Model for Enhancing Child Support Grant Program: Evidence from Work Performance of Sila Municipality, Khon Kaen Province

Abstract

          The objective of the research was to 1) analyze the outcomes of implementation of such a child support project as conducted by the Sila Municipality in Khon Kaen Province. 2) Study the process of the project implementation of the child support grant program, and 3) analyze and recommend the model for the effective of the program in the future. This was a qualitative research study and data were collected by in-depth interviews with two community development officers of Sila Municipality, two staff of the Sila Tambon Health Promotion Hospital, two village health volunteers in the locality, and 20 mothers with young children. Key informants were drawn from groups of people who meet the specification characteristic.
          This study had the following findings: (1) The project process included the development. The follow-up evaluation of the project found that the participating staff performed their duties strictly according to protocol. This resulted in an increasing number of participants enrolled in the subsidy program each year. (2) Sila Municipality monitored compliance with the project policy for implementation.  However, it was found that the staff did not conduct outreach to identify the target population for the program, and were not implementing activities in an integrated fashion with other related agencies. (3) This project requires a type of implementation that is new to both the target population and the implementers.  Thus, it is possible that there might have been some differences in understanding information about the project or lack of clarity about key information in the initial stages. Over time, the project was able to align understanding of the program for the target population and implementers. While efficiency of implementation has improved, the project is still not being implemented in an integrated fashion.  Thus, there is a need for an intensified orientation of project staff and related agencies about the policy of the project, and the importance of integrated implementation.