This toolkit is described as an interactive, client-friendly approach for improving counselling on family planning and prevention, detection, and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV. The toolkit, developed and tested in Kenya and South Africa, provides the information and materials needed for health care facility directors, supervisors, and service providers to implement the "Balanced Counseling Strategy Plus" (BCS+) approach in their family planning services.

This toolkit includes the following:

1. BCS+ Trainer’s Guide (60 pages) that supervisors and others can use to train health care facility directors and service providers on how to use the BCS+ for counselling family planning clients.
2. BCS+ User’s Guide (32 pages) on how to implement the BCS+. It can be distributed during training or used on its own with the BCS+ job aids.
3. BCS+ job aids comprising: 

•         BCS+ algorithm that summarises the 19 steps needed to implement the BCS+ during a family planning counselling session. These steps are organised into four stages: pre-choice, method choice, post-choice, and STI/HIV counselling.

•         BCS+ counseling cards that the provider uses during a counselling session. There are 19 counselling cards, the first of which contains six questions that the service provider asks to rule out the possibility a client is pregnant. Each of the next 14 cards contains information about a different family planning method. The last four cards provide information for counselling on preventing, detecting, and treating STIs and HIV.

•         BCS+ method brochures on each of the 14 methods represented by the counselling cards. They are designed to help the client and provider narrow down the appropriate method for the client.

The BCS+ was adapted from the "Balanced Counseling Strategy", a tool for improving counselling on contraceptive methods. The BCS+ tools are generic. They can be revised depending on national and/or regional guidelines and protocols.

All of the toolkit materials are available in downloadable PDF format through the link below. Hard copies of the BCS+ toolkit are available in English upon request from frontiers@popcouncil.org

Email from Tula Michaelides to The Communication Initiative on December 10 2008.