Research Consultant: Supporting effective safeguarding communication in the Ukraine humanitarian response - Poland

Contract end date: 15 October 2023

Hours: up to 34 days’ work over this period, full-time equivalent

Location: home-based; Poland

Travel: data collection in two locations in Poland (Warsaw and Kraków)

Reporting to: Global Researcher

Deadline for applications: 31 July 2023*

*Due to the urgency of this project, screening and interviews will commence immediately and the candidate can be selected at any stage before the closing date.

CLEAR Global is an equal-opportunity employer, committed to having a diverse team where individuals of all backgrounds collaborate and learn from one another. We believe we can be most effective with diverse experience and expertise in our team. We recruit on merit, actively seek diverse applicant pools and encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply. We do not discriminate on the basis of disability, age, gender identity and expression, national origin, race and ethnicity, religious beliefs, marital or parental status, or sexual orientation, and welcome all types of diversity.

The role

The consultant will design, lead and report on a study on multilingual communication in safeguarding in the provision of services to people affected by the war in Ukraine by organizations in Poland, Romania and Moldova.

Context

Communication is critical to understanding, preventing and responding to safeguarding risks. When people are forcibly displaced, for instance by the war in Ukraine, language and other communication barriers can impede safeguarding. Such barriers can make it harder for people to know their rights, who is accountable for upholding them and where to go for support, and to make use of counseling and other services.

Interpreters and cultural mediators play a critical role in such circumstances - but it is a role that carries the potential for harm, to themselves and to the individuals they support. As a 2021 Women’s Refugee Commission study on their role in sexual violence prevention and response highlights, interpreters and cultural mediators need appropriate training and support to contribute effectively to managing safeguarding risks.

CLEAR Global’s 2022 research in Moldova, Poland and Romania found that organizations supporting people fleeing the war in Ukraine routinely had recourse to untrained informal translators and interpreters. It also heard from professional linguists working with the response that many lacked training to support traumatized individuals and guidance or counseling support to manage the risks of secondary traumatization. A 2023 study by the Centre for Reproductive Rights in Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia found a widespread shortage of trained interpreters specializing in support to victims and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. This was found to be seriously impeding access to SGBV support services for women who had fled from Ukraine.

Aim of the research

The research aims to provide an evidence basis to help organizations in neighboring countries supporting people from Ukraine to better support multilingual communication around safeguarding. It will do this by identifying:

• Current provision for ensuring individuals acting as interpreters in the response do so in ways that minimize both the risk of retraumatizing or otherwise harming the individual concerned, and the risk of secondary traumatic distress for the interpreter
• The impact of any gaps in that provision on safeguarding risk and support for affected people and on the welfare of the interpreter
• Practices already in place or identified in consultation with specialists to better managing the risks involved

Research questions

1. What roles do professional and non-professional interpreters play in the prevention, reporting and referral of safeguarding issues and the provision of support to those affected? To what extent are those roles recognized by aid organizations and reflected in their safeguarding processes?
2. What training and support do professional and non-professional interpreters involved in safeguarding referral and response receive on recognizing and responding to signs or reports of  safeguarding-related misconduct, including sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment? What training and support do they receive on managing their own stress and avoiding secondary traumatization? What training and support do they receive on translating sensitive safeguarding concepts in accurate, accessible and respectful language?
3. To what extent do the provisions under 1. and 2. - and any gaps identified - affect people’s exposure to safeguarding risk, their willingness and ability to disclose safeguarding issues, and their access to effective referral and support? Does this vary by characteristics such as age, gender, language, disability and sexual orientation? To what extent do those provisions and gaps in them affect the mental health of those acting as interpreters? Does that impact differ for professional as compared with non-professional interpreters?
4. What practices have affected people, professional and non-professional interpreters, and staff of aid organizations found helpful in managing the risks identified? What further practices identified by interpreting and safeguarding specialists in other contexts could usefully be applied in neighboring countries hosting people from Ukraine?

Responsibilities

• On the basis of a preliminary literature review (to include CLEAR Global’s past research for the Ukraine response), develop research tools in coordination with CLEAR Global’s teams and experts from our partner organization, the Safeguarding Resource and Support Hub (RSH), and in line with ethical research standards
• Coordinate with CLEAR Global and RSH to set up and deliver the study
• Develop, implement and analyze findings from a survey and remote key informant interviews with linguists and aid organization staff in Moldova, Poland and Romania
• Remotely consult global specialists on interpreter support for managing the risk of secondary traumatization and interpreting for traumatized individuals
• Design and conduct in-person research in two locations in Poland (Warsaw and Kraków) with program participants from Ukraine, professional and non-professional interpreters, and aid organization staff involved in safeguarding, using methods including a review of key terminology and key informant interviews
• Present preliminary findings to representatives of the different groups consulted at a validation workshop to obtain initial feedback to enrich the analysis
• Analyze the data from all methods and develop a report of no more than 10 pages excluding annexes summarizing key findings and recommendations for each study, in English, and finalize it in consultation with CLEAR Global

The consultant is expected to comply with CLEAR Global’s ethical, research and data protection policies and Code of Conduct at all times during this assignment.

