Supervision, Monitoring and Record Keeping
Functions of supervision
Administrative (attendance, supplies, funds), educative (guiding the AWW on curriculum and nutrition) and supportive (motivation, problem-solving). The cycle: plan the visit, observe, give feedback, agree actions, follow up. Supportive supervision improves performance; fault-finding suppresses reporting.
Records at the AWC
Enrolment register, attendance register for children and for staff, supplementary nutrition stock and issue register, growth monitoring and weight register, referral register, home visit register, pre-school register, daily diary, and the Monthly Progress Report. POSHAN Tracker entries must match the physical registers.
Indicators to track
Enrolment versus attendance rate, feeding days achieved, growth monitoring coverage, SAM and MAM children identified and referred, pre-school days held, home visits done, and timely submission of the MPR.
Worked example
A register shows 48 children enrolled and 36 present; the draft MPR claims 44. Reasoning: attendance rate is 36/48 = 75 per cent, not 92 per cent. Cross-check the helper's register, the SNP issue record and POSHAN Tracker before signing; correct the MPR and record the discrepancy in the visit note.
Traps
Signing registers without observation; aggregating MPR figures without verification; correcting staff in front of beneficiaries; giving feedback without a written follow-up date; conflating enrolment with attendance.
Monitoring versus evaluation
Monitoring is continuous and corrective; evaluation is periodic and judgemental. Both need baseline data, so insist on complete registers from day one.