and C4D country colleagues. At the end of each workshop, each country team drafts a preparedness plan to ensure serious readiness measures are in place. On the regional level, the main post-workshop actions are the selection and maintenance of the regional roster and follow-up on country-level proposed preparedness plans for 3-6 months after the workshop. The hope is that, by improving polio outbreak preparedness, quality of polio outbreak response could improve.