Agent Orange in Vietnam Program

Project Description

Da Nang Public-Private Partnership; The Hope System of Care for Children with Disabilities
For further information, please contact Dr. Charles R. Bailey, Director, Agent Orange in Vietnam Program, (charles.bailey@aspeninstitute.org)

Executive Summary

At the core of the Da Nang Public-Private Partnership is the Cam Le District People’s Committee (CLPC) and Children of Vietnam’s (COV) collaboration to implement the Hope System of Care for Children with Disabilities (HSC) through a three-year agreement. With the endorsement of the Da Nang City People’s Committee, CLPC expects to adopt the management reforms introduced in the Hope System of Care and to take over funding of services at end of this three-year period.

Two other Da Nang districts, Hai Chau and Ngu Hanh Son, have already successfully implemented HSC over the last four years with enrollment of 200 children with disabilities who are benefiting with improved functional ability, emotional stability, and quality of life.

The Hope System of Care for Children with Disabilities (HSC) weaves healthcare, housing, educational, vocational, social integration and other supports into a coordinated and personalized fabric of services to meet the diverse and changing needs of children with disabilities while also improving cost and performance effectiveness of local government services by introducing cross-disciplinary teams and a case management focus.

The Hope System of Care is:

• a locally effective and responsive system by government organizations and service providers that responds to the unique needs of disabled children – including those affected by Agent Orange.
• comprised of over 40 service provider, government and business organizations working together.
• a system that facilitates tailored services that are based on a comprehensive assessment of the unique strengths and challenges of the child and family.
• focused on improving the child’s quality of life in all domains including:  health and functioning, family circumstance, educational/vocational achievement, and community integration.
• scalable and can be replicated with shared knowledge, expertise and political will.
• endorsed by Da Nang City People’s Committee and implemented in 3 of 7 city districts.

Key Partners

COV and CLPC in conjunction with its associated agencies—CL Department of Health (DoH), and CL Department of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs (DOLISA), and the CL Women’s Union (WU), and CL Department of Education and Training (DOET)—have join together to carry out coordinated and complementary set of activities to enhance the capacity and impact of services to disabled children. Based on their respective resources, tools, and expertise, all parties have determined that the roles and responsibilities assigned are appropriate and ensure that all interests and goals are acknowledged and advanced. See "Key Partners" below for a list of contact names, titles, and responsibilities.

COV and CLPC have the cooperation of a large network of government and non-government agencies to provide professional and expert advice concerning individualized service plans for HSC enrolled children with disabilities and to advocate for the HSC within their respective organizations. Some of the participating agencies include:

• Da Nang Mental Hospital
• Da Nang Rehabilitation Sanatorium Hospital     
• Da Nang Vocational Center
• Da Nang Women’sUnion
• Tuong Lai Special School
• Nguyen Dinh Chieu Special School
• Thanh Tam Catholic Special School
• Da Nang Centre for Social Work and Children’s Affairs

HSC Goals and Activities

The Cam Le District People’s Committee and Children of Vietnam have three goals for HSC: (1) implement an effective and efficient safety net system to address the needs of children with disabilities utilizing a case management model and a cross-disciplinary team of service providers, (2) have a positive impact on enrolled children with disabilities and their families, and (3) transition to full management of the HSC to local government and service providers through the strengthening of local capacity by building upon and broadening expertise, political will, and funding so that (a) services for children with disabilities are sustained within the government and civic infrastructure, and (b) to serve as a catalyst to implement HSC throughout the 56 wards of Da Nang city.

The centerpiece of HSC is a cross-disciplinary process of assessing, planning, and monitoring the implementation of an individualized care plan to address the specific needs of the child with disabilities. This model involves three critical features. The first is a Community Case Management Group (CCMG), which includes Case Managers and trained paraprofessionals who work intimately with the child and family and makes recommendations for individualized care plans.

The second key feature is a cross-disciplinary team of specialists that reviews the assessments made by the case management staff and make recommendations for a comprehensive individualized care plan. The CCMG then works with the family to implement the care plan under the cross-disciplinary team guidance, performs follow-up assessments, and brings the child’s situation back to the inter-disciplinary team for monitoring.

