Table 2 Eight standard steps of Community and Health Provider driven Social Accountability Intervention (CaPSAI) – reproduced with permission from Steyn 2020 [20]

1. Introduction of the intervention to the community

The implementation partner (a CSO) meets with local leaders, identifies stakeholders, and sets up the infrastructure to deliver the SA intervention

2. Mobilization of participants

for the intervention

Community members, service providers, and other health service actors (duty bearers) are gathered by the implementing partner and introduced to the SA process

3. Health, rights, and civic

education with community

participants

The implementation partner shares information on health awareness and education, and existing service standards. The implementation partner provides training on rights, good governance, and accountability. The group begins to rate existing services against rights-based standards and generate discussion about local priorities

4. Prioritization meeting with

community

The implementation partner distills themes and priorities raised by the community. The community groups then collectively score the issues and indicators and set priority areas for action

5. Prioritization meeting with

duty bearers

The implementation partner distills themes and priorities raised by the service providers. The providers then collectively score the issues and indicators and set priority areas for action

6. Interface meeting and joint

action planning

The implementation partner then holds a joint meeting between the community, the service providers, and health services actors (duty bearers). Following the presentation of results from the prioritization meetings, the community groups and service providers will aim to reach a consensus on the ranking of priority items and the actions required to address them. An action plan with assigned roles and responsibilities will be developed for the following 6- to 12-month period

7. First follow-up meeting with

community and duty bearers at

three months

Priority areas and action items will be followed up with both the community and service providers. It is at this stage that change is anticipated on the part of health services actors, and remedial actions have taken place, which should be demonstrated in the monitoring activities. For any unresolved issues, these meetings present an opportunity to involve higher-level duty bearers or third-party groups (media/politicians) to increase the pressure to act

8. Second follow-up meeting

with community duty bearers

at six months

A second follow-up meeting will enable the monitoring of longer-range outcomes and the remedy of unresolved issues raised in the first follow-up meeting. The community and service providers will continue to monitor the action plan for changes in relation to agreed priority areas