International Consultant to support the development of a comprehensive Child Protection Prevention/ awareness raising Tool Kit for Syria At Terre des hommes foundation

Terms of Reference (ToR) for International Consultant to support the development of a comprehensive Child Protection Prevention/ awareness raising Tool Kit for Syria

1. BACKGROUND (RATIONALE AND CONTEXT):

Syria continues to face one of the most complex emergencies in the world. Unprecedented humanitarian needs are compounded by displacement inside the country and across its borders, extensive destruction of civilian and social services infrastructure, devastating impact on the economy, and most importantly, the breakdown of the social fabric that stitched the country together for decades. Today, 90% of people in Syria live in poverty, most are unable to make ends meet or bring food to the table. Families have had their resources depleted, with limited employment opportunities, skyrocketing prices, and shortage of basic supplies. For most people, the current socio-economic challenges represent some of the harshest and most challenging circumstances they have faced since the beginning of the crisis in 2011. The February 2023 earthquakes in north Syria and Türkiye added agony to an already catastrophic situation, increasing the strain on services, causing displacement, and inflicting widespread damage. In 2024, 16.7 million people need humanitarian assistance. This is the highest number of people in need ever recorded in Syria since 2011. The number of children in need – more than 6.5 million – has increased by seven per cent in the past year alone.

Girls and boys continue to be exposed to multiple child protection risks, including those with disabilities at heightened risk of violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation and need critical child protection services. Grave violations against children – including the risk of being killed, injured, recruited, used in hostilities, tortured, detained, abducted, and sexually abused – remain a significant concern. Insecurity and economic hardship continue to exacerbate child protection concerns leading to harmful coping mechanisms, such as worst forms of labour and child marriage. In addition, high levels of psychosocial distress prevail among children and caregivers due to multiple stresses, continued escalation of conflict, poverty, earthquake, and restrictions of movement limiting access to social services.

To mitigate on some of the above Child Protection Risks, Terre des hommes Lausanne\Swiss (Tdh), as the lead organization for the Prevention Technical Working Group (PTWG) in Syria, is collaborating with the Child Protection Area of Responsibility (CP AoR) to finalize a harmonized child protection awareness tool kit with the aim to standardize child protection practices and enhance community awareness of child protection risks, response strategies, and preventive measures. The consultant’s role is to provide technical expertise during the review and finalization of these materials, ensuring they meet relevant child protection standards.

2. OBJECTIVES OF THE CONTRACT (PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT):

The primary objective of this consultancy is to develop a harmonized Prevention/awareness raising Tool Kit for the Child Protection Area of Responsibility in Syria. The consultant will also support the design and delivery of a two-day training for CP AoR partner organizations on the effective use of these materials.

3. SCOPE OF WORK
The consultant will be responsible for the following Deliverables

• Document Review and Harmonisation in line with acceptable norms and standards
  1. Conduct a comprehensive review of the existing child protection awareness documents and tools currently available from the CP AoR, PTWG, other relevant sources and deep dive into tools and practices within the region and globally.
  2. Provide technical assistance in development of a contextualized prevention/ Awareness Raising tool kit to ensure consistency, accuracy, and cultural relevance, while aligning with international child protection standards.
• Finalisation of Tools
  1. Finalize the harmonized child protection awareness documents and tools, incorporating all revisions from the review process.
  2. Ensure that the final tools are clear, user-friendly, and accessible to frontline workers and community members.
• Training Préparation and Delivery
  1. Design a two-day training curriculum to equip partner organizations and participants with the skills to effectively utilize the finalized child protection tools and documents.
  2. Deliver the training supported by Tdh, focusing on how the tools can be used in various contexts, including the application of child protection awareness in local settings and the integration of key messages into community outreach efforts.
  3. Provide practical guidance on how to measure the impact of CP awareness.
• Reporting and Evaluation
  1. Provide a final report summarizing the work undertaken, the changes made to the documents, and the feedback received from the training.
  2. Assess the effectiveness of the training and provide recommendations for future capacity-building initiatives.

4. Deliverables schedule

Task: Review of the existing CP awareness tools in the country.

Working days: 2

Delivery date: 23rd – 24th of February

Task: Develop the Awareness tools kit.

Working days: 10

Delivery date: 6th of March

Task: Address the feedback from Tdh and the CPAOR and PTWG

Working days: 2

Delivery date: 17th -18th of April

Task: Prepare for the Training on the CP tool kits

Working days: 2

Delivery dates: 20th – 21st of April

Task: Deliver the training to CP AoR partners

Working days: 2

Delivery date: 27th – 28th of April

Task: Submit the final report and recommendations

Working days: 2

Delivery date: 4th – 5th of May

5. Duration

The expected working days of the consultancy is 20 working days out of a contract of three months.

6. Reporting and Supervision
The consultant will report directly to the Child Protection Specialist and Program Coordinator at Tdh and will collaborate closely with the PTWG, and CP AoR team and relevant stakeholders. Regular meetings will be scheduled for feedback, coordination, and review of progress, coordinated with the support of the child protection AoR in Syria

7. Qualifications and Experience
The consultant should possess the following qualifications and experience:

Academic qualifications :

Master’s Degree in child Development, Protection, Sociology, Anthropology, Social Sciences, Development studies or a related Field. A first-level University degree with additional 2 years of required relevant expérience May be Accepted in lieu of the Advanced University degree.

• A minimum of five years of experience in child protection, including experience with awareness campaigns and materials development.
• Proven experience in developing and facilitating training on child protection standards and tools.
• Strong knowledge of international child protection standards and frameworks.
• Excellent writing, communication, and facilitation skills.
• Experience working with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and multilateral agencies is highly desirable.
• Familiarity with the Syrian context and/or experience working with displaced populations is an asset.

8. Payment Terms
Payment will be made upon the completion of the agreed deliverables within the contracted schedule. The offer’s value should cover transportation and accommodation costs in Damascus for 20 working days. Tdh will handle visa issuance expenses.

9. Application Process
Interested candidates should submit the following:

• A technical proposal outlining their approach to the assignment, including methodology and timeline.
• A Financial proposal.
• A current CV highlighting relevant qualifications and experience.
• Samples of previous consultancy reports, documents and publications
• References from previous similar assignments.

10. Evaluation Criteria
The consultant will be selected based on the following criteria:

• Relevant technical expertise and experience.
• Demonstrated understanding of child protection issues and tools.
• Quality of previous work, as evidenced by references or portfolio.
• Cost-effectiveness of the financial proposal.
• Technical interview

11. Confidentiality
The consultant is expected to maintain confidentiality regarding all materials, data, and information shared during the consultancy.

12. Final Remarks
Tdh reserves the right to amend or modify this ToR as necessary, and the consultancy agreement will be finalized based on mutual understanding and agreement between Tdh and the selected consultant.