Terms of Reference For the Development of Family-Based Care Guidelines for the Children in Alternative Care in Somaliland. At SOS Children’s Villages International

1. Introduction

SOS Children’s Villages is a global federation of 136 national SOS Children’s Villages associations, working in more than 2000 project locations worldwide. We work together with a single vision: every child belongs to a family and grows with love, respect and security.

SOS Children’s Villages is committed to the welfare of children who lost parental care or at risk of losing parental care – often ensuring that children grow up in a loving family environment, and to strengthening families and communities as a preventive measure in the fight against child abandonment and social neglect and upholds child protection policy as part of their commitment to the protection of children and youth from abuse.

SOS Children’s Villages in Somaliland (SOS CV), part of SOS Children’s Villages International, the umbrella organization to which all SOS Children’s Villages including SOS Children’s Villages in Somaliland Association is affiliated. SOS CV is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) that is not for profit, non-sectarian and non-partisan and which has been in existence since 1999. SOS Children’s Villages in Somaliland shares vision with SOS CV International and beliefs that every child belongs to a family and grows with love, respect and security. To realize this, SOS Children’s Villages in Somaliland builds families for children in need, help them shape their own futures and share in the development of their communities.

SOS Children’s Villages in Somaliland is implementing ‘Leave No Youth behind’ project. The overall objective of the project is – young people in Somaliland to be resilient and self-reliant to become independent and contributing members of society with a special focus on youth leaving care (YLC). This project is to contribute to the realization of a better society where young people are self-reliant and depend on their own powers, resources and abilities to meet their needs and manage their own affairs. The project also aspires to make young people resilient to adversities/challenges in life and capable to withstand and recover quickly from difficult conditions.

The project will address the problems of discrimination, marginalization and stigmatization of young people aged 15–25 who grow up without parental care. Whether they have been placed in residential care facilities, in foster care or other types of care, they are at high-risk suffering from a variety of challenges including poor social networks, mental health problems, un- employment and homelessness. Cultural and gendered norms give young women and men different vulnerabilities as they grow out of care and transition to independent living.

The project focuses on 3 major outcomes with their relevant outputs to achieve the above stated goal and focuses on human rights-based approaches and targets duty bearers to demonstrate capacity and commitment to fulfil their responsibility to respect, promote and realize the rights of youth, and Rights Holders (youth leaving care) to have the capacity to exercise and claim their rights, hold duty bearers accountable and understand their corresponding entitlements in relation to specific duty-bearer.

In summary, the project aims to achieve the following outcomes:

Outcome 1: Policy Environment: Decision makers put policies/laws in place that strengthen the support for YLC.

Outcome 2: Strengthening Duty Bearers: Social protection systems respond to the needs and rights of young care leavers on their journey to independent living

Outcome 3: Empowering Right Holders:

During the program design, an area of interest was to find solutions and way forward from the Government and other stakeholders to solve issues of children in alternative care and youth leaving care (YLC). One of these solutions is to develop and implement policies in favour of children and young people in need of alternative care.

In summary, the project aspires to realise a conducive policy environment, increased willingness and capacity of duty bears to address issues related to youth and specifically YLC, have a strong and motivated social workforce providing professional services to the YLC and an effective network of institutions standing for the support of YLC related issues.

On this, the first desired outcome of the project is that decision-makers put policies/laws in place that strengthen support for young care leavers. This means that the National Family based care Guidelines are prioritized with the aim ofgovernment and organizations to facilitate relevent family-based services for the children in need of alternative care so that they grow up in a safe, loving, and supportive family environments that promote their well-being, protection, and long-term positive outcomes.

1. Background and rationale

Children in Somaliland face numerous challenges, including poverty, displacement, and limited access to adequate care, education, health and other basic services. These circumstances often result in children being separated from their families and placed in institutional care, such as orphanages or residential facilities. However, research and international best practices have shown that family-based care is generally more beneficial for children’s overall well-being and development than institutional care. Research’s also shown that children thrive better in a family setting where they can receive individualized care, love, and support. Globally, there has been a shift in the understanding of child protection, moving away from institutional care towards family-based care.

