Consultant- Disability Assessment

Terms of Reference for Multi Year Resilience Programme Disability Assessment in Iraq

June -Nov 2022

SUMMARY
Save the Children International is seeking an external consultant to undertake a Children with Disabilities assessment for the project titled “Multi Year Resilience Programme (MYRP) “in eight governorates of Iraq (Al Anbar, Al-Sulaymaniya, Diyala, Duhok, Erbil, Kirkuk, Ninewa, and Salah al Din) with funding from Education Cannot Wait (ECW) between June-Nov 2022. The main objective of the disability assessment is to have a comprehensive understanding of opportunities, gaps and challenges for children with disabilities in education sector and recommendations to influence policies. The summary below outlines details:
Project: Multi Year Resilience Programme (MYRP) – Equitable access to safe education for Syrian refugee, returnee, IDP and host community.
Donor: Education Cannot Wait
Project Goal: Crisis affected girls and boys, including adolescents have increased and continued access to safe, protected, inclusive and quality education that supports their wellbeing and learning outcomes.
Assessment type:Disability Assessment
Assessment Methodology: Mixed methods consisting of both quantitative and qualitative data collection from primary and secondary sources.
Assessment objectives: a) Identify different forms of disabilities among school aged girls and boys in MYRP targeted areas using the Washington Group Questions on disabilities; understand how does these barriers affect girls and boys especially equity challenges;
b) Understand barriers to and enablers of education for girls and boys living with disability at the home, school, community, and at system levels;
c) Understand the current policy environment (education, social welfare, etc.) their implementation gaps, and the extent to which rights of children with disabilities are articulated within the policies.
d) Gaps and challenges in Iraqi education curriculum (MoE and Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs), capacity of human resources an educational institutions (hardware and software) to integrate children with disability into mainstream education
e) Gaps in data collection on disability in education sector, and its use in decision making;
f) Inform future Programming based on evidence;
g) Use evidence for advocacy and for equitable resource allocation to reach most under-served and most vulnerable.
Thematic areas Education , protection and wellbeing, learning and system strengthening. (inclusion and gender as cross cutting)
Assessment dates June-Nov 2022
Anticipated draft assessment report release date Nov 2022
ASSESSMENT POPULATION
The assessed population should include, at minimum:
A. Boys and girls with disabilities, with specific consideration of diversity within that population (displacement status , ethnicity, literacy, belonging to a minority group, etc.).
B. Families (parents/caregivers in particular) with a focus on families of children with disabilities.
C. Teachers and school administration staff.
D. Representatives of organizations of persons with disabilities and local disability inclusion experts.
E. Government of Iraq representatives, e.g., Ministry of Education and Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs staff (at all levels, KRI and Federal).
F. Religious and community representatives/leaders.
G. MYRP staff (SCI and partner organizations).
The proposed methodology should detail how the consultant will ensure representation and participation of children with disabilities i.e. boys and girls with specific consideration of diversity within that population, child and disability friendly methods. In addition, explain how the consultant will ensure a secure and confidential approach for data collection and data sharing, with specific regard for r children with disabilities.

METHODOLOGY
The proposed methodology should be in line with the stated assessment scope, population, and questions. The final methodology and associated tools (qualitative and quantitative) will be developed by the consultant in close collaboration between ECW MYRP staff and must include field-testing with a sample set of beneficiaries.
Components of the assessment may or may not include key informant interviews, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, case studies, cross-sectional surveys, situational analysis, barrier analysis, and/or infrastructure accessibility assessment. The consultant may make other recommendations for assessment components, as well. A desk review is mandatory.
An overview of the proposed methods and their justification should be included in the technical proposal. A mixed-methods approach is recommended, disability-sensitive data collection methods required.
EXPECTED OUTPUTS AND DELIVERABLES
The assessment consultancy should result in the following outputs and deliverables:

 Inception meetings (virtual) with MYRP PMU team to finalize scope of work, expectations, process / work plan, and brief on logistics and technical aspects
 Inception report (max. 2000 words excluding appendices/annexes) containing a detailed and comprehensive assessment methodology, tools to be used, including but not limited to primary and secondary data sources, a detailed sampling strategy and sampling framework, and the final analytical framework (if framework analysis is to be used). Copies of primary data collection tools should be annexed.
 Draft enumerator selection criteria.
 Draft and finalize enumerator training module, plan and a field guide to implement primary data collection. Considerations for including persons with disabilities in data collection
 Copies of data sets including qualitative notes in all of the following formats, as relevant: raw, cleaned, translated, and analysed
 Draft validation workshop plan i.e. agenda in consultation with MYRP PMU
 Plan and develop key findings and recommendations for validation workshop with stakeholders for review and finalization of assessment findings.
 Draft & final assessment report and summary factsheet. The consultant will produce a draft report to be submitted to ECW consortium / SCI on the agreed date for review. A revised and proofread final report (MS Word, Excel files, PDF), which must comprehensively address any feedback or suggestions provided by SCI, will then be submitted by the consultant to SCI. The report needs to follow the provided SCI template and guidance.
 Response/action plan for immediate/intermediate priorities aligning with MYRP scope

