Social Behaviour Change Communication for Infant and Young Child Feeding in Chiang Mai

Programme Overview

Infant and young child feeding practices require systematic social behaviour change communication to transform community nutritional outcomes.⁣​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​⁣ This intensive four-day professional course in Chiang Mai equips practitioners with technical methods to design, implement, and monitor high-impact communication strategies. Participants examine evidence-based infant feeding guidelines and maternal dietary standards, translating global technical recommendations into practical, community-centred initiatives. The curriculum links behaviour change theory directly to field-level operational contexts, enabling professionals to address underlying cultural, economic, and social barriers to optimal infant and young child nutrition.

Delegates master structured communication approaches to promote early initiation of breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding, and timely, adequate, and safe complementary feeding. The programme reviews barrier analysis, audience segmentation, and counselling methodologies aligned with international frameworks. Participants gain hands-on experience in formulating multi-channel communication campaigns that effectively target mothers, fathers, grandmothers, and community leaders. By applying proven interpersonal communication and community mobilisation models, practitioners learn to foster household-level decision-making that prioritises maternal nutrition, diverse local diets, and optimal care practices for children under two years of age.

The training establishes robust monitoring, evaluation, and learning protocols to track behavioural shifts over time. Participants explore tools for measuring message recall, counselling quality, household dietary diversity, and sustained adoption of recommended feeding behaviours. Working through context-specific scenarios, delegates formulate practical action plans that integrate behaviour change interventions into wider public health delivery channels. Upon completion, participants possess the operational capacities required to lead, coordinate, and supervise nutrition communication activities that contribute directly to the reduction of child stunting and wasting across vulnerable communities.

Public health programmes and development initiatives are increasingly combining social transfers with behaviour change communication to maximise nutritional improvements for mothers and young children.⁣​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​⁣ This course directly addresses the nutrition education and behaviour change components vital for the Maternal and Child Cash Transfers for Improved Nutrition Project and comparable operations funded by development institutions. For practitioners in Southeast Asia, particularly those operating in Myanmar, structured communication interventions are essential to ensure that household resources translate effectively into improved maternal dietary diversity, exclusive breastfeeding, and adequate complementary feeding practices.

Delivered by Risalat Consultants International in Chiang Mai, Thailand, it combines expert-led sessions, real cases and group work, so that participants can apply what they learn in their own institution.

The Programme Strengthens Institutional Capability

• Global IYCF guidelines, standards, and critical windows of opportunity
• Socio-ecological models applied to maternal and young child nutrition
• Conducting rapid behavioural assessments and barrier analyses in target communities
• Audience segmentation: Primary caregivers, household influencers, and community gatekeepers
• Defining measurable behavioural objectives for breastfeeding and complementary feeding
• Principles of effective interpersonal communication for infant feeding counselling
• Structuring community-led dialogue, mother-to-mother support, and peer groups
• Overcoming behavioural barriers to exclusive breastfeeding and early initiation
• Strategic thinking and direction setting
• Leading and developing teams
• Decision making and problem solving
• Communication and influence

It is designed for nutrition officers managing maternal and child health interventions, public health educators working on stunting reduction programmes, community mobilisation specialists designing field-level campaigns and others who want practical, current skills in leadership, management and communication.

The Growing Importance of Social Behaviour Change Communication for Infant and Young Child Feeding in Chiang Mai

Institutions change faster than ever: new policies, technologies and expectations from citizens and partners. Leaders and managers who can set direction, build teams and manage change make the difference between plans and results.

Strong leadership is a set of practical skills: deciding, communicating, negotiating, developing people and leading change. These skills can be learnt and improved with practice and feedback.

Organisations increasingly require professionals capable of:

• Set clear direction and priorities
• Lead and motivate teams through change
• Communicate and negotiate effectively
• Manage performance fairly
• Make sound decisions under pressure

Strong leadership, management and communication systems help organisations:

• Turn strategies into results
• Build motivated, capable teams
• Manage change with less resistance
• Improve relations with partners and stakeholders

This Social Behaviour Change Communication for Infant and Young Child Feeding in Chiang Mai programme brings these elements together in a practical format, so that participants understand not only what good practice looks like but also how to introduce it in their own setting, with the people and resources they have.

Who Should Attend This Social Behaviour Change Communication for Infant and Young Child Feeding in Chiang Mai Training?

