CONSULTANCY TO CONDUCT ENDLINE EVALUATION OF THE RESPONSIVE AND PROTECTIVE PARENTING PROGRAM (KENYAN FIRMS/INDIVIDUALS ONLY). 43 views1 applications

1.About ChildFund

ChildFund is a child-focused international development organization that works in 24 countries to connect children with the people, resources, and institutions they need to grow up healthy, educated, skilled and safe, no matter where they are. ChildFund Kenya works through 11 implementing partners (IP’s) to implements various development interventions across 26 counties. The thematic areas that we focus on are Child Protection, Household Economic Strengthening, Early Childhood Development (ECD), Education, WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene), Emergency Response, Health and Nutrition.

2.Early Childhood Development

Under ECD, ChildFund Kenya works with parents, communities, and the government both at the national and county levels to support the improved health and well-being of infants and young children (IYC) through provision of integrated ECD services. Our aim is to strengthen the nurturing environment to promote protective and responsive parenting and supportive structures for early childhood development. To this end, ChildFund’s ECD program is aligned to the Nurturing Care Framework, with interventions cutting across the 5 components namely health, nutrition, safety and security, responsive caregiving, and early learning. Our projects target children, their caregiver, and the communities they live in.

3. Responsive and Protective Parenting Program Model

Goal: Infants and young children to have improved age-appropriate development and early learning outcomes, and to be protected at home and in their communities.

Objectives

1. Strengthening multi-sectoral sub-national government and local partners’ capacity to support community stakeholders in ensuring protective and nurturing home and community environments for infant and young children.
2. Strengthening community stakeholders’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices on the components of nurturing care, caregiver well-being, and community-based child protection to support caregivers in group and home parenting sessions.
3. Enhancing parents/caregiver’s knowledge, attitudes, and practices across the components of nurturing care, caregiver well-being; and community-based child protection.

5.Purpose of the Assignment

The evaluation of project outcomes seeks to measure the contribution of the RPP program towards changing specific indicators for sets of program model outcomes that are linked to the program model’s: 1) goal and 2) objectives.

6.Assessment Questions

Community Support Structures

• Did the model increase communities’ support for establishing and maintaining a nurturing and protective environment for infants and young children?
• Did the model increase mentors’ and community support structures knowledge in nurturing care and caregiver wellbeing?
• Did the model increase mentors’ and community support structures knowledge in facilitation parenting session planning, and reflective supervision?

Parents/Caregivers

• Did the model lead caregivers to see their communities as safe places for their children?
• Did the model increase caregivers’ knowledge in nurturing care and protection of infants and young children?
• What nurturing care and protection practices (behavior) of caregivers were enhanced by the model?

County Government Officers

• Did the model increase local partners and sub national govt’s support for establishing and maintaining a nurturing and protective environment for infants and young children?
• Did the model increase sub national government and local partners’ knowledge in nurturing care and caregiver wellbeing?
• Did the model increase sub national government and local partners’ knowledge on reflective supervision?

6.Scope of Work

The evaluation will cover project sites in Emali Childrens Development Agency (Makueni/Kajiado) and Childrise Development Program (Embu/Tharaka Nithi) counties. This will cover interventions from January 2023 to April 2024.

7. Methodology and Approach

Data collection

The selected firm/individual for the endline evaluation will train the enumerators on proper administration of the following tools which have been developed and used during baseline evaluation.

Caregiver questionnaire

This tool assesses existing and changes in the knowledge attitudes and practices of caregivers on ECD and their infants and young children. There are several main content sections included in the questionnaire: Household ID, Child and Caregiver Information, Household Information, Poverty Probability Index, Birth Registration, Health and Immunization, (Breast)feeding, Illnesses, Access to Services, Knowledge and Practices on Child Development, Children’s Rights, Child Participation, Caregiver Wellbeing, and Observations by the enumerator. COs need to review items and make the necessary context relevant edits without removing questions (exceptions need to be discussed and agreed with IO). Additional questions might be added as needed, but keeping in consideration the already lengthy nature of the tool. This questionnaire will be administered at baseline (pre-test) and endline (post-test).

Key informant interviews

This tool provides and insight in the existing knowledge of stakeholders i.e. LP, sub-national/local government, community and religious leaders. Separate Key Informant Interview tools are provided for (sub-national) government officials and LP. Acknowledging that local stakeholders might vary by country of implementation, COs are invited to adapt the Key informant Interview questionnaire to fit the background of their partners and share draft edits with IO.

Knowledge, attitudes and practice (KAP) questionnaire

As for the prior tool, this also examines existing and changes in the knowledge of facilitators and mentors about Nurturing Care. While questions should not be removed, the existing questions may be edited as needed by the context. COs can may also add additional items as needed. There is a separate version of this tool for Group Sessions and Home Visits. Answer Keys are also provided for each version.

Data Cleaning, Analysis and Management

The proposed approach is a mixed method data management and analysis approach to transform the raw field data into meaningful information that could validate the RPP’s contribution towards the changes anticipated in the programme Theory of Change. Given that, the understudy evaluation questions and indicators are already developed and the data analysis plan is available, the consultant will be expected to apply standard data analysis steps which include data cleaning, categorizing and analysis. The data should be reviewed and examined for the data quality i.e. missing data, double entries, incorrect and irrelevant data files and individual entries etc. entered and or deviated data points and responses. Data parameters not relevant to the evaluation, should be identified for elimination from the analysis process. Data presented in the form of numbers, categories, choices or frequencies should be processed through quantitative data analysis techniques including descriptive analysis and basic inferential analysis such as simple regression, chi-square for proportions where there maybe increment to test significance.

