Sarah Castle Consultancy

Family planning

I have carried out a substantial amount of work on family planning, focusing upon both the socio-cultural challenges and health systems barriers associated with addressing unmet need. I have done extensive work on public-private partnerships using Total Market Approaches, subsidies and franchising. I have particular experience in family planning and reproductive health service provision in emergency settings and significant expertise with programmes serving young people (click here for more details about my work on adolescent reproductive health). My recent work with FP2020 and the Population Council has assessed the causes and consequences of contraceptive discontinuation and reviewed ways of supporting women’s sustained use. I am mindful of how programmes may need to reflect clandestine use in low prevalence settings and in the face of male disapproval. In addition, I have looked at the ways in which human resources influence service provision, especially of LARCs, and have assessed the impact of task-shifting on method mix and uptake.

Programmes

December 2017 - Care, USA : Analysis of qualitative and programmatic data relating to family planning and reproductive health service provision in Goma, DRC as part of the Supporting Access to Family Planning and Post-Abortion Care (SAFPAC) project in emergency settings.
December 2015 - The Population Council/FP2020: Commissioned to write a review paper on for FP2020's 'Performance, Monitoring and Evidence Working Group' on 'Understanding Contraceptive Discontinuation'. The paper analysed rates of discontinuation among women who still wanted to avoid pregnancy. Reasons for the phenomenon were explored including those relating to stockouts, provider bias, fears of side-effects, rumours and male disapproval. Particular attention was paid to the little understood notions of ambivalence, intentionality and motivation with regard to discontinuation. A theory of change to address discontinuation was proposed.
March 2015 - IPPF/SPRINT: Midterm Review of the DFAT-funded SPRINT programme which seeks to increase timely access among crisis-affected populations to the Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP) for Reproductive Health. The review drew on evidence and testimonies from SPRINT and IPPF regional staff in South and South East Asia and Africa. I also visited the SPRINT hub in Delhi, India and continued to Bangladesh where I worked with the Family Planning Association of Bangladesh to prepare a case study of the SPRINT intervention in response to recent floods. Recommendations included a need for increased emphasis on quality assurance of SRH service delivery during emergencies.
September 2014 - Global Impact Associates: Design of evaluation methodology for the Hewlett Foundation's Francophone West Africa family planning portfolio including an assessment of the Ouagadougou Partnership. The Partnership works with nine francophone West African countries to develop costed implementation plans at the Ministerial level, catalyse donor interest and improve civil society advocacy.
June 2013 – March 2014 - USAID/GHTech: Mid-term evaluation of USAID's 'Support for International Family Planning Programs' (SIFPO) funding to Marie Stopes International (MSI) and Population Services International (PSI). This global evaluation looked at organizational strengthening, sustainability and quality assurance. County visits were undertaken to MSI programmes in Madagascar and Ghana and to PSI programmes in Guatemala and Benin to assess fixed site provision and outreach.
October 2013 The World Bank: Analysis of family planning, fertility trends and the 'Demographic Dividend' in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad and Cote d'Ivoire. Quantitative analyses and a literature review informed the design of qualitative fieldwork in four countries. The research examines potential benefits and challenges of the Dividend in the domains of education, employment and investment.

Links

	Contraceptive Discontinuation			Improving Lives through CARE's Sexual and Reproductive Health Programs			Population & Development in the Sahel
	Population Services International - SIFPO			Marie Stopes International - SIFPO