DRAFT TERMS OF REFERENCE

FOR

CAPACITY BUILDING FOR THE NURSING COUNCIL OF SWAZILAND

IN

THE DEVELOPMENT OF COMPETENCIES FOR ALL THE NURSING LEVELS REGISTERED WITH THE SWAZILAND NURSING COUNCIL

  1. Introduction

The Government of Swaziland (GOS) has emphasized health as a priority on the national agenda. The 2009 National Health Sector Strategic Plan (NHSSP) identifies critical areas in the health sector that require support, and aims to improve poor health outcomes and inefficiencies. The Swaziland Nursing Council is a statutory andregulatory body responsible for regulating nursing education and practice in the Kingdom of Swaziland by ensuring that standards are developed and enforced. Critical to improving the quality of nursing care in Swaziland are 1)the development of standards for nursing education in the public sector; 2)an Entry into Practice Licensing Examination; and3) an Accreditation Authority that will accredit training institutions, health facilities, faculty as well as continuing professional development providers; and 4) competencies for each nursing cadre.

  1. Background Information

The Swaziland Nursing Council (SNC) is a statutory andregulatory body established through the Nurses and Midwives Act, number 16 of 1965 to regulate, direct and control nursing education and practice in the Kingdom of Swaziland. Paramount to its mandate is the protection and promotion of safety and health of the public. To this end the Council’s functions are inter alia:

To regulate nursing education and practice and protect the public fromunsafe practices;

To set standards for nursing education and practice to ensure quality care;

To approve nursing education institutions in accordance with the set standards;

Inspect nursing education institutions and health care facilities, withdraw or suspend approval of any such institutions not complying with prescribed conditions;

To confer accountability, dignity and status on the nursing profession;

To advise the Minister of Health on matters falling within the scope of the Nurses and Midwives Act.

  1. Objectives

Thegeneral objective of the assignment is to work with theSwaziland Nursing Council and its existing governing laws to improve the quality of health care by establishing sustainable quality assurance mechanisms. Specifically under this assignment the consultant will work with the SNC to develop competencies for the following nursing cadres: general nurses, midwives, community health nurses, community mental health (psychiatry) nurses, enrolled nurses and nursing assistants.

  1. Activities and Functions of the Consultant:

A competency based approach to educationdiffers from the traditional approach because it sets out objectives to be met through training. Curriculum at different academic institutions can therefore varyas long as students graduate with a demonstrated commandof the established competencies. In developing the competences, the consultant shall carryout the following activities:

4.1Consensus Building:To develop practice competencies in Swaziland for nurses, midwives, community health nurses, mental health (psychiatry) nurses and nursing assistants, the HFG project under the technical leadership of the consultant will bring together various stakeholders, including Universities, Councils, Associations, and Ministries of Health and Education to develop a steering committee for the development of competencies. To share their different experiences with the current curricula and to build consensus for the development of competencies for the various nursing cadres. The group will also be encouraged to identify specific health problems that need to be addressed in Swaziland, and the skills that students need to address the stated health challenge.

Next, the HFG project proposes working with the Steering Committee to develop multiple technical working groups (TWG) to develop competencies in specific areas. For example, TWGs could be established in the areas of basic sciences, clinical science, and integration of basic and clinical science, professionalism and health systems management. The HFG project and SNC will develop terms of reference for each of these groups to ensure clarity in scope. HFG and SCN will also work together to develop a template that can be used by each group to develop the nursing competencies for each cadre. The templates will be presented to the Steering Committee for approval.

Deliverables: Steering committee established; TWGs developed with terms of reference; templates for drafting competencies developed and approved by Steering Committee.

4.2Development of Competencies:Using the approved templates, the TWGs will host a series of meetings facilitated by the HFG Project and SNC to develop competencies. The HFG project and SNC will initiate each meeting with an overview of the purpose of a competency drive approach to education, and will describe the deliverables expected of each group. The HFG project will also provide examples from competencies from other countries within and outside of the region as a point of comparison for each of the groups.

Deliverables: 3-5 meetings by each TWG; draft competencies.

4.3Validation of Competencies: Once drafts of the nursing competencies are developed by the TWGs, they will be vetted by the SNC. A second workshop will be held with the Steering Group to validate the proposed competencies. The Steering Group will also identify an institution topilot the competencies.

Deliverables:Final list of competencies; pilot institution identified.

  1. Deliverables
  • Inception report
  • Steering committee established;
  • TWGs developed with terms of reference;
  • Templates for drafting competencies approved by Steering Committee;
  • 3-5 meetings by each TWG;
  • Draft competencies for each nursing cadre;
  • Final list of competencies for each nursing cadre;
  • Pilot institution identified;
  • Initial meeting(s) with University Deans and professors;
  1. Required Qualifications for the Consultant

Registered Nurse with a Master’s Degree in Nursing Science or equivalent, (PhD will be a plus), with at least seven (7) years of experience in nursing profession regulationand no fewer than three (3) successful experiences in competency and accreditation process development for purposes of accreditation, registration and certification in nursing. Experience working in Southern Africa preferred.

  1. Contract Duration and Payment Schedule

TBD