The contribution analysis should be be undertaken to assess the validity of the planned logical pathways toward the expected outcomes by assessing how are the program outputs could transform into the higher-level results i.e. outcomes. This could be done by verifying the progress on the set indicators, examining what factors have caused or causing the changes and how these changes can impact the overall project goal. The findings, conclusions and evidence from the RPP data and its quantitative and qualitative analysis will help inform the cause-and-effect relation between its interventions, immediate outputs and the outcome level results.

The successful consultant should undertake gender analysis as the project’s key cross-cutting theme into account to assess if the intervention contributed to improved knowledge of and promoting equal roles of both gender in providing a protective and nurturing environment to their children. This will also assess the perceptions and practices about the equal provision of protection, nurturing and care to both girls’ and boys’ Infants and young children (IYC) without any discrimination.

8.Evaluation Outputs and Deliverables

1. Produce the Endline enumerators training and field supervision summary reports. The report should capture any challenges, successes, lessons and best practice to guide similar evaluations.
2. Produce the draft Responsive Protective Parenting Endline Evaluation Report
3. Produce a final Responsive Protective Parenting Endline Evaluation Report
4. A power point presentation to validate & disseminate the results of the evaluation to the implementing partner and other stakeholders for cross learning & accountability.
5. All raw data files, analysis files should be submitted alongside the final evaluation report.

9.Qualifications of Consultant (s)

The successful firm/organization or individual will have the following competencies:

• An Advanced degree in any of the following or related disciplines: Early Childhood Development, Education, Public Health, Sociology, Community Development Studies.
• Expertise in undertaking research studies, preferably in the Early Childhood Development.
• Must have extensive expertise and experience in project planning, project design, applying the logical framework, project implementation and monitoring.
• Have proven knowledge and practical experience in quantitative and qualitative research.
• Excellent analytical, organizational, facilitating, presentation and communication skills.
• Excellent report writing and presentation skills.
• Superior practical knowledge in two or more statistical softwares e.g. SPSS, R, Stata, Dedoose, Maxqda.
• Fluency in English and Kiswahili

10.Management and coordination

The key people that the consultant will be working closely with at ChildFund include the Senior Early Childhood Development & Education Specialist, and Monitoring & Evaluation Manager. The management of the day-to-day activities in the field will be supported by Program and Sponsorship Coordinator and M&E Officers in Emali and Childrise area.

11.Work plan & Timelines

The evaluation is expected to take place from the 6th to 31st May 2024. Specific timelines applicable to this evaluation will be discussed during the inception meeting.

12. Crosscutting Issues

Confidentiality of Information: the consultant may receive confidential information of ChildFund Kenya while carrying out the assignment. The consultant shall not disclose any confidential information and documentation to any person or other third party at any time without ChildFund’s Kenya prior written consent. shared during and after the assignment.

Conflict of Interest: the consultant is expected to read and become familiar with ChildFund’s Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and the standards described therein.

Safeguarding: ChildFund Kenya has a commitment to Child Safeguarding and expects any contracted parties to adhere to the same. This includes acting to ensure that children (anyone below 18 years of age) is not a victim of any form of physical and/or emotional abuse or neglect, reporting any concern or suspicion of such abuses, not condoning such actions, and not participating in such actions (i.e. forced labor, sexual exploitation or discrimination)

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access

ChildFund creates a culture where diversity of people, thought and experience is celebrated, and everyone is seen and welcomed equally. ChildFund is cultivating a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment where: everyone connected with us is free and safe to be who they are, so that we all succeed and thrive. Our donors and external partners aspire to experience a deep sense of pride and belonging in our shared commitment to excellence and social responsibility.

13.Application Process

To apply the consultant(s) should submit an Expression of Interest. This should contain:

Technical Proposal: The consultant’s understanding and interpretation of the Terms of Reference (TOR), a detailed methodology on how the training will be done as well as any other proposed approaches the consultant may deem fit for this assignment. The proposal shall include;

All statutory documents are mandatory such as Valid Certificate of Incorporation in case of a company/firm/institute, ID/Passport, Valid PIN & Tax Compliance Certificate, CR12, PIN certificate, Business permit, Professional registration documents where applicable.

Capability statement: How the consultant or firm is structured for the assignment, including the CVs of the key personnel who will take part in the consultancy.

References: Names, addresses, telephone numbers of three organizations where you have conducted similar work.

Financial proposal: The consultant is expected to budget for their professional, meals and accommodation during the training (4 days) and data collection days (5 days). Transport will be provided from Nairobi to the field and back for the training period. The local partner will work with consultants to provide transportation during data collection.The enumerators will be recruited and paid by the implementing partner. The firm/individual is expected to have some initial working capital at the time of application to cover the initial fieldwork.

13.Payment process

• Payment upon submission and acceptance of the inception report to ChildFund Kenya 30%
• Payment upon submission and acceptance of the enumerators training, field supervision and draft endline evaluation report to ChildFund Kenya 30%
• Payment upon submission and acceptance of the final report to ChildFund Kenya and dissemination/validation of the findings during virtual/physical meeting 40%

NB:

• The Consultant’s compensation shall be paid NET, within 30 days from receipt of a proper invoice unless otherwise specified.
• Payment will be made through direct bank transfer otherwise specified.
• The payment shall be subjected to 5% withholding tax as required by the Law at the time of payment and any other applicable.