Objective
Agree on Principles of Operation and Terms of Reference for the SLG.
We recommend the CapacityPlus Guidelines for Forming and Sustaining Human Resources for Health Stakeholder Leadership Groups as a guide to forming and managing the SLG. In the first SLG meeting, use the template to agree on Principles of Operation and Terms of Reference for the group. The SLG can decide how detailed these should be. Make this document available to all group members as a reference and to ensure that expectations are clearly understood.
Stakeholder Leadership Group Concepts
The purpose of SLG is to ensure explicit agreement on the goals and objectives of the HRIS before implementation begins. The group will also oversee the implementation process, monitoring progress, making key decisions, and ensuring that objectives are being met.
A participatory and inclusive approach is the key to the SLG’s success. Bringing together the key stakeholders into one leadership group opens communication channels between groups that typically may not interact, facilitating collaboration and sharing of data. This process helps ensure ownership of iHRIS by those who will use it and builds the necessary capacity to support and improve iHRIS.
An effort should be made to identify and invite representatives from all government and nongovernment groups that produce and use HRH data to join the SLG (see Building Stakeholder Leadership). Representatives from all of the following should be considered:
- Ministry of Health departments (especially personnel, information technology, and payroll units)
- Ministry of Finance
- Ministry of Education
- Faith-based organizations (FBOs) that manage health service delivery
- International donor organizations interested in developing HRH
- Licensing and registration/certification bodies
- Private-sector organizations
- Hospitals and health facilities
- Scholarship boards
- Training institutions
- Experts in health workforce planning and information systems
- Health staff
- Community leaders and volunteers
Take care not to create a SLG that is too large in size, as large groups tend to be less effective. It is best to invite one or, at most, two representatives from each stakeholder to join the SLG. After the first few meetings, the SLG can divide itself into two or three groups (such as policy, operations, and implementation subcommittees) and periodically present their progress to the whole group. Keep in mind that senior leaders may not have a lot of availability, so be flexible in scheduling meetings.