CBR training manuals and tools

Community-based rehabilitation (CBR) is one of the key inclusive community development strategies for the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, as well as contributing to the Millennium Development Goals and forthcoming Sustainable Development Goals.

The CBR approach aims to change attitudes and behaviours, promote social inclusion, make services accessible and remove barriers that prevent people with disabilities from fully enjoying their human rights.

This key list contains CBR training manuals, guides and tools to help with the planning, delivery, monitoring and evaluation of programmes. It was produced in collaboration with IDDC CBR Task Group. We welcome your suggestions: please send comments or suggested additions to sourceassistant@hi-uk.org

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Selected resources

A guide for community health workers supporting children with disabilities

ADAMS, Mel
et al
2014

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"This resource is to be used as a guide for Community Health Workers (CHWs) to support parents in promoting the development and independence of their child with neurodevelopmental disabilities...In line with current thinking, this resource places the emphasis on promoting activity and participation in a child’s daily life activities rather than therapies that try to fix ‘the problem’ (Skelton and Rosenbaum, 2010). As such, this manual provides ideas on how to support the child during activities of daily living – taking particular account of their physical and communication abilities and needs – and does not include hands-on rehabilitation techniques that focus on specific impairments. It does however provide guidance on overall management and prevention of further disability. The materials in this manual can be used as the basis for a programme of intervention that progresses through two stages"

Note: As indicated when clicking on the resource link below, the manual is available once contact details are entered or alternatively user can contact mel@maits.org.uk to receive a free pdf copy of this resource

A manual for CBR planners

THOMAS, Maya
THOMAS, M J
Eds
2003

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This manual for community-based rehabilitation planners has 13 sections and contains a very useful overview of the history of CBR with valuable introductory reading for newcomers to the field. The subsequent six sections cover planning, needs assessment and include suggestions of how to understand local communities and encourage community participation in CBR programmes. The final six sections are concerned with programme management issues; for example, as organising self-help groups, training personnel for CBR, and the sustainability of projects including evaluation and management of change

CBR training manual

LIGHT FOR THE WORLD

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"Building on existing basic CBR skills set out in publications such as Disabled Village Children (Hesperian Foundation) and the manual Training in the Community for People with Disabilities (WHO), this training manual covers the additional organizational skills, knowledge and attitudes needed when implementing CBR in accordance with the various components of the new CBR guidelines... Each training module can be used independently of the other modules and it is also possible to use individual sessions from a module. When following all of the modules, there is a certain overlap, for example, between the modules on networking, working with disabled people’s organisations (DPO) and social integration. Trainers can select sessions that are more applicable for their trainees. Training objectives are set out at the beginning of each training sheet. Some modules do not cover all of the objectives if the knowledge, skills and attitudes are covered in other modules. The trainer therefore has the flexibility to decide whether to add sessions to a module where applicable. Training objectives are divided into the skills, knowledge and attitudes needed in order to work in the field on that specific topic. If certain modules are more suitable for CBR (field) workers rather than supervisors or managers, or vice versa, this is clearly indicated
A CD which provides supporting materials is included with this manual. Folders for each module contain sub-folders with the session number. Materials for single sessions are included, as are general materials about the module topics. The presentations on the CD are all PowerPoint presentations. Not all settings are appropriate for a PowerPoint presentation. Alternative forms of doing a presentations should then be chosen"

Disabled village children : a guide for community health workers, rehabilitation workers, and families

WERNER, David
1999

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This well-known manual contains a wealth of information that is crucial for therapists, professionals and community groups. It deals comprehensively with all common childhood disabilities including polio, cerebral palsy, juvenile arthritis, blindness and deafness. It provides clear, detailed information and easy-to-implement ideas for rehabilitation at the village level, the development of skills, making low-cost aids and the prevention of disabilities

Empowering communities through knowledge transfer : training guide for community based rehabilitation

FERRANTE, Marco
2014

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This manual, along with the attached annex, presents useful information about community based rehabilitation (CBR) in Sudan. It is to be used as a practical tool for both existing CBR schemes and other communities that are looking forward to establishing CBR schemes. This document is divided into the following eight practical units:

 

1: Community Based Rehabilitation: Concepts and practical strategies

2: Community Based Rehabilitation and Social change

3: CBR & Education

4: CBR & Health

5: CBR & Livelihood

6: CBR & Employment

7: CBR & Management strategies

8: Training of trainers guide

 

The annex provides additional advice on the practical application of CBR theories and strategies in the context of Sudan

 

Note: OVCI gave copyright permission for this document to be uploaded and made publicly available on the Source website

Helping children who are blind : family and community support for children with vision problems|Ayudar a los niños ciegos : apoyo familiar y comunitario para niños con problemas de la vista

NIEMANN, Sandy
JACOB, Namita
2000

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Children develop faster in the first five years of life than any other time, and children who are blind need extra help so they can learn how to use their other senses to explore, learn and interact with the world. The simple activities in this book can help families, health workers, and individuals to support children with vision impairment to develop their capabilities. Topics include: assessing how much a child can see; preventing blindness; helping a child move around safely; activities of daily living; preparing for childcare or school; and supporting the parents of blind children. The book is written in an easy-to-read style with illustrations and examples from southern countries

Helping children who are deaf : family and community support for children who do not hear well

NIEMANN, Sandy
GREENSTEIN, Devorah
DAVID, Darlena
2004

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This book was written primarily for parents and other caregivers of young children. It provides a wealth of well-illustrated practical information. The book gives a thorough overview of the different ways to communicate with hearing impaired children. It is written in an easy-to-read style with lots of illustrations and examples from Southern countries.

