Elements of Family Planning Success

The Balanced Counseling Strategy Plus (BCS+) is a practical, interactive, client-friendly strategy to facilitate integration of voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV, within family planning service. This toolkit uses three key job aids (visual memory aids) for counseling on family planning, STI risk assessment, and method choice. Experience in Kenya and South Africa shows use of the BCS+ job aids improved the quality of services and counseling and increased the uptake of family planning and VCT.

This online training course is based on the issue of Population Reports, "Elements of Success in Family Planning Programming." It summarizes the core factors contributing to success in family planning programming, as identified by family planning professionals around the world. It highlights program experiences, best practices, and lessons learned. These guiding principles can help family planning professionals plan new programs, make improvements to existing programs, and prepare for future developments and challenges. The course is free and available to all who are interested.

This kit provides information and tools with which decision-makers can advocate for and initiate community-based distribution (CBD) of the injectable contraceptive depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA or Depo-Provera). Drawing on research and programs from Africa, Asia, and Latin America, the kit presents seven briefs with evidence supporting the safety and efficacy of CBD provision of DMPA. It discusses best practices for successful CBD of DMPA provision, such as training, counseling, and ensuring supply.

Produced in collaboration with Save the Children USA, this step-by-step guide explains how to introduce injectable contraceptives — such as Depo Provera (or DMPA) — into an existing community-based distribution (CBD) program.

This is a comprehensive guide to DMPA provision by community health workers. It is easy to follow and contains illustrated information about the effects of DMPA, who is eligible to use DMPA, when to use DMPA and how to administer DMPA.