Family-based care refers to placing children in the care of families, either their biological families or alternative families through Kafalah, foster care, or kinship care arrangements. Promoting family-based care aligns with best practices in child protection and acknowledges the critical role of families in providing a nurturing environment for children.

Somaliland, like many other countries, complies to the international conventions and agreements that emphasize the importance of family-based care. These include the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and the UN Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children. These frameworks emphasize the right of every child to grow up in a family environment whenever possible and highlight the need to provide appropriate support and services to families to prevent separation and facilitate family reunification.

In addition, Somaliland has a rich cultural heritage and strong family values. Family-based care aligns with the cultural norms and practices of Somaliland, emphasizing the importance of extended family networks and community support in child rearing. It allows children to grow up within their own cultural and social contexts, maintaining their identity and connections.

The development of national family-based care is closely linked to efforts to strengthen child protection systems in Somaliland. This includes developing policies, laws, and guidelines that support family-based care arrangements. It also involves establishing mechanisms for assessing, approving, and monitoring of children in family-based care. Strengthening child protection systems involves collaboration among government agencies, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders to ensure effective implementation and coordination of services.

Furthermore, the Government of Somaliland recognizes the importance of protecting children from all forms of abuse, exploitation, and neglect. The development of national family-based care in Somaliland is a response to the growing recognition of the importance of nurturing, stable, and family-like environments for children in need of alternative care. However, there are currently a lack of clear and comprehensive national family-based care guidelines in Somaliland, which hinders effective child protection efforts.

In Conclusion, the Ministry of Employment Social Affairs and Family (MESAF) with the support of SOS Children’s Villages in Somaliland is seeking a consultant to develop a comprehensive national family-based care guidelines for children in need of alternative care. The Government of Somaliland believes that the development and implementation of these care guidelines for children will provide a collaboration and a shift in paradigm, to provide children with the opportunity to grow up in a supportive family setting that promotes their well-being and holistic development.

1. Objectives of the guideline
   1. Overall objective

The purpose of this assignment is to develop national guidelines of family-based care services, with the aim of government and stakeholders to facilitate relevent family-based care services for the children in need of alternative care and prevent unnecessary institutionalization of children so that they grow up in a safe, loving, and supportive family environments that promote their well-being, protection, and long-term positive outcomes.

Specific Results

1. To review the international best practices, research, domestic law/policies and traditional best practices on family-based care, specifically focusing on successful models that are relevant to the Somaliland context.
2. To conduct a rapid needs assessment to understand the existing family-based care services (Kafalah, Foster care, kinship care and other forms of care) in Somaliland and to regulate the best practices and traditional, and religious norms that promotes family-based care.
3. To undertake inclusive consultations with relevant stakeholders, including government officials, childcare providers, foster parents, children in care, care leavers and community members.
4. To develop a comprehensive National family-based care guidelines that are tailored to the cultural, religion, social, and legal context of Somaliland.
5. The guideline should clearly provide descriptions on:

• The mandate and oversight strategies of the relevant Government entity over family-based childcare settings,
• Mechanisms to support existing government structures to carry out their statutory responsibilities for overseeing all the services rendered for the children in family-based care settings.
  • These includes procedures implemented by each of the relevant government entities in the registration, licensing, and inspection of care and service providers, the follow up the placement, monitoring and continuous development of children in each family-based care settings.
• The recommended family-based care options in Somaliland context along with specific quality standards for services and quality standards for living arrangements of children in each care option.
  • E.g. Service standards under foster care including guidance for emergency placements, respite care, short term and longer-term placements – accommodation, nutrition, access to education, health services, etc.
  • Protocols for child protection and safeguarding in each of the care settings,
• Coordination and collaboration frameworks among different government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders involved in family-based care.
• Minimum standards and accreditation for care providers and relevant social workers; These includes, among others, registration or licensing or carers, requirements for skills, selection process, supervision of services and trainings including child development and attachment, children’s rights and child well-being.
• Information management system for a required case management of all children placed in all family-based care settings,
• Mechanism to ensure that children in family-based care access their basic rights (Life, survival, development, protection, and participation in decision making)
• To develop a plan for the implementation and monitoring of the family-based Care Guidelines.
• Mechanism for children to raise informal and formal concerns or complaints.
• Mechanism for the establishment and management of networks for care providers as a platform for learning and development
• The establishment of a children’s parliament or a network of children in all the family-based settings to enable them to raise their voice and discuss their challenges
• The development of care provider networks to facilitate the exchange of learning, expertise and support.