Philippine CBR manual : an inclusive development strategy

MCGLADE, Barney
MENDOZA, Veronica Ester
Eds
2009

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This is an executive summary of a manual that is intended as a guide to decision makers in Local Government Units on how to institutionalise and implement programme that ensure the inclusion of persons with disabilities in all activities in the community – and ensure these activities are part of the annual work and financial plan of government and other local groups.  While the manual is intended for government decision makers, it can also be used by CBR workers and managers to understand inclusion, CBR in the rights-based context, the historical perspective and evolving definition of disability as well as how to start CBR, how to organize DPOs and communities, and how to undertake training and advocacy

The publisher has given permission for the uploaded document to be reproduced and made publicly available on the Source website

The HELP guide for community based rehabilitation workers : a training manual

LOVEDAY, Marion
2006

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This is a training manual for community based rehabilitation workers based upon physiotherapist's work on a rehabilitation project in Cape Town, South Africa. The manual is aimed at trainers of rehabilitation workers who are assumed to have adequate medical knowledge. The manual is divided into the following 4 main topics: health in the community; normal body functions; conditions and treatment; management of patients. Each section contains a summary of the learning aims for the rehabilitation workers, and the teaching is based mainly on a question and answer format
Note: originally published in 1990 by SACLA Health Project

Where there is no psychiatrist : a mental health care manual

PATEL, Vikram
2003

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This is a practical manual about mental health care, aimed at community health workers, primary care nurses, social workers and primary care doctors. It describes more than 30 clinical problems associated with mental illness, using a problem-solving approach to guide the reader through their assessment and management. It addresses the lack of understanding of mental health among many health workers

Capturing the difference we make : community-based rehabilitation indicators manual

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
2015

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This manual presents indicators that "capture the difference (Community-Based Rehabilitation) CBR makes in the lives of people with disabilities in the communities where it is implemented. This manual presents these (base and supplementary) indicators and provides simple guidance on collecting the data needed to inform them. The indicators have been developed to show the difference between people living with a disability and their families and those without disabilities in relation to the information reported in the indicators. This comparability provides valuable information to CBR managers, donors and government agencies alike, which can be used to guide decision-making, support advocacy and improve accountability. Further, the ability of the indicators to provide a comparison of the populations of persons with disability to persons without disability aligns with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which states that persons with disability have equal rights to those without disabilities...this manual serves to standardize the monitoring of differences made by in the lives of people with disabilities and their families, making it possible to compare the difference CBR makes across areas and countries. This manual aligns with the WHO Global Disability Action Plan 2014–2021, and may also be used to monitor other development plans in an easy and efficient way”

Community based rehabilitation programmes : monitoring and evaluation in order to measure results

CORNIELJE, Huib
VELEMA, Johan P
FINKENFLUGEL, Harry
March 2008

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This paper aims to help develop "methodologies that will help to measure results of Community Based Rehabilitation programmes...The article places considerable importance on management information systems and monitoring, since it is believed that evaluation will greatly benefit from both the existence of baseline data as well as a well-developed and well-implemented information system. The present article emphasises the need for participatory processes in the development of baseline data and information systems. Four key areas for measuring CBR are highlighted: people, power, public society and partnerships. Finally, a tool is presented in order to evaluate (or monitoring and evaluation) systematically"
Leprosy Review, Vol 79, No 1

CREATE : CBR education and training for empowerment

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CBR Education for Training and Empowerment (CREATE) promotes Community Based Rehabilitation through training on rehabilitation and disability rights in southern Africa in a way that empowers them and their communities. The website includes back copies of CREATE's quarterly newsletter - CBR Update

Disability-inclusive development toolkit

AL JU’BEH, Kathy
January 2015

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This toolkit is designed as a resource for CBM that can be used in a variety of ways: to support staff induction, team meetings, refresher days and training workshops. It can also be used as a tool for personal reflection and self-study. Tips for those intending to use it as a training resource are shaded differently.

 

The toolkit is presented in four main chapters targeting different audiences. Chapter 1: DID an introduction; Chapter 2: DID for managers; Chapter 3: DID for programme staff; Chapter 4: Inclusive training and facilitation. The content of the four chapters can be combined and adapted as needed. The materials can be used flexibly and are not intended to be prescriptive. They are primarily intended for use by CBM staff and highlight CBM guidelines and reference documents. They are intended to give CBM staff and partners more confidence in applying disability inclusion in their work

and speaking with one voice.

 

Each chapter includes links to signpost other reliable resources/ websites and portals where people can find further relevant information, both external links for all users and internal links for CBM employees only. A glossary of key terms is also presented at the end in alphabetical order to aid understanding and clarity on key terms used throughout the DID toolkit

Indicators for CBR programmes

DEEPAK, Sunil

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This paper explores how to improve the use of indicators to more effectively compare CBR programmes at national and international levels. It is noted that there is a wide variation in the indicators used by CBR programmes in different countries and even amongst different projects in the same country which makes it difficult to compare the effectiveness of programmes. The paper presents the indicator results of participants' discussions when divided into two groups to analyse the possible indicators for CBR programmes - one group focused upon the major participants of CBR programmes and the second group focused upon different sectors involved in CBR programmes.  It recommends that the indicators identified need to be field tested to gauge their effectiveness. This paper would be useful for anyone involved in the preparation, delivery or evaluation of CBR programmes