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(as told to Sarah Baldwin)

At SCIAF, our work is rooted in the principle of Integral Human Development, seeing and supporting the whole person in every aspect of their life. Inclusion isn’t something we add on later; it’s central to how we plan, listen, and act. When I began the CHS self-assessment process, I didn’t realise that, as well as reviewing the quality of our programmes, we would be living out that core value, ensuring that dignity, inclusion, and accountability are more than just words on paper.

We began our current self-assessment in 2023 and it was completed in 2024. We’re now in the improvement period before our next one. Three of us were directly involved — myself, a manager, and a volunteer. Having a volunteer was key: as someone external to the organisation’s daily work, he brought a fair and unbiased perspective. That balance matters, the essence of a self-assessment is to be self-critical, and that’s easier when different perspectives are involved.

A process of learning and inclusion

The self-assessment itself was straightforward, and the team from the CHS Alliance Secretariat were incredibly supportive throughout.  From the start, we were clear with our partners that we wanted honest feedback, with consent, confidentiality, and reassurance that there would be no consequences attached. We built this into our documentation and repeated it throughout the process. Building that trust was vital, especially for the community survey, which takes time and coordination. Our partners helped by gathering data locally, saving travel costs and ensuring that communities’ voices were authentically represented.

Three surveys bring a 360 approach

One of the most valuable aspects of the process was how the three surveys – for staff, partners, and communities – complemented one another to provide a genuine 360-degree view of our work. The community survey, in particular, was deeply insightful and I would say we learnt the most from this. It’s rare that you have the opportunity to hear directly how your programmes are experienced by those who participate in them to the level of detail that the CHS self-assessment community survey provides.

Including people  with disabilities

The self-assessment also encouraged us to look closely at how inclusive our work truly is, particularly for people with disabilities. We strengthened our feedback processes to ensure participation is open to all, ensuring to hear the views of those who face barriers to participation and removing them where possible. This meant reviewing consent forms, translation, and accessibility, and providing interpreters or other support when needed.

The CHS tools, including the Washington Group questions (which are a standardised set of questions designed to identify and measure disability within surveys and census), helped us to ask more inclusive, thoughtful questions and to adapt our approach where needed. This work sits at the heart of SCIAF’s Integral Human Development Approach: recognising the dignity and potential of every person, and removing barriers that prevent full participation

We also learned a great deal about how people prefer to share feedback. While we might instinctively turn to written or online forms, many communities told us they prefer face-to-face conversations. This finding has changed how we design our feedback mechanisms, making them more accessible, participatory, and grounded in genuine dialogue.

Improvement plan

Once the self-assessment was complete, we reviewed all of the data processed by CHS Alliance and identified key areas for growth. Interestingly, we were often more critical of ourselves than our partners were, which was a useful insight.

To deepen engagement with the CHS Commitments, we ran internal workshops and partner sessions across several countries, enabling colleagues to share experiences and strengthen accountability. Two areas we’ve already improved are policy development and communication with communities, and we are already seeing the impact of this. Many of our partners have expressed interest in, or have now started the self-assessment journey, and we are actively supporting them .

Funding challenges – where does self-assessment sit?

Funding challenges have brought renewed pressures, and many of our partners have lost one or more donors. So while the process does demand resourcing, it is worth its weight, and time, especially where donors are now looking for evidence of accountable and trusted systems.  The recognition by donors is absolutely key and we are glad to see more governments and funding institutions acknowledging what the CHS brings.

Advice for colleagues

If I was to give advice to those embarking on the process for the first time, I would recommend the following:

1. Allow plenty of time – especially for community surveys. They take coordination, but the results speak for themselves.
2. Be honest and open – the CHS self-assessment is only useful if you’re willing to hear what needs to change. Encourage partners to be candid and honest, and ensure this is clearly articulated.
3. Involve different voices – diversity to your approach is key, and it is vital that the process is fully inclusive.
4. Don’t forget your colleagues – use this as an opportunity to educate and embed core accountability principles through workshops and information sharing.

Speaking personally, as an M&E professional, this process has been transformative. The feedback – especially from communities – was rich, detailed, and deeply human. A thanks to the CHS Alliance for its support, and we look forward to seeing the results of ‘round two’!