1. Scope of work

The consultant will be responsible for the development and validation of the National family-based care Guideline as well as incorporating all feedback from all relevant stakeholders. In this process, the Consultant should be guided by local and international policies, guidelines and legislation that regulates the placement of children in alternative care settings as well as child protection and safeguarding procedures.

1. Key Deliverables

The consultant is expected to deliver the following:

1. An inception report that included all aspects identified above including a detailed work plan with a detailed schedule of activities, methodology and tools to be applied.
2. A rapid assessment report of the current situation of family-based care services (Kafalah, Foster care, kinship care, and other forms of care) in Somaliland to inform the development of the national family-based care guideline for children.
3. A detailed consultation plan for different stakeholders (e.g., government officials, social workers, community members, children and young people, Residential care centers management, courts, care givers, child focused organizations).
4. A plan and clear report from stakeholder engagements
5. Draft a comprehensive national family-based care guideline that includes the result areas outlined above under 3.1.
6. A report of the validation workshop that gathers feedback on the draft guideline; The consultant is responsible for facilitating and leading the validation workshop (MESAF and SOS Children’s Villages will organize the workshop)
7. Final, edited, lay-out designed, and branded national family-based care guideline
8. Implementation plan, Monitoring & Evaluation Plan, and Risk Management Plan as well as strategic roadmap.
9. Methodology

The Consultant will engage stakeholders including Government, children and young people, residential care centers management, alternative care givers, district courts as well as child focused organizations and other relevant sector-professionals who provide services to children. These consultations will provide the basis for the following:

1. Rapid Needs Assessment: Conduct a narrow needs assessment to understand the existing kinship care landscape in Somaliland. This assessment should include an analysis of the legal framework, the current practices and challenges in family-based care, the capacity of relevant stakeholders, Social Support and Networks, Cultural Considerations and the needs of children and caregivers.
2. Literature Review: Review relevant literature, legal frameworks, policies, guidelines, strategies, and standards which relates to national family-based care guideline for children in alternative care, protection systems and review existing best practices, as well as generic case management processes in Somaliland and globally. The consultant is also expected to review tools regarding Child Admission, Reunification, Integration and After Care support and follow up.
3. Stakeholder Engagement: Conduct consultations with key stakeholders, including government officials, child protection professionals, civil society organizations, community representatives, and children and young people, through focus group discussions, interviews, and other appropriate methods. Analyze the collected data to identify strengths, and gaps in the current family-based care practices.
4. Guideline Development: Draft a national Family-based Care for Children in need of placement into suitable care options, based on the findings of the desk review, data collection, and stakeholder consultations. The consultant should compile a national Family-based Care for Children guideline in need of care placement. The guideline should:

• Be clear, concise, and easy to understand for all stakeholders.
• Align with relevant national, regional and international legal frameworks, policies, and standards specifically UN Guidelines for alternative care.
• Outline clear procedures and standards for assessment, decision-making, the capacity of relevant stakeholders, Social Support and Networks, the needs of children and caregiver’s placement, monitoring, evaluation and follow up of children in alternative care.
• Be culturally sensitive and adaptable to the specific context of Somaliland.
  1. National level consultation and validation workshops: Facilitate the national level consultation and validations meetings to prioritize and approve on key expected result areas for the new guideline.

1. Timeline

Total length of the assignment is 70 days within the period of beginning of September -2024 till October- 2024. The working schedule will be determined jointly by the Ministry of Employment Social affairs and Family and SOS Children’s Villages.

Delivery timeline (based on a work plan)

Activity

No. of Days

Inception report: produce an inception report, which will include a work plan, the final selection of the regional consultation sites and sample characteristics, as well as the tools

TBD by the Consultant

Desk review: conduct a desk review of legal-policy documents, secondary literature, annual reports and other programme documents related to national family-based care guideline for children both at central and local level and produce review report.

