IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GUIDELINE IMPLEMENTATION CONSIDERATIONS As this is a global guideline, Member States are expected to adapt the recommendations according to their setting and feasibility. WHO regional and country offices will assist with these processes. Engaging with multiple stakeholders and partners will be critical in strengthening implementation and sustaining progress. Working in collaboration with the many sectors involved can help ensure a comprehensive, cross-sectoral and more sustainable approach. Scaling-up programmes usually requires the endorsement of both local administrators and government policymakers; effective leadership to transform processes; and training of health workers.
MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF THE QUALITY AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GUIDELINE Monitoring and evaluation should be built into implementation processes, in order to document important lessons for uptake and further implementation. WHO will use routine surveys to assess how ECD-specific recommendations are included into national policies and training courses. WHO will aim to collaborate with national authorities to include questions about the new recommendations, and how health workers have experienced implementing these, into relevant routine national training assessments and supervision.
SUPPORTING LOCAL ADAPTATION Local adaptation of the guideline will be supported through WHO country offices and ministries of health. National guidelines, such as for antenatal, newborn and child care, that are likely to be affected by the recommendations will be specifically reviewed in order to integrate approaches where relevant.
National child health or similar programmes will coordinate local adaptation and implementation. Research institutions will be expected to facilitate the adaptation and contextualization. United Nations agencies, the World Bank Group and other partners such as the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and the ECD Action Network, should play a key role in dissemination of the guideline and in catalysing uptake in national guidelines, policies and practice tools.
DISSEMINATION AND PLANS FOR UPDATING Dissemination The current guideline will be posted on the WHO website. In addition, it will be disseminated through a broad network of international partners, including WHO country and regional offices, ministries of health, WHO collaborating centres, universities, other United Nations agencies and nongovernmental organizations. It is expected that the reviews will be published in peerreviewed journals.
Plans for updating the guideline The WHO Steering Group will continue to follow research developments in ECD, particularly for questions in which the quality of evidence was found to be low or very low. If the guideline merits an update, or if there are concerns that one or more recommendations in the guideline may no longer be valid, WHO will coordinate a guideline update, following the formal procedures of the WHO handbook for guideline development (WHO, 2014a). As the guideline nears a five-year review period, WHO, along with partners, will be responsible for conducting a search for new evidence. WHO will welcome suggestions regarding additional questions for evaluation in the guideline when it is due for review.
National training courses and pre- and in-service training on maternal, newborn and child health and nutrition should be reviewed for opportunities to integrate materials.
Research gaps
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