An individualized care plan is the third key feature. Care plans are “wraparound” and family-based, taking into consideration the child’s and the family’s strengths, the family’s goals for the child, and the child’s specific goals. Wraparound plans may include (but not necessarily limited to) healthcare, rehabilitation and medicine, nutrition supplement, wheelchair and health aide equipment, special and public scholarships, vocational training, livelihood/microfinance, housing and sanitation improvement, disability policy support, and emergency and children’s events. The care plans are carried out based on close cooperation with local government agencies, schools, medical facilities, and other available services.

Finally, important to all of the above is training for HSC staff and service providers. Specialized training is arranged using experts locally, nationally, and internationally with preference going to Vietnamese professionals. One such collaboration is with the Da Nang Centre for Social Work and Children’s Affairs, which is responsible for capacity training for social work and advocacy of case management as stated in its 5-year plan. Cam Le and COV are working with the Da Nang Centre for Social Work to introduce the concepts of case management, individualized wraparound services, and cross-disciplinary teams. 

Funding Structure

The Cam Le District People’s Committee and Children of Vietnam collaboration began on October 1, 2011 and extends through September 30, 2014 under the auspices of the Da Nang Public-Private Partnership with funds totaling $299,560 from the Aspen Institute and funded by the Rockefeller Foundation.

This core-funding is made through two grants, one to each organization.  The funding structure gives each collaborator equal footing as co-managers. Respective responsibilities are clearly costed and delineated in a signed Memorandum of Understanding. Initially, COV is guiding the implementation with system setup, training, and monitoring and evaluation. Then following agreed upon steps, responsibility for the system shifts to the CLPC which has the additional responsibility of advocating on a district, provincial, and national level to obtain support for the success of the HSC and to secure financial and political backing for continuation of services to the original children and expansion of services to other children with disabilities after the project ends in 2014.

Ultimately at the end of the third year of the implementation, Cam Le District will join the two other Da Nang districts, Hai Chau and Ngu Hanh Son, in having successfully reformed care management for children with disabilities. Successful adoption in three of Da Nang’s seven districts will strengthen the case to extend the Hope System of Care to the remaining four districts.

The total expenditures for the three-year partnership are represented in six categories listed below.

Sustainability

Reforms that sustain themselves start with the available knowledge, human resources, funds, and political will. The Hope System of Care advocates for citywide implementation by working at the grassroots level to introduce reforms laterally, from district to district, rather than from top down. This lateral movement of reform permits progressive learning and adaptation, both of which are easier since officials and caregivers are more easily able to connect with their peers in districts that started earlier.  The success in each district builds momentum for success in the next district. At the same time, policy change and thus budget allocations come from the top.  Children of Vietnam and the Cam Le People’s Committee are therefore closely engaged with the Da Nang People’s Committee and a key agency with citywide authority, the Da Nang Centre for Social Work and Children’s Affairs. This close engagement ensures that the Da Nang People’s Committee sees first hand the program’s efficiency and effectiveness. It also assists the Social Work Centre to assert its influence over the standards, processes, and methods for children’s services that will be integrated into normal practices by staff throughout the city.

Cam Le People’s Committee Undertakings 

• Management Transition: A plan is in place for transitioning administration and operational management from Children of Vietnam to the Cam Le People’s Committee. Beginning at the 13^th month and continuing for 12 months, a District Coordinator, employed by Cam Le, will receive on-site training and mentoring after which the Coordinator will take full responsibilities and COV will act in an advisory capacity.
• HSC and Future Funding: The medium term goal of the project is to shift funding from international foundations, companies and non-government organizations to Vietnamese sources. The Cam Le People’s Committee is making a modest initial financial contribution in the third year of the project. They are committed to promote the HSC to city and national government agencies for continued support after the project ends. They will also approach local businesses for support.
• Commitment: CLPC is committed to continue the HSC with appropriate staffing and funds so that the initial 100 children will receive care until they meet program exit criteria and to expand HSC to other children and youth who meet the enrollment criteria.
• Shared Knowledgebase of Resources: CLPC (and COV) will identify, document, and share information about potential resources for child services and support from government agencies, associations, and non-governmental organizations on a ward, district, provincial, national level, and international level.
• Inter-agency Linkages: CLPC will actively support and encourage collaborating agencies at all levels to meet at regular and frequent intervals creating opportunities to exchange perspectives and share knowledge.
• Capacity Building: CLPC (and COV) will work with the Da Nang Centre for Social Work and Children’s Affairs to advocate for interdisciplinary teams, case management, and individualized wraparound services at the city-level so that all 56 wards of Da Nang city have full capacity to serve children with disabilities efficiently and effectively.
• Documentation and Replication: A critical work product is the updating of an Implementation Manual, a Care Management Team Manual, a Case Manager Manual and a Community Care Manual for on-going reference and replication in other regions. CLPC and COV will undertake this responsibility.  

