Core Humanitarian Standards and Complaint Response Mechanism training to the partners of FCA Nepal
From the 3 days CHS/CRM training, the participants representing FCA implementation organizations, enhanced their knowledge on quality and accountability, CHS, possible actions to ensure the standards, its integration in project management cycle, difference between complaints and feedbacks, developing CRM in organization, different types of complaints and handling mechanism, principles of complaints mechanism, CRM protocol, FCA complaints policy and procedure etc. The participants conducted CHS self-assessment based on the 93 indicators of CHS standards. The partners also assessed FCA to identify its CHS implementation level.
The 9 commitments of CHS were introduced to the participants in reference to the practical examples based on their own context. Participants were oriented on the possible actions to ensure each commitment of CHS for the quality and accountability to both upward and downward level. The integration of the CHS commitments in project cycle management helped participants to understand which CHS commitment can inbuilt in which phase of the project cycle. There was slight misunderstanding among the partners if the CHS integration is applicable in humanitarian projects but they were made clear that CHS integration in applicable in both humanitarian and development projects. Some of the participants were slightly confused in CHS standards and Sphere minimum standard, but the training helped them to understand that CHS is all about the accountability of organization, humanitarian actor and stakeholders towards its affected people while sphere guides the minimum standard of support to be made to the affected people in the sector of WASH, Food Security and Nutrition, Shelter and Settlement and Health. They were made clear that there is availability of different guiding documents in internet for the minimum standards of support in different other sectors such as protection sector.
The participants were familiarized on complaints and feedback and also introduced with different level and types of the complaints such as operational and sensitive. They were familiarized with different means of receiving and handling the complaints. They were trained to develop the complaints response mechanism based on their available resources, capacity and area catchment of the organization. They were also introduced with the CHS alliance protocol for the complaint’s response mechanism. The group exercises and demonstration on the possible mechanism of the complaints handling for the organization enhanced their understanding on CRM and their reflections to the possible challenges during complaints handling process. They enhanced their understanding on the necessary steps to be included in the complaint’s response mechanism based on the CRM protocol. The massive discussion on the mechanism and field level experience sharing on different level and types of complaints from different context helped participants to understand the possible challenges while handling and responding complaints. From the group work, they identified several challenges to do complaints by communities, staffs, person with disabilities and children. They also identified possible mitigation measures to address the challenges to encourage right holders to complain in case of need. The CRM protocol introduction has helped the participants to systematize the mechanism without leaving any important aspect of CRM.
The partners CHS self-assessment using indicators of CHS commitments has helped to identify their position in terms of CHS. The self-assessment tool was expected to rank them in each commitment based on the different CHS indicators so that they can address the less ranked indicator developing required strategic actions in CHS action plan to implement in the organization. They were introduced to the various process of CHS monitoring and evaluation. The CHS action plan were developed based on the CHS self-assessment so as to address the low ranked indicators to achieve the required improvement. Partners identified different types of actions to ensure the CHS commitments in their programs for quality and accountability. Participants also ensured the establishment of functional CRM in the organization and showed dedication to promote the availability of such system among the right holders, stakeholders and local government.