2. The IYCF Assessment Process: Assessment Objectives
Initial Rapid Assessment (often a multi-sectoral rapid assessment):
Provides a rapid overview of the situation related to IYCF in order to identify the immediate impacts of the crisis and estimate the needs of the affected population for assistance (funding and personnel) in the first weeks following the crisis
Timing: as soon as possible(within days) after acute onset emergency
2nd Stage or more Comprehensive (in-depth) Assessment (sector-specific):
A more thorough analysis that provides information to more thoroughly assess the situation, to inform program development, determine resource requirements, and disseminate additional information to the international community. Often includes:
Sector-specific rapid assessment (SSRA)
Survey data (can be single-sector or multi-sectoral: nutritional, anthropometry, IYCF practices, other data): to document baseline
Timing: as soon as appropriate resources and experience are available (1-3 weeks)

3. IYCF Assessment Process Key information (Ops Guidance)
Initial Rapid Assessment (IRA; often multi-sectoral MSRA):
Demographic profile. Are the following groups under or over-represented: infants, pg women, orphans/unaccompanied children?
Feeding practices pre-crisis; any observable changes. Observed and pre-crisis approaches to feeding orphaned infants (including acceptability of wet-nursing).
Reported problems (by population, by health staff) feeding infants and young children (including BF difficulties, poor access to infant complementary foods)
Conspicuous availability of BMS, milk products, bottles and teats in population or commodity pipeline
Who is available to provide immediate assistance?
[Situation related to mortality, morbidity, nutritional status of infants/young children]
[Security risks to women and children]

4. IYCF Assessment Process Additional information (Ops Guidance)
Comprehensive Assessment (SSRA): obtain information on the following
Food situation
-- Nutritional adequacy of food ration; availability of appropriate foods for infant complementary feeding (in general ration; in targeted feeding programmes); food sitn for pg and lactating women
-- Presence of donations; type; management; public awareness of donations
Health environment
-- water quantity and quality, fuel, sanitation, housing, facilities for food preparation and cooking
-- support offered by health facilities providing antenatal, delivery, postnatal and child care
Care environment
-- feeding: feeding techniques (cup, bottle, management and use; methods of encouraging complementary feeding); any factors disrupting breastfeeding
-- capacity of potential support givers (BF mothers, trained HWs, trained IYCF counsellors, experienced women from community)
-- identify key decision-makers at HH, community andlocal health facility level
-- identify cultural barriers to relactation, expressing BM or wet-nursing

5. IYCF Assessment Process Additional information (Ops Guidance)
Comprehensive Assessment: information from Surveys
Population statistics: numbers of accompanied and unaccompanied infants and young children <24 months (data stratified by age: 0-5 months, 6-11 months, months), children aged months (2-5 years), pregnant and lactating women
Morbidity and mortality of infants
Receipt of food at HH level
Infant and young child feeding practices
-- questions for calculation of standard indicators
-- questions on receipt of donated BMS and bottles, and use in past 24 hours