Background: Community-based rehabilitation (CBR) is a complex concept and strategy that has been implemented in diverse ways globally and in South Africa. Internationally, some stakeholders have described CBR as confusing, and this may influence implementation. A southern African study reports that there is insufficient evidence of the understanding of CBR in the region to influence training, policy and practice.Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate South African stakeholders’ knowledge of CBR.Method: This article reports on an electronic survey that was part of a larger mixed methods study. Based on the sample of 86 respondents, descriptive statistics were used to analyse the quantitative data and thematic analysis for the qualitative data.Results: The majority of respondents had had exposure to CBR, but almost a quarter had no knowledge of the CBR guidelines and matrix. The results revealed varying knowledge concerning the key concepts of CBR, its beneficiaries and its funders. Respondents identified persons with disabilities as having a central role in the implementation of CBR. Problems with the visibility of CBR programmes were noted, as well as misunderstandings by many therapists.Conclusion: The implementation of CBR, and its goal of ensuring the rights of persons with disabilities, is negatively affected by the confusion attached to the understanding of what CBR is. The misunderstandings about, and lack of visibility of, CBR in South Africa may hinder its growing implementation in the country in line with new government policies.

The systematic review set out in this protocol is part of a broader evidence synthesis which intends to produce two systematic reviews to address a significant gap in the evidence base identified by Luchenski et al. (2018) and by White and Narayanan (2021). This review (the focus of this protocol) will be of the experiences of adults experiencing homelessness when accessing and using psychosocial interventions. This review of qualitative data will use thematic synthesis to analyse these experiences as faced by this population when accessing and using psychosocial interventions.

This systematic review is part of a broader evidence synthesis which aims to produce two systematic reviews to address a significant gap in the evidence base identified by Luchenski et al. (2018) and by (White, 2018). The first review (which is the subject of this protocol) will use meta-analysis to examine the effectiveness of different psychosocial interventions in (1) reducing problematic substance use; (2) improving mental health; and (3) improving housing stability for adults experiencing homelessness. The second review (which is covered by a separate title registration and protocol) will be of the experiences of adults experiencing homelessness when accessing or using psychosocial interventions, and will be a qualitative evidence synthesis using thematic synthesis (Thomas & Harden, 2008). | The significant and increasing scale of homelessnessHomelessness is a major social and public health concern (MacKnee & Mervyn, 2002;Wright, 2017). In recent years, rates of homelessness are reported to have increased in many western countries, although differences in definitions and measures mean that it is challenging to get an accurate overall picture (OECD, 2020). For example, in the United States, the recent State of Homelessness in America report stated that in January 2020 over 580,000 were experiencing homelessness, and that rates of homelessness had grown by 2% over the previous year (National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2021). In Canada, around 35,000 people are homeless each night, with between 250,000 and 300,000 experiencing homelessness a year (Gaetz et al., 2016;Wong et al., 2020). Homelessness continues to rise in most EU countries (FEANT-SA, 2017). In England, all forms of homelessness rose between 2008 and 2017 (O'Leary & Simcock, 2020), and it is estimated that 280,000 people are homeless in England (Shelter, 2021). Recent published data suggests that the number of people experiencing street homelessness and who are sleeping rough (unsheltered) in England fell between 2017 and 2021 (snapshot count taken on a single night in Autumn), with a significant fall recorded in 2020. The large drop in 2020 is probably accounted for by government responses to the Covid 19 (DLUHC, 2022), though the reasons for reductions in 2017, 2018 and 2019 are not yet known. In the UK, the proportion of people experiencing homelessness who are sleeping rough is relatively small compared to other