Safeguarding Specialist

1. General Background

Oxfam is an international confederation, Oxfam has been working in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) since the 1950s, where a country office was established in Jerusalem in the 1980s. Oxfam mainly works in the most vulnerable communities, such as Gaza, East Jerusalem, and Area C, of the West Bank where the Israeli Government maintains full military and civil control.

1. Program background

Masarouna is a five-year regional program. The program aims to mobilize the power of young people (YP), aged 18-35, for collective action to support their struggle for greater freedom of choice and respect for their SRHR through new and innovative pathways for change. The program works on strengthening youth engagement in civil society towards influencing decision makers and society to address inadequate legislation and harmful norms that affect their SRHR. Additionally, the program works on strengthening civil society and the formation of new partnerships and alliances to lobby and advocate for SRHR and opening space for their voices.

1. The overall objective of the Consultancy

We, Oxfam and partners, are committed to embed safeguarding procedures, measures, and practices in our work to ensure upholding our commitment to prevent, respond and protect individuals from any potential harm related to sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment and child abuse. Oxfam commitments include working with Masarouna partners to ensure that a strong safeguarding procedures and practices are in place.

Therefore, this assignment seeks to produce a clearly presented analysis of the status of Masarouna partner’s organizations safeguarding systems and practices, geared towards ensuring safeguarding measures at partner’s organizational level to continue upholding safeguarding principles with highest standards. For this purpose, Oxfam seeks to hire a consultant to work side by side with Oxfam safeguarding specialists to develop a safeguarding assessment tool that will be based on Oxfam safeguarding core standards, in addition, to conduct a safeguarding assessment with three partner organizations in the West Bank and Gaza.

1. Specific objectives and scope of work:

• Conduct preliminary consultations with Oxfam and partners to discuss the assignment and get a better understanding of the task, scope of work and the role of the consultant.
• Desk review of all relevant task documents.
• Prepare an inception report identifying the methodology of conducting the task and a clear work plan of how to conduct the assessment.
• Work with Oxfam safeguarding specialists to develop an assessment tool, based on Oxfam safeguarding core standards (that aim at transforming organizational culture, policies and practices to prevent sexual exploitation and abuse).
• Using the developed tool, assess safeguarding knowledge gaps and operational processes within three partner’s organizations in the West Bank and Gaza.
• Review, map out and provide technical feedback on existing safeguarding policies, guidelines, procedures, measures and practices within partner’s organizations. In this revision, the consultant will be revising the content of partner’s safeguarding policies (if available) to identify areas of improvement.
• Develop customized strategies and capacity strengthening plan as per each partner’s need to either develop or upgrade their safeguarding policies, systems and practices.

1. Specific tasks and expected deliverables:

• Prepare an inception report identifying the methodology of conducting the task and a clear work plan of how to develop the safeguarding capacity assessment.
• Develop the capacity assessment tool relying on Oxfam safeguarding core standards.
• Conduct safeguarding comprehensive analysis with three partner organizations (using the developed tool).
• Draft report of the assessment conducted with the three partner organizations including capacity strengthening strategies and interventions.
• Final report of the safeguarding assessment that include partner’s capacity strengthening strategies and plans.

1. Timeframe and Time Commitment

The assignment is expected to be completed over a period of two months (October and November 2022). Applicants are kindly requested to indicate in their offers the required number of days broken down by deliverable/activity versus cost, in addition to the team size involved.

1. Methodology

The selected consultancy team /researcher should involve a primary data collection from the partner organizations (policies, strategies etc.) and utilize a participatory and inclusive approach involving the partner’s staff as part of the process.

1. Essential Skills and Qualifications:

The ideal consultant will have at least 7-10 years of relevant experience in safeguarding and organizational capacity assessment and building. The consultant should have the following skills and competencies:

• Proven experience in protection, child protection and safeguarding
• Significant relevant experience in developing and implementing safeguarding policies and procedures
• Experience in conducting organizational capacity assessment in the field of safeguarding is required
• Demonstrated experience in developing clear guidance on safeguarding measures
• Background in gender justice
• Ability to work with a diverse team and under pressure to produce agreed deliverables in a timely manner
• Experience working in capacity building support to local civil society organizations
• Commitment to and understanding of Oxfam values and principles
• The consultant must be collaborative, willing to share thoughts, ideas etc
• Excellent oral and written communication in English and Arabic