This tool (Sample DSS Household Registration Form.pdf      Sample DSS Household Registration Form Alternative.pdf) is used to register new households that are established after the startup round. In some sites, such households are identified by a dedicated mapping team.

New households come into being in three different ways. First, is when a person (not a registered member) moves into the study area. This is a person (and often an entire household) that has never been registered in the system. The second is when a member already registered in the system migrates to another part of the study area. Even though the identification of this member does not change, the household location needs to be changed. The third is when there is separation of a previously existing household. This happens when for instance an adult member of the household separates to form his/her own household. In all these, new households could either come up as a new physical structure or into an already existing structure.

During the routine round visits of field workers (FWs), it is their responsibility to register all the types of households discussed above. As it has always been the case for the collection of all events, FWs are to ask all respondents for any new household present. In the case of a new separate physical structure, the FW identifies it either by asking or by direct observation. The structure may contain more that one household and all members in each of them have to be registered. Where a person has never been registered in the system, the person, as usual, is given a unique identifier, known as a permanent ID (Perm ID for short). In a case where a person is already registered in the system, all available information about the person is recorded. Most importantly information on first point of registration is collected. This is important as it helps in finding the person’s Perm ID and is used to reconcile the member’s information.

One has to bear in mind that a household does not exist when there is no member. Therefore, a household cannot be registered if at least a person has not been present in that dwelling for at least 90 days, which is the key membership criterion. As it is, where a member or members of a household have not stayed for the required membership period (90 days), the FW leaves a footnote, indicating the date on which the member(s) moved in. This will guide the next FW in registering the household and the people. 

Apart from taking demographic information of the people in the household, socio-economic data of each household is also collected. These include information of dwelling facilities (type of roof, floor material, etc), household possessions (animals and other durable goods), waste disposal, type of drinking water, and so on. Find below a sample of the household questionnaire. 

In terms of mapping, the structure in which the household is found is mapped. In the Navrongo DSS this structure is called a compound, which, as earlier mentioned, can consist of several households. The GPS/GIS mapping is done not by the FWs but by a different team after all information about the compound is available. The above processes take place during every round.