Series of capacity-building workshops for essential workers completed under Spotlight Initiative

[GEORGETON,GUYANA] Essential workers from government and civil society workshops in Guyana, from January to June, benefitted from a series of capacity-building workshops geared at addressing matters related to Gender-Based Violence (GBV) response. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) facilitated these workshops under Pillar Four component of the Spotlight Initiative programme, which centres on strengthening the delivery of essential services in Guyana for GBV survivors and persons at risk of GBV.

Essential Services Package (ESP) Theory of Change Workshops

In January and February, 2022, two-day Workshops were facilitated in Georgetown, Region 4, and Port Kaituma, Region 1. 

The workshops convened representatives from the social services, health, justice and policing, and governance sectors to discuss service delivery guidelines for the core elements of the essential services delivered per each sector. Following these discussions, the recruited consultant was tasked with developing a Theory of Change. The document addresses required areas of improvement in the quality of services provided to survivors of GBV and persons at risk of GBV, by analysing the standards and guidelines of GBV services provision across the critical sectors that deal with the response to survivors and persons at risk of GBV. The resultant report also examines the gaps, challenges, and opportunities that exist in each area of service provision.

This initiative was lead by UNFPA in support of the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security under the Guyana Spotlight Initiative programme which targets administrative regions 1,4,6, and 7.

Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Case Management Training 

GBV Case Management Training were also conducted in Region 4 from May 23-25 and on May 27. The sessions were facilitated by UNFPA’s International GBV Case Management Specialist, Ms. Gaia Pallecchi. The Workshop was hosted jointly by UNFPA and the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security.

The subject matter focused on assisting case management service providers with enhancing their technical and interpersonal skills to deliver quality GBV case management services. Content covered included principles and standards for GBV case management and GBV information management; effective knowledge, practice and tools to apply the different steps of GBV case management; effective resources for the coordination of interventions among several service providers; required skills to provide psychosocial support to survivors; and required capacities for effective supervision and coaching.

Attendees included personnel from the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, such as the Survivors’ Advocates, 914 hotline operators and supervisors, the Counter-Trafficking in Persons Unit, the Childcare and Protection Agency, and the Probation Unit. Representatives from several Civil Society Organisations from Regions Four and Six also attended the workshops.

Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Case Management Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) Validation Workshop

Following the completion of GBV case management training, many of the participants subsequently attended a Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) Validation Workshop. This Workshop also included several additional participants from other relevant agencies. SOPs for case management in Guyana were considered by these stakeholders.

 The Workshop aimed to obtain feedback on the SOPs so as to establish common principles, standards and procedures, roles and responsibilities, to deliver quality GBV case management services as well as to ensure multidimensional, coordinated and standardised approaches to GBV case management in Guyana.

GBV Information Management Training

During the period June 7–9, 2022, and June 13-15, 2022, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) International Gender Based Violence (GBV) Specialist/Consultant, Mr. Girum Beyene, conducted a GBV Information Management Training in Guyana for both Civil Society Organizations as well as government agencies; as part of capacity building support provided for under the pillar 4 component of the Guyana Spotlight Initiative programme.

The training conducted was delivered within the framework of the Roadmap for Strengthening GBV Case Management and GBV Information Management in Guyana. The training focused on building the capacity of GBV essential service providers to enhance their technical skills and tools needed for safe and ethical collection, storage, analysis, sharing and reporting of administrative data on GBV.

Upon completion of the training, an evaluation was conducted to aid UNFPA in assessing the impact of the training. Highlights from the evaluation are as follows:

• “Enhanced ability to properly analyze, store and protect the data of survivors of GBV who access GBV related services”. – Beneficiary of training
• “Newly developed skills to better manage GBV information through means of proper coding and data analysis”. – Beneficiary of training

The conduct of the GBV information management training facilitated the development of strengthened tools for safe and ethical collection, storage, analysis, sharing and reporting of administrative data on GBV.