Terms of Reference for Consultancy to Conduct Baseline Evaluation of the Responsive and Protective Parenting Program Model

1. Background and Context

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 12 local partners (LP’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, Education, WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene), Emergency Response, Health and Nutrition. 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.

2. Responsive and Protective Parenting Program Model

ChildFund Kenya is rolling out the global Responsive and Protective Parenting program model. It aims to:

• Strengthen 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.
• Strengthen 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.
• Enhance parents/caregiver’s knowledge, attitudes, and practices across the components of nurturing care, caregiver well-being; and community-based child protection.

The long-term goal of RESPONSIVE PROTECTIVE PARENTING is for infants and young children to have improved age-appropriate development and early learning outcomes, and to be protected at home and in their communities. To achieve this goal, the model has a three-pronged approach capacity strengthening of Local Partner & County government, Community stakeholders and caregivers.

The model uses a cascading approach to capacity build the various stakeholders meaning that we strengthened knowledge and capacity of LP and govt, so THEY can strengthen the knowledge and capacity of community support services, so THEY can strengthen the knowledge and capacity of caregivers.

3.Purpose of the Assignment

The purpose of the evaluation is to determine status of government officers and caregivers’ knowledge attitude and practice about the protection and optimal development needs and resources available for their infants and young children (0-5), and care for their own’s wellbeing.

4.Responsive Protective Parenting Baseline Research Questions

Objective 1: Local Partner and Government

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

Objective 2: Community Support Structures

• Does the RESPONSIVE PROTECTIVE PARENTING model increase communities’ support for establishing and maintaining a nurturing and protective environment for infants and young children?
• Does the RESPONSIVE PROTECTIVE PARENTING model increase mentors’ and CSS’s knowledge in nurturing care and caregiver wellbeing?
• Does the RESPONSIVE PROTECTIVE PARENTING model increase mentors’ and CSS’s knowledge in facilitation parenting session planning, and reflective supervision?

Objective 3: Caregivers

• Does RESPONSIVE PROTECTIVE PARENTING lead caregivers to see their communities as safe places for their children?
• Does RESPONSIVE PROTECTIVE PARENTING increase caregivers’ knowledge in nurturing care and protection of infants and young children?
• What nurturing care practices (behavior) of caregivers are enhanced by RESPONSIVE PROTECTIVE PARENTING?
• What child protection practices (behavior) of caregivers are enhanced by RESPONSIVE PROTECTIVE PARENTING?

5.Scope of Evaluation

The evaluation will cover all project sites in Emali Dedicated Childrens Agency and Childrise Development Program from 23rd August 2021 to 18th September 2021 in Embu, Tharaka Nithi, Kajiado, and Makueni counties.

6.Evaluation Outputs and Deliverables

• Baseline Enumerators Training Report to include training process, supervision, lessons learnt, and recommendations related to data collection process and caregivers baseline questionnaire.
• Data Analysis and Synthesis guided by RESPONSIVE PROTECTIVE PARENTING data analysis plan.
• First Draft Baseline Report
• Validation of Baseline Report with internal stakeholders
• Final Baseline Report incorporating inputs from the validation workshop in soft and hard copy.

7.Qualifications

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

• Expertise in undertaking research studies, preferably in the early childhood development /childcare sector.
• An advanced degree in any of the following or related disciplines: Early Childhood Development, Education, Public Health, Sociology, Community Development Studies.
• 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.
• Fluency in English and Kiswahili
• Must have extensive expertise and experience in project planning, project design, applying the logical framework, project implementation and monitoring.

8. Management and coordination

The key people that the consultant will be working closely with at ChildFund include the Early Childhood Development Specialist, Monitoring & Evaluation Manager, and Program Coordinators in Childrise and Emali Dedicated Agency.

9.Work plan & Timelines

The evaluation is expected to take place from the 23rd August to 30^th October 2021. Specific timelines applicable to this evaluation are set out below.

• Contract signing – 23^rd August 2021
• Inception meeting – 23^rd August 2021
• Training and pretesting data instruments – 30^th August – 2^nd September 2021 (EDCA)
• Data Collection – 6^th – 14^th September 2021 (emali)
• Data Analysis and Cleaning – 13^th – 19^th September 2021 (emali)
• Report writing – 20^th – 29^th September 2021
• Training and pretesting data instruments – 20th – 24th September (Child Rise).
• · Data Collection – 27^th September – 4^th October 2021 (Childrise)
• · Data Analysis and Cleaning – 5th – 11^th October 2021 (Childrise)
• · Report writing – 12^th – 18^th October 2021

10.Application Process

To apply the consultant(s) should submit an Expression of Interest of not more than 25 pages. This should contain:

• The consultant’s understanding of the TOR;
• How the consultant(s) will undertake the evaluation
• How the consultant(s) meet the requirements of the evaluation;
• Proposed technical work plan and financial proposal quoted in Kenya Shillings for the whole assignment
• CV of the lead consultant and any other personnel to be involved in the assignment