TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR BASELINE SURVEY FOR the program “Strengthening Child Protection and Mental Health and Psychosocial Support for All Children, including within Schools”

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

The Government of Rwanda (GoR) has achieved great strides in the promotion of children’s rights and building its child protection system. Various programs and policies have been put in place, laws enacted, and institutional frameworks have been created with the aim of improving the lives of all children. Rwanda has progressively developed legal and policy provisions related to child protection. Law 71/2018 on the Protection of the Child and the Integrated Child Rights Policy (ICRP) – along with several other legal and policy instruments – provide for both prevention and response systems, including addressing cultural and social norms to prevent violence and abuse, and the criminalization of sexual violence. The development the National Child Safeguarding Framework is underway to guide on prevention and mitigation of the risks threatening protection and safety of the children in all settings including homes and schools. The National Child Development Agency (NCDA) is responsible for coordinating the continuum of child protection services through relevant policies and guidelines and promoting stakeholders’ synergic engagement in the wider child protection system. This mandate is provided by the ICRP policy and guided by the ICRP Strategic Plan 2019- 2024 priority actions. A National Child Protection Case Management Framework was recently developed and launched to strengthen the quality and coordination of child protection services provision and its roll out is underway. However, further work is still needed to strengthen preventive mechanisms for child protection violations and provide quality and timely responsive and supportive services to child victims of protection violations in regular programming and in emergencies.

According to the Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (VACS 2015-2016), half of children in Rwanda experience a form of violence in their life course while 10% of cases of sexual violence occur within the school settings. The survey also indicated that most children who experience violence do not know where to report and those who report rarely get help. School dropout and absenteeism ( missing a day of school) due to violence were other consequences of violence unveiled by the VACYS 2016.The need to strengthen the safety of children in homes and learning environments is one of the key priorities for the Government of Rwanda captured under the ICRP strategic plan 2019-2024, Girls education policy and the draft National Child safeguarding Framework, National Children Summit and other children advocacy platforms. For the child to stay safe and well protected, all schools have therefore a safeguarding and protection responsibility towards the children in their charge and should take all reasonable steps to ensure that their welfare is safeguarded, and their safety is preserved. There is a need of establishment of a protection system to be informed by a review of the existing structure within a school and to inform the setting up of strong protection committees, their capacity building and development of schools' tools to use to enable a strong child protection and safeguarding system within a school

PROJECT BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT

Save the Children International Rwanda in partnership with UNICEF is implementing an integrated child protection project titled (starting from 30^th December 2024 to November 23^rd, 2025 “Strengthening Child Protection and Mental Health and Psychosocial Support for All Children, including within School’’.  The project is part of the ongoing efforts to strengthen child protection systems in schools and communities and ensure the continuity of child protection services during emergencies.  During the next 12 months, the project will be implemented across 30 Districts of Rwanda

Leveraging on the Save the Children’s existing expertise and interventions to address all forms of violence, neglect, abuse and exploitation against children. The program will employ innovation in Implementing the following strategies and its interventions:

Strategy 1 – Schools provide safe, protective and inclusive learning environments for girls, children with disabilities and other vulnerable learners.

1.1 Develop training manual for School-based Child Protection Committees on child protection and safeguarding.

1.2. Training for the Master Trainers using the developed Manual – the Master trainers will in turn conduct Training of Trainers (Tots)

1.3. Training of Trainers from the identified Districts

1.4. Orientation session of school management/leadership, teachers and students on child protection and safeguarding

1.5 Establishing child protection and safeguarding committees, select focal points and roll out of the child protection and safeguarding training in the identified Schools

1.6. Support schools to develop school accountability tools (school promise cards, complaints boxes)

1.7. Review of teachers' code of conduct to include child safeguarding commitments

 1.8 Produce child friendly communication materials on child protection and facilitating dissemination

1.9 Quarterly Child Safeguarding & Child Protection (CP) reflection meetings with all the stakeholders (school leadership, CP committee, providers of child protection referral services).

Strategy 2 – The child protection system is strengthened through the overall roll-out of the Child Protection Case Management Framework.

2.1 Nationwide child protection and support service mapping to inform child protection referral pathways/protocol.

2.2 Develop an online services directory for the NCDA on all child protection services in the country.

 2.3 Support the NCDA to develop national referral protocols based on the service mapping 2.4 Develop a CPCM training package for in-service training for the child protection workforce (including community volunteers)

2.5 Support the NCDA & UNICEF, to roll-out the CPCM training for in-service social workers (CPWOs, DMOs, Gender Family Promotion Officers and other relevant workforce at the sub-national level)

2.6 Joint monitoring – developing, mentoring/coaching tools for supporting quality programme intervention

Strategy 3 - Increased capacity of frontline health and protection workers to provide MHPSS to affected children and their families

3.1 Roll out the MHPSS simplified guide to Sector staff and sector level IZU and CHW from 163 Sectors in 12 priority Districts and supervise cascade up to cell levels Monitoring evaluation, documentation and learning

JUSTIFICATION OF THE BASELINE SURVEY

Save the Children will conduct the baseline survey to establish a foundation, inform the actual targets and possible assumptions to guide implementation. An external consultant will be recruited to implement the survey in all districts covered by the project.

OBJECTIVE OF THE SURVEY

The purpose of the baseline survey is to provide information that will be the benchmark on which project implementation will rely, for an effective and efficient achievement of its stated objectives and expected results. Therefore, the baseline is expected to measure the status of project indicators at the very beginning of this project. The information collected on the project indicators will later be used to measure and monitor the project progress against the set target over the course of the project implementation. The planned survey also serves as the first of the many steps of the implementation research which will help assess progress and document the lessons throughout the project life. The project M&E documents will be provided for reference and guidance while designing instruments and measuring outcome indicators.