This programme is designed for:

• Nutrition officers managing maternal and child health interventions
• Public health educators working on stunting reduction programmes
• Community mobilisation specialists designing field-level campaigns
• National and local programme coordinators from Myanmar
• Project officers implementing Maternal and Child Cash Transfer schemes
• Technical specialists supporting donor-financed nutrition operations
• Monitoring and evaluation officers tracking behavioural nutrition indicators
• Civil society programme managers leading infant feeding initiatives
• Health cluster partners delivering behaviour change communications
• Directors and senior managers
• Heads of department and unit
• Middle managers and team leaders

The programme suits experienced professionals as well as those moving into new responsibilities. Groups that mix institutions and countries are encouraged, because participants learn a great deal from each other’s experience.

Social Behaviour Change Communication for Infant and Young Child Feeding in Chiang Mai Training Objectives

Upon successful completion of this Social Behaviour Change Communication for Infant and Young Child Feeding in Chiang Mai Training, participants will be able to:

• Apply global Infant and Young Child Feeding standards to social behaviour change communication programming
• Conduct barrier analyses to identify behavioural determinants influencing maternal diet and child feeding
• Formulate multi-channel communication strategies targeting households and community influencers
• Design interpersonal counselling interventions for community-based health workers and volunteers
• Develop culturally appropriate communication materials promoting diverse complementary feeding practices
• Establish tracking tools to monitor behavioural adoption, message saturation, and dietary changes
• Integrate behaviour change communication activities into broader maternal and child cash transfer projects
• Explain current approaches to leadership in public and private institutions
• Set direction and priorities for their team
• Lead, motivate and develop people

Each objective is practised during the programme through exercises, cases or group work, so that participants leave able to do it, not only to describe it.

Programme Contents and Structure

Social Behaviour Change Communication for Infant and Young Child Feeding in Chiang Mai Training Methodology

The training employs an adult learning methodology combining technical briefings with hands-on group work, case study analyses, and practical simulation exercises.⁣​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​⁣ Participants engage in interactive workshops to apply behaviour change tools directly to real-world programme scenarios, with an emphasis on low-resource and fragile settings. Facilitators guide delegates through role-play counselling sessions, campaign design sprints, and indicator development exercises, ensuring that theoretical concepts are operationalised for immediate field application.

The programme combines:

• Expert-led sessions on current practice
• Regional and international case studies
• Group work and practical exercises
• Simulations and role plays where relevant
• Discussion of participants' own challenges
• Peer learning across institutions and countries
• Practical tools and templates to take back to work
• Daily reflection and action planning

Before the programme, a short pre-assessment helps the facilitators understand each participant’s role and priorities, so that examples and exercises can be adjusted to the group. Each day ends with a short reflection in which participants note what they will apply at work.

Expected Outcomes

Upon completion of this Social Behaviour Change Communication for Infant and Young Child Feeding in Chiang Mai Training, participants will be able to:

• Capability to design tailored SBCC strategies aligned with global IYCF guidelines
• Proficiency in conducting behavioural barrier analyses within target populations
• Practical skill in structuring community-led nutrition education and counselling protocols
• Competence in designing multi-channel campaigns addressing stunting and dietary diversity
• Operational readiness to deploy behavioural tracking tools and outcome indicators
• Enhanced coordination capacity to link behaviour change to maternal cash transfer systems
• Set clear direction and priorities
• Lead and develop teams

Participants leave with a personal action plan and practical tools they can use in their institution from the first week back. Institutions that send several participants can use the programme to agree shared methods and templates across teams, which makes improvements easier to sustain.

Institutional Application of Social Behaviour Change Communication for Infant and Young Child Feeding in Chiang Mai Training

This programme supports organisations in strengthening:

• Leadership and management
• Team development
• Change management
• Communication
• Performance management

Participants return with practical tools to improve:

• Team plans
• Coaching
• Change plans
• Stakeholder communication
• Performance reviews

The programme is built so that learning moves from the classroom into the institution. Participants work on their own processes and documents where possible, and leave with an action plan that their managers can review and support.

Regional Relevance & Application

Europe

European institutions apply leadership, management and communication within detailed regulatory frameworks and reform agendas. Participants from Europe can compare their practice with colleagues from other regions and test how established methods work under different conditions.

Africa

Across Africa, ministries, agencies and project teams working in leadership, management and communication increasingly operate alongside donor-financed programmes that expect clear systems and evidence. The programme helps participants adapt good practice to the institutions and resources they work with.

