Research Consultant

RESEARCH AREA: Changes in availability of and access to basic services for children in Afghanistan

Summary

In August 2021 following the international withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan. As a result of the transition, the economy has stalled, development assistance has all but ceased and children’s access to crucial services has been curtailed.

Save the Children Afghanistan is looking to commission a research expert to design and carry out a short-term research project focussing on access to basic services for children in Afghanistan. This research should involve a desk-based review of publicly available data and elements of field research (not limited too but including focus group discussion and key informant interviews). We want to explore the changes to the provision of, and access to, services in the months since August 2021 to inform Save the Children’s influencing work both in Afghanistan and globally. This will focus primarily on public services including healthcare, education and social protection – seeking to understand what public services children could access before August 2021, and what they can currently access. This research will inform public and private influencing products, released in August 2022 and thereafter.

Objectives

We are looking for a consultant to provide a systematic review of existing data and supplement that data with KIIs and FGDs to provide an overview of what is known related to public service provision for children before August 2021, and as of June 2022. We expect this to quantify service provision, though also hope the consultant will provide qualitative analysis of changes to key services for children. In addition, we hope the consultant will be able to map the financial support and budgeting of critical services – particularly education, health and protection.

The outcomes of this research will be published as an external paper to be used by Save the Children for the development of upcoming policy and advocacy material, as well as to inform our longer-term engagement on these issues.

Specifically, our objectives for this consultancy are:
1. Produce a high-quality, comparative quantitative analysis of the provision of education, health and protection services in Afghanistan pre/post August 2021.
2. Provide qualitative analysis of changes to public services since August 2021 – identifying the key drivers of these changes and synthesising any existing literature related to the impact on children.
3. Map financing for education, health and protection services – including humanitarian, development and on-budget funding – pre/post August 2021.

Requirements

Deliverables:
* Research methodology or protocol, to be agreed at the beginning of the project (within one week of consultancy start date).
* Presentation with emergent findings and list of reviewed literature at mid-point of project.
* Once a week check-in conversations with the project manager.
* Draft written report and power point presentation of findings as per project objectives (ca. 20 pages) and one page abstract, plus table detailing analysed studies and key characteristics and findings (any format). Draft of report shared for comment and review with Save the Children before finalising.
* Final written report and power point presentation, incorporating all feedback of SCI staff to be delivered by the final deadline (see ‘timeline’ section below).

Timeline
* Deadline for applications for this consultancy is May 21st 2022, interviews will be conducted May 25th and 26th with an approx. start date no later than June 5th 2022.
* Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, if a suitable candidate is identified the posting may be closed early.
* We anticipate the consultancy to last approximately 30 working days (though this may be extended), however, the final report must be submitted no later than July 14th 2022.

Candidate profile

We are looking for individuals and organisations who meet the following essential criteria:
* Significant knowledge and experience of Afghanistan – specific experience of public policy and finance within Afghanistan desirable, as is existing networks with key stakeholders.
* Candidate should already be in Afghanistan with authorisation to work in Afghanistan. National candidates based in Kabul, Afghanistan strongly preferred.
* A significant network and strong relationships in Afghanistan with relevant institutions, policy makers and other relevant bodies.
* Fluency and excellent capacity in spoken and written English is required. Fluency in Pashtu and Dari is highly preferred with preference given to candidate who can speak and write in all three language.
* Must have previous experience producing high-quality research for humanitarian and development policy audiences – preferably with a focus on children.
* A relevant academic qualification in Research methods, Economics, Social Policy, International Development or another related field, OR significant professional experience of delivering complex/mixed-methods research for international use.
* Availability and commitment to deliver against all requirements, on time, before the July 14th deadline.
* Commitment to conduct the research in line with all relevant Save the Children policies – particularly those related to safeguarding and confidentiality.

Contract

As a donor funded body, Save the Children is committed to ensuring our resources are used as efficiently as possible, in order that we can focus them on achieving maximum impact for children and that our arrangements with third party suppliers represent value for money. We expect this approach to be demonstrated from any contractor it does business with. The successful bidder will be asked to sign Save the Children’s standard services agreement.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, prospective candidates must submit the following with their application in English:

1. Cover letter outlining relevant experience, confirming availability aligning with the timeline outlined in this TOR, highlighting relevant academic qualifications for this consultancy, confirming which languages are spoken and outlining a proposed daily rate and/or total cost to complete the project from start to finish in USD.
2. Resume/CV outlining professional and educational background and experience.
3. An example of a previous piece of quantitative/qualitative work written in English undertaken for an NGO, UN agency or other similar actor. Previous research focused on children is preferred.
4. A one-page Research Proposal that briefly outlines: proposed methodology approach and tools to be used, timeline for implementing proposed methodology and approach and any additional expenses needed to undertake the research.