Postpartum Family Planning (PPFP) Toolkit

"Tailoring communication messages to the postpartum period is an essential element of an effective approach. The special considerations for service delivery also require effective communication strategies."

In the context of the fact that, globally, nearly 65% of women in their first postpartum year have an unmet need for family planning services, this toolkit provides a collection of best practices and evidence-based tools and documents on postpartum family planning (PPFP). It was developed through the ACCESS-FP Program and continued under the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)'s Maternal and Child Health Integrated Program (MCHIP), who say: "Development and implementation of effective PPFP programs requires attention to policy and guidelines; changes of behavior by policymakers, service providers, and the community; access to current literature, quality training programs, and service delivery; and useful monitoring, evaluation, and research. Also, presentations and posters help to communicate key information concerning PPFP. This toolkit provides information on all of these elements and contains tools and resources to help you implement a variety of PPFP-related activities."

The searchable toolkit is designed to assist policymakers, programme managers, communication professionals, researchers, trainers, and service providers to develop and implement effective service delivery approaches that address the family planning needs of the postpartum women they serve. Information is presented in the following categories:

• Essential Knowledge
• Advocacy
• Capacity Building/Training
• Selected Country Experiences
• SBCC [social and behaviour change communication] & IEC [information, education, and communication] Materials
• Global Learning /M&E [monitoring and evaluation]
• LAM [lactational amenorrhoea method] & Transition
• Postpartum IUD [intrauterine device]
• Conferences & Online Forums
• Integration Opportunities ["From antenatal visits to routine immunization visits, postpartum family planning should be counseled and systematically offered when appropriate."]
• Additional Resources & Links

"Most of the tools are available in PDF format. If you want to modify or adapt these tools, please e-mail us [esasser@jhpiego.net]. We can send the document to you in a format that is easier to adapt. Also, we would like to hear how you use and adapt the contents of the toolkit. The toolkit is an evolving resource, so please send us your ideas and suggestions for improvement."