TOR for Needs Assessment on Integrating the Protection and Rights of Children in Ethiopia into the Graduate Programs of Higher Education (Individual Consultancy)
1. Background
Save the Children International is the world's leading independent organization for children. Its vision is a world in which every child attains the right to survival, protection, development and participation. Its mission is to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children, and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives. Child Rights Governance [CRG] is one of the thematic sectors in Save the Children. CRG program has a vision to see a world where accountable, responsive, inclusive and transparent governance assures the rights of every child and where every child can have a voice in governance. The Child Rights Governance Initiative (CRGI) aims at ensuring that all rights as stated in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child [ACRWC] are implemented for all children in all circumstances. Through its CRG program, Save the Children works for creation of and support to national child rights systems delivering and monitoring all political, civil, economic, social and cultural rights of all children. One such area of support is the integration of protection and child rights into the graduate programs with the aim to enhance the knowledge on and skills to address the topic of children’s rights by graduates of relevant disciplines. Save the Children, thus, is seeking to recruit an individual consultant to undertake a needs assessment on integrating the issues of protection and rights of children in Ethiopia into graduate programs of Higher Education.
2. Purpose of Assessment
The purpose of this assignment is to assess the need for integrating the topics of protection and children’s rights into existing curricula of higher education or the development of a new program on the rights of children. The assessment will also determine the need for such program by evaluating the opinion of various stakeholders such as pertinent individuals (e.g. academics, opinion leaders), governmental and non-governmental institutions and organization as well as the experience of other universities.
3. Objective and Key Questions
The main objective of the assessment is to evaluate the need for the development a new program on the protection and rights of children and/or integration of these topics in the existing curricula of Higher Education.
The assessment report should more specifically address the following aspects and/or questions:
· The existence of other graduate programs on the protection and rights of children (in Ethiopia and abroad);
· Existing training, teaching programs on the protection and rights of children in Ethiopia;
· Existing research on the rights of children in Ethiopia;
· Institutions/organizations/individuals that are in need of this kind of program;
· Existing academic capacity on the protection and rights of children among the identified stakeholders;
· What would be the added value of such program?
· Which topics should be included in such program?
· What skills and knowledge should graduate of such planned program have?
4. Scope of the Assessment
The scope of the assessment is limited to evaluating the graduate programs of higher education, gathering the opinions of relevant stakeholders including the academia and institutions working with children and desk review of secondary data on integration of protection and rights of children into graduate programs.
5. Evaluation Design and Methodology
The assessment is expected to employ a qualitative and quantitative analysis. The primary and secondary data collected will be organized and analyzed thematically based on the objectives and key issues outlined in the Terms of Reference (TOR). Ethical procedures should be integral part of the study design and where appropriate, child friendly approach should also be employed where needed (for instance, the instruments/tools to be used, safe places for interview, etc.). The team should adhere to procedures like informed consent/assent, anonymity, Safe the Children’s child safeguarding policy and code of conduct, others.
6. Outputs and Deliverables
The individual consultant is expected to:
· Develop an inception report and work plan;
· Identify pertinent stakeholders/institutions/individuals for needs assessment;
· Develop questionnaires and other pertinent tools for needs assessment;
· Carry out the assessment. The assessment will be carried out in Mekelle University and in other universities in the region [if necessary].
· Prepare assessment report;
· Present the finding of the assessment report at the validation workshop and
· Follow up the editing of the report for publication.
7. Organization, Roles and Responsibilities
The individual consultant is responsible for carrying out the assessment in a professional manner. However, Save Children Ethiopia will be actively involved in and contribute to the quality of the final report.
Role of the Individual Consultant:
· Submit application letter, technical and financial proposal with clear statement of the proposed methodologies;
· Lead consultations process, with all informants of the assessment and responsible for validity of the information;
· Administer data collection, data entry and analysis of collected data;
· Responsible for the tasks specified and for making sure quality of work is done in the agreed timeframe and meeting the required standard;
· Upon completion of the overall validation workshop, a final report will be produced with specific action points, and recommendations. The report will be shared with all partners and donor
· Cover all field costs from the consultancy fee.
Role of Save the Children:
· Provide relevant document to the consultant;
· Provide timely feedback on the instruments, inception and final reports;
· Organizing consultation meetings and validation workshops
Effect consultant/s payment upon accomplishment of the tasks assigned to the consultants
8. Timeline
The report is expected to be finalized within 20 days since the signing of the contract.
9. Payments
The consultancy fee will be paid in two instalments: 30% advance submission and approval of the inception report and 70% after submission of the final report in hard and soft copies. The individual consultant shall be responsible for all taxes.
10. Evaluation Criteria
The proposals will review based on the following scoring criteria, It is a level D consultancy service.
Financial and technical Component | 100% |
Technical Proposal | 60% |
| 10% |
| 5% |
| 5% |
| 5% |
| 35% |
Financial Proposal | 40% |
Total | 100% |
11. Qualification of the Individual Consultant
The individual consultant is expected to have:
· A master’s degree in law, human rights or other related social science;
· Have a solid background in human rights related research and teaching with demonstrated interest in children’s rights with a minimum of five years of experience;
· Excellent understanding and experience in child rights, child focused polices and Child Rights Governance in Ethiopian context.
· Should have experience on quantitative and qualitative research methods and analysis;
· Have working relationship with higher education institutions is preferred;
· Fluency in English and Amharic