The baseline will employ mixed qualitative and quantitative methods, and its results will be triangulated with other existing sources including assessments and surveys done under the Learning Inclusion for Transformation (LIfT) and Zero Out of School programmes.

The following project indicators will be assessed:

SCOPE OF WORK

The consultant/Company will:

• Produce an inception report including detailed methodology, survey tools, ethical considerations including safeguarding   and present it to the project team for validation.
• Develop a roadmap/key milestones for the implementation Research
• produce various documentation including 2 program briefs and 2 short videos.  
• Develop Tools for Data collection and translate the tools to be validated
• Conduct data collection in all Districts as mentioned in indicator Table
• Analyze the collected data for all Baseline indicators
• Present the Draft Baseline Report
• The draft final report should include all indicators values, also synthesize all findings and conclusions into an overall baseline of the project
• Facilitate the validation meeting with project stakeholders
• Incorporate feedback from all stakeholders into the final report.
• Share the Final Report with Data set
• Final Data Collection Tools
• Produce a final power point presentation on the findings
• Produce a fact sheet of the survey findings  

DELIVERABLES

The consultant / Company will provide:

• A baseline Survey Final Report
• Raw Data set
• Roadmap/key milestones for the survey implementation
• Road Map of the Implementation Research
• Produce various documentation including 2 program briefs and 2 short videos.  Produce a final power point presentation on the findings
• Fact Sheet of the survey Findings  
• Completed Consent Forms (including for children and their caregivers and adults)

METHODOLOGY

The consultant(s)/Company should be prepared to use mixed methods both quantitative and qualitative methods and techniques that are gender sensitive, child and disability friendly to ensure the safety of children especially children with disability.  The consultant/company will also suggest the approaches to be used on the Implementational Research, shapes and informs the next milestones to be documented, assessed and be reflected on. The methodology should clearly highlight the approach used to informs the next project milestones to be documented.

The methodology with all details will be further unpacked in the inception report by the consultant and validated by Save the children project and MEAL Staff ; the methodology section should cover details of study approaches and design, sampling, sample size determination, data collection methods/instruments, data analysis techniques, plan for dissemination of study findings, and be cognizant of quality assurance, safeguarding and ethical considerations during the study. TIMEFRAME AND DURATION

MANDATORY REQUIREMENT AND APPLICATION SPECIFICATION

The research consultant/Company will have or be:

• Education: A Master’s degree in social sciences, statistics, Economics, Sociology, Sexual Reproductive Health and Right, Child Protection, Development studies, Gender studies and Civil Society strengthening or other related field from a recognized university;
• Research Expertise:
• Technical M&E skills including demonstrated knowledge and experience in undertaking similar assignment including (Baseline Midterm, Endline surveys)
• Experience in conducting Implementation Research Process
• In-depth knowledge and understanding of research methodologies.
• Relevant subject matter knowledge and experience in qualitative research: knowledge and experience required to conduct qualitative research, with the ability to draw findings from qualitative research and ensure triangulations from different sources.

Child protection Expertise: the research consultant should have the skills and expertise in conducting research in child protection, safeguarding and case management.

• Have proven record in conducting child protection related research and studies

Country experience:The research consultant should have the required broader understanding of the Rwanda context

• A registered local company in Rwanda
• Excellent writing skills in English
• Ability to work independently with light or no direct supervision

The consultant/Company will work closely with Save the Children MEAL officer, HEAD of MEAL, in collaboration with the project Coordinator and under the overall supervision of the Director of Program Development and Quality.

Support of Save the Children and partners

Save the Children will provide the consultant with available information about organization’s interventions relevant to this research. The organization will keep all survey data and transcripts.

Child Safeguarding Policy

Any employee, consultant, contractor or the supplier undertaking an activity on behalf of Save the Children International's must sign [The Child Safeguarding - Declaration of Acceptance Form] and comply with the Save the Children International Child Safeguarding Policy, which is a statement of Save the Children International commitment to preventing abuse and protecting children with whom it comes into contact. This extends not only to children with whom Save the Children International and its partners work directly but also includes children whom staff are responsible for. Save the Children International believes that the situation of children must be improved through the promotion of their rights supported and demonstrated by all members of staff. Save the Children International's Code of Conduct sets out the standards, which all staff members must adhere to Save the Children, is zero tolerance to fraud.

Disclosure of Information

It is understood and agreed that the Consultant(s) shall, during and after the effective period of the contract, treat as confidential and not divulge, unless authorized in writing by Save the Children, any information obtained during the performance of the Contract. Information will be made available for the consultants on a need-to-know basis.

Children. All intellectual property rights in all material (including but not limited to reports, tools, data and designs whether or not electronically stored) produced by either the consultant or SC or its personnel, members or representatives during the assignment of this project will be the property of Save the Children.

How Apply

• The prospective consultant(s) shall present a detailed CV along with a technical proposal that will include the understanding of the assignment.
• Financial proposal should be prepared in Rwandan francs inclusive of all required taxes.
• The applicant shall present together with the above, copies of related accomplished consultancy work in the past.

Interested consultant (s) should submit their applications to rwanda.bid@savethechildren.org with the mention BASELINE SURVEY FOR the program not later than 7th March 2025 at 17:00 PM. No hard copies will be accepted.