Old and updated policy documents, showing evidence of restrictions in the old policy that do not appear in the new policy.

This indicator can be quantified in several ways. As a baseline measure, it may be expressed as the number and type of policy barriers that significantly hinder FP service delivery. To measure change over time in a country application, the evaluator should count and qualify the policy barriers identified at baseline, which were subsequently removed. Evaluators can measure change through naming and counting those identified policy barriers that do not appear in the new policy. Evaluators should link clearly the barriers identified at baseline, the policy interventions carried out, and the barriers identified at follow-up.

Because policy barriers by their nature tend to be very specific, evaluators can readily assess whether the new policy removes them. For example, if the barrier removed is import duties on contraceptives, evaluators can interview commercial distributors to determine if they no longer pay duties.

Policy, document, legal and regulatory reviews – Policy documents with evidence of government approval, or submissions for approval. Key informant interviews.

The purpose of this indicator is to measure the extent to which national governments expand participation in developing policy and in providing FP services; facilitate increased access to FP services for all sectors of the population; and address potential policy roadblocks to effective and efficient delivery of FP services and information. Removing client eligibility requirements– such as marital status, minimum age, or parity for receiving FP methods — empowers women and youth to demand the services and products they want. Private sector participation in policy development may ensure that FP programs address the needs of all different groups in a population. The private sector can also be an important provider of services, especially in countries where government programs are either overburdened by demand or are unable to reach certain population groups.

Although a policy barrier may have legally been removed, the change may not be effectively practiced. For example, if a barrier constraining contraceptive options is eliminated– such as requiring parental consent to provide services to unmarried youth under age 18 — in addition to conducting a legal and regulatory review, evaluators should also interview providers to assess their awareness of the barrier removal as well as interview youth to assess their ability to obtain services.

Also, because changing laws or policies is typically a lengthy process, evaluators may not have evidence of actual modifications or removal of policy barriers within a project time frame of five years, for example.  Therefore, evaluators may wish to break the indicator into two parts, such that “Evidence that policy barriers to access to FP services and information have been identified”, is a separate indicator in order to capture the process of change.