Key Partners: Hope System Of Care Roles and Responsibilities

Cam Le District

Hope System of Care Project Management Board:

• Tran Van Phi, Vice Chairman of the Cam Le Peoples Committee
• Nguyen Phuoc, Deputy Manager of the Cam Le Department of Education (DOET)
• Ngo Thi Lam, Manager of the Cam Le Department of Health (DOH)
• Doan Thinh, Deputy Manager of the Da Nang Center for Social Work and Children’s Affairs (DOLISA)
• Le Thi Huong, Vice Chairwomen of the Cam Le Women’s Union
• Le Thi Ngoc Thuy, Vice Chairman of the Hoa An Ward People’s Committee
• Tran Viet Hung, Vice chairman of the Hoa Phat Ward People’s Committee
• Phung Van Thanh, Vice Chairman of the Hoa Tho Dong Ward People’s Committee
• Ong Thi Thuy, Vice Chairman of the Hoa Tho Tay Ward People’s Committee
• Le Cong Dong, Vice Chairman of the Khue Trung Ward People’s Committee
• Pham Ngoc But, Vice Chairman of the Hoa Xuan Ward People’s Committee 

Hope System of Care Community Case Management Group Board: 

• Vo Thi Ngoc Huong, Official in Charge for Children, Hoa An Ward People’s Committee
• Vo Thi Thuy Van, Official in Charge for Children, Hoa Phat Ward People’s Committee
• Le Thi Luyen, Official in Charge for Children, Hoa Tho Dong Ward People’s Committee
• Nguyen Hong Duc, Official in Charge for Children, Hoa Tho Tay Ward People’s Committee
• Le Thi My Le, Official in Charge for Children, Khue Trung Ward People’s Committee
• Pham Thi Thuy Trang, Official in Charge for Children, Hoa Xuan Ward People’s Committee
• Truong Thi Nhu Hoa, Director of the Da Nang Center for Social Work and Children’s Affairs (DOLISA) & Collaborating partner for staff training and workshops

Principal Children of Vietnam HSC Staff:

• Ms. Luong Thi Huong, Country Director - Directs staff, partner development, budget and financial, and compliance with COV and Vietnamese regulations.
• Mr. Ngoc Hoang Tuan, Project Manager - Manages implementation, documentation, outcomes, and financial and program reporting, staff supervision, training assessment and facilitation, and partner relations.
• Mr. Le Van Phong , Monitoring & Evaluations Officer - Monitoring data collection, training data collection procedures, advising key participants on assessment and evaluation implications, model/data collection modifications, data analysis, and supporting family support groups and educational workshops.
• Mr. Truong Van Thom, Program Coordinator - Program implementation coordinating with Cam Le District People’s Committee, collaborating agencies, and service providers.
• Ms. Quynh Phuong, Administration Assistant - Program support, administrative and clerical duties.
• Mr. Le Viet Thang, Construction Assistant - Oversees all repair and new construction of housing ensuring quality, scheduling, budgeting, and handicapped accessibility.
• Ms. Truong Thi Binh, Accountant - Accounting and reporting, disbursements to beneficiaries, and other duties related to programs as requested.
• Mr. Benjamin C. Wilson, President & Founder - Oversees all aspects of operation ensuring the furtherance of COV’s mission.
• Ms. Nancy F. Letteri, Executive Director - Manages US-based consultation, program direction, donor and public relations.
• Dr. Dannia G. Southerland, Program design, monitoring and evaluation, and training.

 Download this project description: Da Nang Public-Private Partnership; The Hope System of Care for Children with Disabilities