Certification in Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA)

The certification in Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA), developed in partnership with CaLP, covers the essential knowledge and skills needed by everyone involved in cash transfer programming regardless of their specific job role. Taking its starting point in the CaLP competency framework, the certification competency outline has drawn on the input of hundreds of cash practitioners.

For whom?

The PHAP Credentialing Program certification in Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA), developed in partnership with CaLP, is designed for humanitarian practitioners who want to demonstrate the essential knowledge and skills needed by everyone working in the area of CVA. The CVA certification is highly relevant for all individuals involved in the operational delivery of CVA, as well as program design, strategic planning, and decision making relating to CVA. The CVA certification competency framework was developed through a consultative process involving hundreds of CVA practitioners. The CVA certification is a stand-alone certification designed to apply to all practitioners involved in CVA, at all levels of professional experience.

What is the scope of the CVA certification?

A CVA certification holder understands the overall relevance, scope, and key concepts of CVA. He or she is able to identify key considerations for carrying out a market analysis, selecting delivery mechanisms, carrying out risk mitigation strategies, and selecting modalities. A certification holder understands the key considerations for determining transfer value, contracting service providers, targeting and registering beneficiaries, as well as the organizational processes and procedures that need to incorporate CVA. He or she is able to identify key issues related to protection of CVA data, and is able to promote community participation and accountability in CVA. Moreover, certification holders understand the essentials of monitoring and evaluation, preparedness, and global policy priorities for CVA.

Why pursue certification?

The CVA certification will be launched in March 2019 as one of the modular PHAP Credentialing Program certifications that recognize knowledge and skills in complementary areas of humanitarian practice. The CVA certification provides an opportunity for practitioners to demonstrate professional competencies within the aforementioned scope of the certification. All certified individuals receive a verifiable digital badge as proof of their achievement that can be added to their CVs, social media profiles, email signature, or personal websites and portfolios.

How to prepare

PHAP provides a variety of free tools, guidance, and useful links to learning resources in order to prepare for the certification assessment in a targeted way. The Self-Assessment and Diagnostic Test are both useful tools to help you identify where you have the greatest need for improvement. By using the Self-Assessment and Diagnostic Test together, you can get an accurate picture of where you currently stand in your assessment preparation. To fill any identified gaps, you can use the Study Guide that provide overviews of key concepts and links to relevant learning resources

• The Self-Assessment outlines the scope of the certification and the specific required competencies for certification holders. The self-assessment is a useful tool to help you reflect on where you have the greatest need for improvement.
• The Diagnostic Test is a free online test that is similar to the official certification assessment, but designed to help pinpoint where you may need to prepare further. This diagnostic test gives an indication of how you would score on the official certification. Upon completion, you will receive a personalized and detailed Diagnostic Report, indicating your strengths and weaknesses in the different areas of the certification.
• The Study Guide provides overviews of key concepts, links to relevant learning resources, study questions and scenarios, structured around each individual competency required for the certifications. To optimize your preparations, you can use the Self-Assessment and Diagnostic Report to identify the specific competency statements for which you still need to prepare and then refer to those chapters in the study guide.