SECURING FAMILY BASED CARE FOR ETHIOPIAN OVCs MIDTERM EVALUATION - TERMS OF REFERENCE
Terms of Reference (TOR) Call for Consultancy Service: To evaluate a component of the Securing Family Based Care Program in Ethiopia.
Background
Bethany is changing the world through family. We began our work by serving one child more than 75 years ago. Today, Bethany is an international Christian nonprofit partnering with communities in more than 30 states in the U.S. and in several countries around the world. We strengthen and preserve families, support displaced people fleeing danger, and find safe, loving families for children who need them. Bethany is at the forefront of creating and implementing solutions to meet the growing needs of vulnerable children and families in the U.S. and around the world.
Bethany Christian Services started implementing Family Based Care through its Foster-to-Adopt (FTA) program in Ethiopia in 2009. This program aimed at providing family-based care for vulnerable children in institutions. Since the beginning of the program, Bethany has managed to facilitate placement of 709 children with foster families and adoption of 477 by the end of 2021.
In 2019, Bethany secured a grant from the USAID/DCOF to enable it to facilitate care reforms in Ethiopia and demonstrate the models for family-based care. In partnership with the Government of Ethiopia and local stakeholders, Bethany seeks to support the development of a new system of alternative care in Ethiopia, moving children out of orphanages and into family-based care, the process referred to as deinstitutionalization (DI). Bethany is helping partner orphanages develop a five-year deinstitutionalization plan to transition to family and community-based care services. Moreover, Bethany has developed and piloted a service model on TFC and Reunification work with four local orphanage partners, to place children into family-based care settings through Temporary Foster Care (TFC), Foster to adopt (FTA) and Reunification services (RU).
These family-based care models are being implemented in the regions of Oromia, Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Regions (SNNPR), Sidama Region and the city administration of Addis Ababa. Bethany has had a network of stakeholders which include Ministries of Child Welfare, faith-based organizations, and orphanages that provide referrals of families that want to foster or adopt and cases of children eligible for reunification.
Objectives of the consultancy:
The main objective of this TOR is to hire a competitive and an experienced consulting firm/consultant with an extensive experience or significant knowledge of the family-based care or the child welfare system in Ethiopia or in similar context. The consulting firm/ evaluator must have previous experience in conducting evaluations for medium to large programs of similar nature. More specifically the consultant should meet the following requirements:
Primary tasks /activities
The major tasks of the consultancy service are:
The main objective of this evaluation is to assess how well the program is being implemented and to assess the effectiveness of the models of TFC and RU in achieving de-institutionalization in Ethiopia.
Some potential overarching questions to guide the evaluation are listed below. These questions focus on implementation and outcome and will be revised with the selected evaluator:
Evaluation Methodology: The methodology must include both quantitative and qualitative methods which can include review and analysis of key documents, key informant interviews with stakeholder, partner orphanage staff, in-depth interviews with parents of children reunified, prospective and current foster parents, and relevant Bethany staff.
Note: The evaluator can propose other methodologies.
Expected deliverables
Duration
A maximum of 55 days covered by consultancy fees with a possibility 10 day no cost-extension for report finalization
Timeframe: December 19, 2022 – Feb 15,2023
Terms of Payment
The payments will be made in A/C payee cheques in the name of the consultant /firm. Bethany will deduct withholding tax of 2%. Besides, no other benefits shall be admissible beyond what is stipulated in the contract.
Category: Child protection/welfare
Career level: Senior (7+ Years’ experience)