Child Family Sensitive Cash Transfer Strategy

https://www.crs.org/about/bid-opportunity Please visit the CRS.org website for the full scope of work and attachment.

Consultancy Title: Child Family Sensitive Cash Transfer Strategy

RFP number: US5101.07.2022

Location: Lusaka, Zambia (Hybrid remote/ in person)

Contract Duration and LOE: August 8 – September 30, 2022

Due date for clarifying questions: July 26, 2022 11:59 PM EST

Due date for full proposal: August 2, 2022 11:59 PM EST

1. Background

As part of its Vision 2030 agency strategy, CRS is investing in six strategic change platforms to achieve results at scale. One of these key strategic change platforms is Strengthening Families-Thriving Children Strategic Change Platform 5 (SCP5). This Strategic Change Platform is a bold initiative to support vulnerable children to thrive in safe, healthy, and nurturing families, create more resilient and supportive communities, and work with our Catholic partners, civil society and governments to establish policies and systems that strengthen families. SCP5 also aims to influence governments, donors, Catholic actors and other regional and global stakeholders to redirect resources and support to strengthening families.

The platform is implemented across CRS country programs and works around the world to influence other countries, regions and global actors to change practices, policies and resources in support of family strengthening and family care. One of the platform’s flagship initiatives, Changing the Way We Care℠, amplifies a global movement to prevent children from entering orphanages and to place children currently in orphanages in safe and nurturing families. Since 2018, the initiative has been active in three demonstration countries (Kenya, Guatemala, Moldova).

Through the Inclusive Family Strengthening (IFS) Project in Zambia, CRS is building upon decades of experience in community and family strengthening activities—and our strong partnerships with the Catholic Church, governments, and local organizations—to ensure families in targeted communities have the resources and skills to care for children. To strengthen families, CRS is helping caregivers learn and practice positive parenting; connect isolated families with supportive communities; help children—especially children with disabilities—attend remote or in-school learning, access health and social services; and build families’ resources through savings groups, cash grants, school vouchers and financial education.

CRS aims to build families’ resources, response mechanism, and skills to care and support children. There are several risk factors that pose as potential drivers for family separation such as poor health conditions, low household income levels, and unsafe home environments emanating from abuse and neglect. Building economically stable, safe and nurturing social environments for children is critical for prevention of family separation. To compliment the positive parenting support, risk management and households economic strengthening interventions, IFS plans to pilot cash support to a cash transfer strategy that builds on the case management process of the project to respond to child and family sensitive risks. The objective of the pilot is to eliminate or reduce risks as well as increase household livelihood capacities to manage and respond to risks.

1. Purpose of the consultancy

The consultant will create a series of short guidance notes that will lead to the development of a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) document to guide the roll-out of the pilot. The guidance notes should address key elements of how to design and implement cash programs for this specific and very vulnerable population group. The guidance notes should be specific enough to be able to inform a SOP document for the Zambia program, but the consultant is expected to annotate or advise on if/ how the guidance notes could be relevant for other contexts implementing similar programs as well – leading CRS eventually to a toolkit/ series of guidance notes and tools for implementing child- and family-friendly cash and social protection programs.

A CRS staff will be tasked with writing the Zambia SOPs, with direction and technical review by the consultant, based on these guidance notes.

The guidance and subsequent SOP will include the following subjects.

1. identification of a child & disability friendly delivery mechanism
2. Transfer value setting for various project participant vulnerability categories
3. Tailored (child sensitive) CVA post distribution monitoring tool
4. Child sensitive CVA Risk mapping tools
5. Refining of household targeting and linking case management tools to identification and registration of cash recipients
6. Adaptation of IFSZ registration tools to cash registration forms
7. Refining referral pathways if appropriate
8. Expectation management strategy development
9. Development of stakeholder engagement guidelines

The consultant will also facilitate a workshop to review and orient project staff on the guidance and SOP.

1. Assignment Location and Travel

The assignment location will include both remote components and a component for travel to Lusaka, Zambia.

Airfare, accommodation, per diem, visas, and any necessary COVID-19 tests will be paid for regarding round-trip travel to/from and for assignment in Zambia. As described in section III, for international travel that will be required for the consultancy, the consultant will be required to hold medical insurance and medical evacuation insurance valid for the country and duration of travel. In order to meet this requirement, for the consultant’s purchase of medical insurance and medical evacuation insurance, the consultant will be fully responsible for the cost of these insurances. For the avoidance of doubt, CRS will not reimburse the consultant for the cost of medical insurance or medical evacuation insurance.

1. Qualifications
2. 10+ years’ experience mentoring NGOs, community-based organizations, and community volunteers’ child protection and disability mainstreaming
3. Experience working in Africa, experience in Zambia highly encouraged (Minimum 3 years’ experience)
4. Experience designing cash transfer programs (Minimum 3 years’ experience)
5. Familiarity with social protection concepts (Minimum 3 years applying concepts to work)
6. Proposal Submission

Consultants interested in being considered for this consultancy should submit the following documents by 11:59 PM EST on August 2, 2022, to Lauren Hamdy ([email protected]) with the subject line “US5101 Child Family Sensitive Cash Transfer Strategy.”

1. A cover letter with an established daily rate
2. CV which highlights any experience collaborating with persons with vulnerable communities and populations.
3. A two-to-four-page summary of approach that demonstrates qualifications and a list of clients/projects that he/she has supported in undertaking cash transfer related programming. The summary of approach should highlight how the applicant will complete the deliverables and cannot exceed 4 pages.
4. Q&A Opportunity

Prospective bidders may submit any clarification questions to Lauren Hamdy at [email protected], by July 26, 2022, 11:59 PM EST with the subject line “US5101 Child Family Sensitive Cash Transfer Strategy.” Responses will be provided to any known prospective bidders on July 28, 2022.

1. Terms of Payment

The consultant/s shall be compensated for provision of the deliverables outlined above.

CRS will make the following number of payments at approximately equal intervals:

Payment 1: Deliverables 1 and 2, Approximately 12 days. Due by August 30th.

Payment 2: Deliverables 3 – 6, Approximately 19 days. Due by September 30th.

Payment

Payment will be processed after completion of the following four steps:

1. Submission of deliverable(s) by the consultant.
2. Submission of an invoice specific to the deliverable(s) by the consultant.
3. Approval of the deliverable(s) by CRS.
4. Approval of each invoice by CRS.

Payment will be made within 30 days after the above steps are completed.