ChildFund is hiring a
Consultant’s Terms of Reference for Swipe Safe Solomons Project Evaluation.
ChildFund is an independent and non‐religious international development organisation that works to reduce poverty for children in developing communities. We work in partnership with children and their communities to create lasting change by supporting long‐term community development, responding to humanitarian emergencies and promoting children’s rights. Our vision is a world without poverty where all children and young people can say ‘I’m safe. I am educated. I have a future’.
ChildFund Australia implements programs with a range of local partners in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea, Timor‐Leste, and other Pacific Island countries. Our work is funded through community sponsorship, government grants as well as donations from individuals, trusts and foundations, and corporate organisations.
ChildFund Australia is a member of the ChildFund Alliance – a global network of 11 child-focused development and humanitarianorganisations which assists more than 23 million children and their families in over 70 countries. ChildFund Australia is a registered charity, an accredited member of the Australian Council for International Development and fully accredited by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), which manages the Australian Government’s overseas aid program.
ChildFund in the Pacific
ChildFund Australia works with governments, civil society partners and communities in PNG, Timor Leste and the Solomon Islands to deliver child protection, education and healthcare programs. We respond to emergencies in Pacific Island nations and are committed to building strengthening capacity so that locals can respond first.
2. Background
The project “Strengthening Online Safety for Young People in the Pacific 2020-2022: Phase 2” seeks to increase protective environments for children online and offline in the Pacific region with focus on Solomon Islands, by addressing limited professional capacity in child protection and by building holistic online safety projects with young people across the Pacific. This project is funded by the DFAT Cyber and Critical Technology Cooperation Program. It is a joint project between ChildFund Australia and PLAN International Australia.
Some major outcomes of this project are:
In this project, ChildFund's flagship Swipe Safe training package is rolled out to equip children, young people, parents/caregivers and community entities with knowledge and skills to increase protective environments for children online.
The project has adopted a phased implementation approach which incorporates ongoing research, consultation with local stakeholders, the small-scale piloting of activities and then building in the overall learning to future phases and iterations.
3. Purpose
The purpose of the next phase of Swipe Safe is to evaluate the scalability of the program and training to introduce to other areas of the Solomon Islands or other Pacific country contexts.
The evaluation is planned at the end of phase 2 of the project, in order to collect and consolidate information on outcomes and learnings, which will then inform the further development and implementation of the program in additional contexts.
The objectives of the evaluation (what you and other key stakeholders need to know/investigate)
Testing the effectiveness of current project interventions.
Investigate the extent to which the project’s interventions are integrated into systems.
Investigate the level of political support/buy in for the project and activities including improved awareness and support of government resources and the impact of advocacy efforts.
Viability of the current project model for scale up and replicability in other Pacific locations, and/or in new regions. This should include assessing stand-alone interventions as well as the full training package.
What the evaluation will be used for
4. Scope of Evaluation
This end-of-project evaluation will cover the whole of the project and its entire implementation period from July 2019 to June 2023. The evaluation must be conducted in accordance with ChildFund Australia’s guidelines and policies of child protection and ethical standards.
The consultant is required to undertake the following:
The relevant staff of ChildFund Australia and PLAN International Australia will:
The consultancy will be carried out in Honiara, Solomon Islands. In-depth interviews and focus group discussions with youth facilitators, parents and caregivers and community entities who directly participated in the project will be conducted. Interviews with officials and representatives from the Solomon Islands Police Force and the Ministry of Communication and Aviation will also be required.
The evaluation is taking place at the end of a 3-year project (+1 year extension).
Please see Annex 1 for the Key Questions and OECD Evaluation Criteria.
This evaluation will employ a mixed-methods approach and will mostly derive both quantitative and qualitative data from the project’s in-built monitoring and evaluation system. These data sources will be reviewed as part of the desk assessment and will comprise of:
Discrete sets of qualitative data will however be required for the sole purpose of the evaluation and will comprise of the below methods:
6. Deliverables and Indicative Timetable
Note that this is subject to negotiation with the Consultant
**Indicative dates/****Outputs and Activities/**Number of Days
10 February 2023
4 to 5 days
· Discussion of work plan with the Consultant
· Gathering of relevant ChildFund Australia and PLAN International documents
· Document review
· Consultant to develop proposal for data collection and analysis. The proposal includes methodology for data collection, timing, and key people to be interviewed)
· Consultant to design and set interviews/workshops with relevant staff
Date —
6 to 7 days
· Conduct focus group discussions and interviews
· Analysis, synthesis and triangulation of data
Date —
8 days
· Produce draft evaluation report
Date —
2 days
· Present and Review evaluation report with relevant staff
End date negotiable
2 days
· Produce final report
· Produce external facing summary of findings from evaluation
Total number of days
23 - 25 days
7. Management and Reporting Arrangement
The Consultant will report to Lauren Miles, ChildFund Australia Child Protection Advisor.
