Background
Today, civil society organisations recognise their obligation to protect individuals and communities they work with from risks of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment. In more specific in humanitarian context, the Inter-Agency Standing Committee has undertaken a series of measures to strengthen protection against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (PSEAH) across the sector. The IASC Six Core Principles relating to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse provide clear normative guidance on the obligations of humanitarian actors and throughout the years a rich body of knowledge and tools has been developed to assist the humanitarian organisations in implementing such obligations.
Organisations working with children have an additional duty to put into place measures of safeguarding, which offer a larger protection for children considering their particular vulnerabilities. Child safeguarding in humanitarian action refers to measures and policies designed to protect children from harm, abuse, and neglect resulting from actions of humanitarian organisations’ operations or personnel. Organisations need to prevent all forms of exploitation, abuse, and neglect of children from their own action and if this still occurs, to respond appropriately.
Swiss Solidarity’s requirements regarding PSEAH and child safeguarding are stated in the Accreditation Criteria (criteria 21), and the safeguarding requirements are further specified in the Minimum Standards Child Welfare (standard 9).
Purpose
This review focusses on the CHILD fund. Since 2016, Swiss Solidarity has supported 51 projects through the CHILD fund. A total of 18 projects are currently being implemented.
The review has a two-fold purpose:
- To assess whether the organisations (Swiss Solidarity partner organisations and their operational partners on the ground) that currently are implementing projects under the CHILD fund have effective PSEAH and child safeguarding frameworks in place and implement them appropriately in the projects
- To support the organisations to further improve their PSEAH and safeguarding frameworks as well as their effective implementation in the Child fund projects and beyond
Scope
The review will cover 18 projects of 12 organisations in eight (8) countries.
Review questions
The review should:
- Assess the following for the implementing organisations, their local partners and projects:
- For all organisations: Existence of effective PSEAH and child safeguarding frameworks
- For a selection of projects: Implementation of measures, in the country of intervention and at headquarter level, that are appropriate for the specific contexts and the nature of the activities that are implemented
- Formulate observations and provide guidance and recommendations addressed to the concerned organisations/projects and to Swiss Solidarity
Methodology
To be proposed by the reviewer in the inception report. The methodology could include:
- Questionnaires and interviews of organisations staff at headquarters, country office and project level, and staff from local organisation
- Review of the policies from the Swiss partner organisations, and the local organisations
- Project visits for on-site review and guidance by local consultants
Outputs
- Inception report outlining the process for assessing the frameworks and the measures implemented by the Swiss partner organisations and their local partners
- An overall report with findings and recommendations to Swiss partner organisations, their local partners and Swiss Solidarity, with dedicated chapters on the specific Child fund projects and annexes containing the reports from the local consultants
- Individualised feedback to the concerned organisations for the projects that were visited by local consultants
- A debriefing for the concerned organisations, in Switzerland or online
Timing
The review should be carried out in the period September to December 2025.
Volume of work
The mandate is limited to ten days work of an international consultant. Any additional days must be discussed and approved by Swiss Solidarity. The required number of days and expenses of local consultants to be determined following the selection of the international consultant.
Insurance & Taxes
The selected consultant is responsible for its own insurance and for paying taxes. No travels are foreseen as part of this consultancy.
Download offer here https://www.swiss-solidarity.org/about-us/open-positions
How to apply
Submission of offers
Interested candidates are kindly requested to submit the following documents by 23:59 (Geneva time) on 21.09.2025 to: jobs@swiss-solidarity.org, indicating “Child Safeguarding and PSEA technical review” in the subject line:
- A current curriculum vitae (CV)
- A cover letter detailing relevant professional experience, including prior collaboration with local consultants
- Proposed daily rate