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Toolkit: Scaling Up HIV-Related Legal Services
5. Designing locally appropriate service models Typically, low- and middle-income countries are served by only a few nongovernmental-organization-based HIV-related legal services. These services address the needs of a small fraction of the total population of people living with HIV, people affected by HIV and key populations. Much more needs to be done to scale up HIV-related services. This may involve a mix of models that are effective for responding to the varying legal needs of different communities and the diverse challenges posed by different types of epidemics. Each country and community will require their own process to develop the mix of HIV-related legal service models that best suits their needs. KNOW YOUR EPIDEMIC AND YOUR NATIONAL HIV RESPONSE It is important to understand where HIV-related legal services fit within the national HIV response. HIV-related legal services programmes should be an element of a cohesive national strategy that is informed by and responds to the particular HIV epidemics in the country. Any programmatic response to HIV should also be based on knowledge of the epidemic and the response, including gaps.4 When planning an HIV-related legal service programme, be it large or small, it will be important to know how such a programme fits within the national strategy relating to HIV. The national strategy should ensure support and funding for the planned programmes, where they are not included in other funding efforts, such as within a university. Engagement with the bodies responsible for implementing the national HIV strategy can also lead to opportunities for programme implementers to participate in processes relating to national planning. PARTICIPATORY NEEDS ASSESSMENT A key principle in designing legal services is participation of people living with HIV, people affected by HIV and key populations in developing the service models that will be effective in meeting their needs and that are tailored to the local context. Where possible, designing legal services should be informed by a situation analysis and needs assessment. Needs assessments can help in shaping a strategy for establishing services and for scaling up services nationally. The process of conducting a needs assessment should be participatory. Involving people living with HIV and members of relevant key populations to help design and conduct the needs assessment can ensure that it is designed in a way that will reach those in the community who stand to benefit most from an HIVrelated legal service. 4
For more information on the importance of ‘knowing your epidemic’ and of planning your response accordingly, see: UNAIDS (2007). Practical guidelines for intensifying HIV prevention. Geneva, UNAIDS. Available at http://data.unaids.org/pub/Manual/2007/ 20070306_prevention_guidelines_towards _universal_access_en.pdf.
Participatory needs assessments are conducted to: 1 Ensure that the analysis of local legal needs and challenges is informed by a range of local perspectives. 2 Identify potential within a community to contribute to solutions, e.g. existence of informal legal systems. 3 Build trust between the community and the organization assessing needs and generate community ownership in the programme. 27