All reports must be written in English and provided in an electronic format (Microsoft Word).
8. Confidentiality
All discussions and documents relating to this ToR will be treated as confidential by the selected parties.
9. Child Safeguarding
The Consultant will undertake the Services to a high standard; use its best endeavors to promote the best interests of ChildFund; protect the reputation of ChildFund and work in a manner consistent with the mission, vision and policies of ChildFund (see Child Safeguarding Policy/Child Safeguarding Code of Conduct PSEAH policy and Employee Code of Conduct). ChildFund Australia has a zero-tolerance policy to abuse, exploitation and harassment in all its forms.
10. Counter-Terrorism and Anti-Money Laundering
ChildFund Australia acknowledges its obligation under the Australian laws relating to counter-terrorism and anti-money laundering. In order to meet its obligation, the consultant is obligated to provide information required for ChildFund Australia to undertake counter terrorism screening before engagement. The consultant’s name, date & place of birth and ID number will be checked against Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) consolidated list, National Security Australia list, World Banks listing and the Asian Development bank listing to ensure not engage with entities or individuals appearing on the lists.
11. Conflict of Interest
The Consultant must declare any financial, personal, family (or close intimate relationship) interest in matters of official business which may impact on the work of ChildFund
12. Fraud and Corruption prevention and awareness
ChildFund Australia has a zero approach to fraud and corruption act. The successful consultant will be required to comply with ChildFund Australia’s fraud and corruption prevention and awareness Policy and act against any form of fraud or corruption and not offer, promise, give or accept any bribes.
13. Insurance
The successful applicant will be required to have in place insurance arrangements appropriate to provision of the requirement in this TOR including (without limitation) travel insurance.
14. Acknowledgment and Disclaimer
ChildFund, its Board and staff make no express or implied representation or warranty as to the currency, reliability or completeness of the information contained in this ToR. Nothing in this ToR should be construed to give rise to any contractual obligations or rights, expressed or implied, by the issue of this ToR or the submission of Expression of Interest in response to it. No contract would be created until a formal written contract is executed between ChildFund and a selected consultant.
--------------------------------------------
Selection Criteria for Consultant
ChildFund Australia is seeking a consultant with knowledge and experience in project evaluations (preferably in Solomon Islands and /or Pacific Island Countries). The Consultant must be available for distance and face-to-face meetings, as necessary.
The Expression of Interest should include resume, referees, proposal containing competence for the required work, professional fee, approaches/methodologies and timeline based on the Terms of Reference.
Submit CV and proposal by 6 February 2023 to Lauren Miles at Lmiles@childfund.org.au
Annex 1
Proposed Evaluation Approach
Key Evaluation Domains
This domain will investigate the project’s effectiveness in achieving project outcomes, the evidence of changes to knowledge attitudes, and practices, as well as systems change. It will respond to the below key evaluation questions:
(Relevant OECD Evaluation Criteria: Impact, Effectiveness)
This domain will investigate the extent to which the project’s interventions are integrated into systems, as well as providing evidence for contextual relevance, alignment with national priorities, and seek examples of effective local resource mobilisation. It will respond to the below key evaluation questions:
(Relevant OECD Evaluation Criteria: Relevance )
(Relevant OECD Evaluation Criteria: Coherence, Sustainability)
This domain will investigate the extent to which the project’s strategies and interventions improved awareness and support from government resources, and investigate the ways in which advocacy efforts have resulted to government-allocated resources to potentially initiate scaling. It will respond to the below key evaluation questions:
(Relevant OECD Evaluation Criteria: Impact, Relevance)
(Relevant OECD Evaluation Criteria: Effectiveness)
This domain will investigate how the project contributed to or enabled integration of interventions across local and national systems, applicability of introduced elements across a range of settings, and understand compatibility by understanding the extent it has leveraged or improved existing structures and/or practices. This domain will also investigate the level of stakeholder buy-in and the intervention’s perceived value; and will thus respond to the below key evaluation questions:
(Relevant OECD Evaluation Criteria: Impact, Sustainability, Relevance)
(Relevant OECD Evaluation Criteria: Relevance)
(Relevant OECD Evaluation Criteria: Effectiveness)
(Relevant OECD Evaluation Criteria: Relevance)
This domain will investigate promising indications of continuing/ongoing activities existing outside of the project’s targeted scope, the fidelity of its various implementation components, and level of transferability, or ability, of key institutional partners and actors to sustain the outcomes of the intervention. This domain will respond to the below key evaluation questions:
KEQ: Were there any changes/variations to project components in the course of project implementation?
(Relevant OECD Evaluation Criteria: Efficiency)
(Relevant OECD Evaluation Criteria: Sustainability)
As above, clarity whether we mean political I.e ministerial or departmental/I.e line ministry