Middle East

In the Middle East, national development strategies and diversification plans place growing demands on leadership, management and communication. Participants explore how to build the capability these plans need inside public bodies and companies.

Asia

Institutions across Asia combine rapid growth with ambitious modernisation programmes. Participants from Asia can share their experience of scaling systems quickly and learn from approaches used elsewhere.

Pacific

Small island and Pacific states face particular constraints of size, distance and capacity. The programme highlights practical, proportionate approaches to leadership, management and communication that suit smaller institutions.

Holding the programme in Chiang Mai, Thailand brings participants together away from their daily pressures, so they can compare how leadership, management and communication is handled in different settings. The same programme can also be delivered in-house for one institution, in its own country or online, with cases taken from its current work.

Host Country Profile – Thailand

Training programmes and study tours in Chiang Mai suit professionals working in public administration, community development, environmental resource management, and regional tourism planning.

Studying away from their own country gives participants time to focus, a fresh view of their own institution and the chance to build a network with colleagues from other countries.

Social Behaviour Change Communication for Infant and Young Child Feeding in Chiang Mai Training Deliverables

Participants receive support before, during and after the programme, so that preparation, learning and follow-up form one continuous experience.

Before the Programme

• Participant Pre-Assessment
• Social Behaviour Change Communication for Infant and Young Child Feeding in Chiang Mai Readiness Assessment
• Social Behaviour Change Communication for Infant and Young Child Feeding in Chiang Mai Resource Pack
• Preparatory Reading Materials
• Complimentary Visa Support & Advisory

During the Programme

• Airport Pickup & Welcome Assistance
• Accommodation with Breakfast
• Welcome Networking Dinner
• Risalat Training Kit (Bag, Bottle, Mug, T-Shirt, Cap, Passport Cover, Pens, Notebook, Magnet & Keychain)
• Comprehensive Social Behaviour Change Communication for Infant and Young Child Feeding in Chiang Mai Training Manual
• Leadership Self-Assessment
• Team Development Plan Template
• Change Plan Template
• Negotiation Preparation Sheet
• Practical Workshops & Simulations
• Group Discussions & Peer Learning
• Daily Lunch and Refreshments
• Full Access to Training Venue Facilities
• Mini Pad / Tablet with Digital Learning Materials
• Field Visit (where applicable)
• Entertaining City Tour

After the Programme

• Certificate of Completion
• Risalat Programme Participation Recognition Award
• Post-Training Reference Materials
• Personal Development Plan Template
• Coaching Conversation Guide
• Post-Training Support & Follow-Up Guidance
• Programme Report

Institutions can also request a tailored in-house version of this programme, delivered at their premises or online. Request a proposal.

Common Challenges in Social Behaviour Change Communication for Infant and Young Child Feeding in Chiang Mai, And How This Training Helps

How can institutions set clear direction and priorities?

The programme addresses this directly on the first day (Foundations of SBCC and IYCF Technical Standards), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

How can institutions lead and motivate teams through change?

The programme addresses this directly on the second day (Designing Strategic Nutrition Education and Counselling), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

How can institutions communicate and negotiate effectively?

The programme addresses this directly on the third day (Campaign Formulation for Complementary Feeding and Stunting Reduction), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

How can institutions manage performance fairly?

The programme addresses this directly on the fourth day (Monitoring, Evaluation, and Action Planning), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

How can institutions make sound decisions under pressure?

The programme addresses this directly on the first day (Foundations of SBCC and IYCF Technical Standards), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

When and where does the Social Behaviour Change Communication for Infant and Young Child Feeding in Chiang Mai programme take place?

It runs from 13 Sep 2027 to 16 Sep 2027, in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The registration deadline is shown at the top of this page.

Who should attend?

The programme is designed for nutrition officers managing maternal and child health interventions, public health educators working on stunting reduction programmes, community mobilisation specialists designing field-level campaigns, national and local programme coordinators from Myanmar, and others who want practical skills in leadership, management and communication.

Will I receive a certificate?

Yes. Participants who complete the programme receive a Certificate of Completion from Risalat Consultants International.

Can this programme be delivered for our institution only?

Yes. We can deliver a tailored in-house version at your premises, in another city or online, built around your own cases. Use the proposal request on this page.

Do I need prior experience in leadership, management and communication?

No specialist background is required beyond experience in a related role. A short pre-assessment helps the facilitators adapt the sessions to the group.

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