Primary data collection: conduct primary research, rapid needs assessment and regional consultation meetings. Primary research will be undertaken in coordination with MESAF

Development of the National family-based care guideline for children

Costed action plan, including monitoring and evaluation plan, and implementation roadmap.

Risk Management Plan: Prepare a detailed five-year risk management plan

National Validation workshop Report: Facilitate the validation workshop organized by MESAF and SOS Children’s Villages in Somaliland and consolidate all feedback and inputs from all relevant stakeholders

Submission of the new developed guidelines

Total

Total 70 days

1. Reporting line

The consultant will report directly to SOS Children’s Villages in Somaliland and Ministry of Employment Social and Family Affairs.

1. Required Qualification and Experience

• Advanced University Degree in Law, Social Science, Social Work, Public Policy or any other related technical fields.
• At least 5 years of experience working on child protection and alternative care issues, preferably in a developing country context.
• High level of practical understanding of current issues around vulnerable children and international development and the ability to conduct in-depth analysis of emerging trends and historic evidence-based research.
• Extensive experience in working with policy makers and government authorities in developing countries to strengthen their policy/regulatory, institutional framework and alternative care services for vulnerable children especially children without parental care.
• Knowledge of child protection, alternative care, CRC, the UN Guideline for the Alternative Care (2009), the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and the context of Somaliland.
• Experience working in Somaliland is an asset.
• First-hand knowledge of the socio-cultural, economic and political situation in Somaliland will be an added advantage.
• Willingness to work in difficult circumstances, including traveling to Somaliland regions
• Demonstrated ability to work independently.
• Excellent command of spoken and written English and Somali language.

Desirable

• Extensive experience in developing guidelines or policies on children’s care and protection issues, especially in Somaliland.

Skills and Competencies

• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Exceptional writing skills.
• Excellent organizational and multi-tasking skills.
• Conceptual and analytical skills with ability to produce high quality work.
• Ability to work under time constraints and deadlines in challenging settings.
• Ability to work in multicultural and multiethnic environments.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to establish effective working relations with other stakeholders.
• Experience in convening and facilitating consultations.
• Ability to work independently.
• Ability to work in a team and good interpersonal skills.
• Must be committed to respecting deadlines of delivery outputs within the agreed timeframe.

1. How to Apply:

Interested individuals or companies are requested to submit the following:

1. Cover letter highlighting expertise and experience in relation to this assignment, and summary of technical expertise,
2. Technical proposal with methodology, and proposed schedule for deliverables
3. CV of consultants who will be responsible for the task.
4. Degree/diplomas of each consultant (will be verified by SOS Children Villages)
5. Two sample documents previously produced by the consultants relevant to this task (soft copies – and it will be verified by SOS Children Villages. Any fraud will be grounds for disqualifications.)
6. Detailed financial proposal which includes all anticipated costs.
7. Title and location of consultancy must be clearly stated in the subject line of the application email.
8. Evaluation Process

Each proposal will be assessed first on its technical quality and compliance and subsequently on its cost/price. The proposal with the best overall value, composed of technical merit and price, will be considered for final approval. SOS Children’s Villages in Somaliland has a procurement committee to lead the overall process, review and evaluate bids and decide based on the criteria listed.

Evaluation Criteria:

• Quality/merit of technical proposal (knowledge of subject matter, understanding of the requirement, effectiveness of the methodology and timeline)
• Qualification and experience of the consultants in the specific areas of requirement listed above.
• Quality and relevance of the sample documents submitted.
• Information provided by references to be contacted by SOS Children’s Villages
• Other relevant criteria deemed essential by the evaluators to ensure the best value for cost.

1. SOS Children’s Villages in Somaliland has the right to:

• Contact any or all references supplied by the bidder(s).
• Request additional supporting or supplementary information from the bidders.
• Arrange interviews with the bidders.
• Reject any or all or parts of proposals submitted.
• Accept any proposals in whole or in part.
• Negotiate cost, timeline and methodology with the bidders ranked from one to three.
• Award contract to more than one candidate if required to obtain best value for cost.