Deliverables

• Inception report including preliminary literature review
• Set of approved tools and fieldwork implementation plan
• Coded data set in Dedoose (access provided by CLEAR Global). Analysis and clear summary of findings and recommendations (report of max. 10 pages), in English
• Short Google Slides presentation and delivery, in English

The Consultant will coordinate with CLEAR Global’s Ukraine and global teams on the sequencing of the study, which must be completed, with submission of all deliverables, by 15 October 2023.

Qualifications

The consultant should be a creative self-starter with a strong sense of initiative and enthusiastic about the importance of increasing access to knowledge through language. The right candidate is an energetic team player who agrees with CLEAR Global's core values and can work remotely to collaborate with partners and team members.

Requirements

• Masters-level research qualifications, preferably specializing in gender research and/or language-related or anthropological study
• Demonstrated experience in research on GBV and sensitive topics and experience interviewing individuals who have experienced traumatic events
• Demonstrated understanding of language barriers in relation to gender, communication for development, or other humanitarian or development issues
• Experience designing and implementing social science research in humanitarian contexts
• Familiarity with humanitarian programming, particularly communication, community engagement and accountability
• Experience of the Ukraine response and demonstrated understanding of the social and cultural context strongly preferred
• Verbal and written fluency in English; strong writing skills with a capacity for plain-language communication
• Verbal and written fluency in Ukrainian a must; working proficiency in Russian/Polish strongly preferred
• Strong information management skills and a track record of producing analysis clearly grounded in original data
• Demonstrable understanding of ethical data collection and data protection practices
• Mature and collaborative personality, self-starter, flexible and committed

Terms and conditions

The Consultant’s fees will be paid as follows:

• An advance of 20% of the total contract value within 30 days of the signature of the contract
• Interim payments based on deliverables
• A final installment of 20% of the total contract value payable on satisfactory completion of the work and presentation of all deliverables.

The Consultant will be expected to use their own equipment and supplies (laptop, mobile phone, any recording equipment, etc.). CLEAR Global will cover agreed costs related to the assignment, including travel and accommodation for in-person research away from the consultant’s home base, and interpreting and translation support.

How to apply

To apply for this consultancy please submit the following documents:

1. A technical and financial offer to include:

• a brief description (no more than two sides of A4) of how you would tackle this role
• a proposed work plan (including the number of days required for each task)
• a financial offer, specifying daily fees including all costs and taxes (if applicable)

2. Curriculum vitae highlighting experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of at least three professional references.

Please upload the technical and financial offer as one document under “cover letter” and present the CV(s) of the expert(s) proposed in one document under “CV”.

About CLEAR Global

CLEAR Global exists to help people get vital information, and be heard, whatever language they speak. We believe that everyone has the right to give and receive information in a language and format they understand. We work with nonprofit partners and a global community of language professionals to build local language translation capacity, and raise awareness of language barriers. Our network of over 100,000 community members translate millions of words of life-saving and life-changing information a year.

Core Values

CLEAR Global employees and volunteers are people who believe passionately about the value of this work and take personal responsibility for achieving the mission. CLEAR Global’s mission and organizational spirit embody the core values established in its strategic framework:

Excellence: As the leading voice for communicating humanitarian information in the right language, CLEAR Global is a leader in the translation industry and in the non-profit sector.

Integrity: CLEAR Global believes that every person, whether it is the people who we serve, our volunteers or our staff, has value, deserves respect and has inherent dignity.

Empowerment: CLEAR Global believes in using language to empower people around the world to control their own development and destiny.

Innovation: CLEAR Global recognizes and celebrates the power of innovation to address humanitarian and crisis issues around the world.

Sustainability: CLEAR Global recognizes that meeting our mission necessitates establishment and maintenance of a solid financial and organizational infrastructure.

Tolerance: Our staff and volunteers are highly knowledgeable and skilled; value each other, our partner and our recipients; create a supportive work environment; and, conduct themselves professionally at all times.

CLEAR Global may re-advertise the vacancy, cancel the recruitment, offer an appointment with a modified job description or for a different duration at its discretion.