All deliverables should be provided in English, with the exception of tools and data in Arabic or Kurdish, which should be accompanied by English translations.
– A contract will be signed by the consultant before commencement of the action. The contract will detail terms and conditions of service, aspects on inputs and deliverables.
PROFILE OF THE CONSULTANT

The consultant must have proven expertise and experience in fragile contexts (especially Iraq or similar contexts), experience leading social science research, experience working in education, protection, and social inclusion Programming in humanitarian responses, and a demonstrated ability to be able to lead an assessment in Iraq. Consultant can submit technical proposal on behalf of a team. However, only lead consultant should submit CV and other mandatory documents supporting technical application.

Proof of these is to be provided by submitting, together with the application:
* An overview of relevant works
* Working samples
* Contact details for references
* Lead consultant CV, and details of the team composition and their relevant experience with similar assessment/s

PROFILE REQUIREMENTS IN DETAIL:

* Have strong experience in disability inclusion Programming and/or research, preferably as it relates to education and humanitarian action
* Have excellent team leading skills, with the ability to work with a varied team.
* Have expertise and experience in assessments, social science research, including mixed methods and notably quantitative and qualitative primary data collection methods
* Have expertise and experience in research, monitoring and evaluation in humanitarian emergency response contexts, preferably related to the Iraq crisis, as well as related technical standards
* Have expertise with fragile context Programming/adaptive management
* Have a good understanding of the Iraq crisis.
* Have proven experience in conducting participatory qualitative and quantitative assessment studies with superior analytical skills at the key findings and recommendations workshop
* Have a good knowledge of data collection software (such as Kobo, SMAP) and statistical packages (such as SPSS) or qualitative analysis software as relevant
* Have excellent report writing skills
* Have excellent written English. Knowledge of Arabic and/or Kurdish is an advantage.
* Hold a minimum educational qualification equivalent to a master’s degree in a relevant field.
*
APPLICATION
The consultant should submit a proposal comprising the following:

* A technical proposal (not more than 10 pages) which indicates how the consultant is going to undertake the activities highlighted in the ToR. The technical proposal should include an overview of the proposed methodology. If the consulting team will be made up of several consultants, the role of each member of the team should be identified (e.g., team lead, primary report writer, etc.).
* A capacity statement detailing the consultant’s ability to deliver a quality assessment report within the given timeframe, including an overview of relevant work and technical experience.
* At least 2 samples of previous relevant works undertaken, including at least 1 assessment report that was 100% led by the lead consultant.
* Contact details for 2 references for similar assignments done not more than 2 years ago.
* CVs of the lead consultant, along with details of team members, their respective roles.
* A financial proposal with explanations about the line items (consultant/agency fee, transport, visa, accommodation, communication, workshops i.e. enumerator training, validation workshop these costs will be revisited and finalized at the time of contract etc.). Template attached, propose number of days required for this consultancy, the actual number of days will be agreed upon based on resources available. The total days could be presented as remote (20%) and in country (80%). The financial proposal should be presented as per remote and in country time.
* Any appendices the consultant sees as relevant to the application.

APPLICATION EVALUATION CRITERIA

The consultant’s application will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

1. Submission of all required proposal components
2. Relevance of the consultant’s profile, experience, and stated capacity
3. Relevance and quality of the technical proposal
4. Relevance and quality of submitted sample works
5. Suitability of the financial proposal
   Applications should be submitted electronically to Save the Children by 30 June 2022.

The Organisation
We employ approximately 25,000 people across the globe and work on the ground in over 100 countries to help children affected by crises, or those that need better healthcare, education and child protection. We also campaign and advocate at the highest levels to realise the right of children and to ensure their voices are heard.

We are working towards three breakthroughs in how the world treats children by 2030:
* No child dies from preventable causes before their 5th birthday
* All children learn from a quality basic education and that,
* Violence against children is no longer tolerated

We know that great people make a great organization, and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children. We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive workplace where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued.
Application Information:
Please apply using a cover letter and up-to-date CV as a single document. Please also include details of your current remuneration and salary expectations.

We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

Save the Children does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.