Terms of Reference(TOR) for the Consultancy to Conduct the Mid-Term Review for Safe Clics (Safe Community Linkages for Internet Child Safety) Project at Child Fund International

General Objective

• The mid-term review aims to assess the project against select OECD DAC criteria i.e. relevance and appropriateness, effectiveness, and efficiency, identify challenges and successes, lessons learnt and provide recommendations for adjustments to enhance project execution, delivery, and effectiveness for the remainder of the period.

Specific Objectives

• Assess the progress of the project towards its objectives and results/outcomes.
• Identify and analyze the critical issues and challenges encountered during the project's implementation.
• Generate lessons learned from both successes and challenges experienced.
• Evaluate the utilization of resources, including budget, personnel, and materials towards achieving the projects outputs.
• Reassess and update the project's risk management plan.
• Provide critical recommendations towards the improvement of the project’s interventions.

SCOPE OF WORK

• The mid-term review will focus on interventions implemented from July 2022 to January 2024 in all the project areas in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kiambu and Kilifi Counties, Kenya. It will look at all the aspects of the project implementation as outlined in the project proposal, project agreement, detailed implementation plan and budget. The consultant will assess the relevance, and appropriateness of the project, effectiveness, and efficiency and the achievements made, challenges faced, and lessons learned. As a mid-term evaluation, the consultant is expected to provide clear and practical recommendations on what needs to be done to successfully deliver the project and achieve the expected outcome and impact.

METHODOLOGY AND APPROACH

• The successful consultant should propose the appropriate study design and data collection techniques for the evaluation. The identified approach should facilitate data validation, reduce likelihood of bias, and enrich the findings based on the evaluation questions and objectives. The tools may include household surveys, Key Informant Interviews (KII) and FGDs. In each case a detailed description of the tools should be provided and the relevance in the data collection process. Other areas of interest would include sampling design, data collection and analysis procedures, quality assurance and ethical considerations.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Alignment with Project Objectives

• Evaluate the alignment of project activities with the overall objectives and goals set at the project's beginning.
• Assess if the project is on track to achieve its intended impact.

Project Progress Assessment

• Review project documents, including the initial project proposal, work plans, and progress reports to understand the planned activities and achievements to date.
• Evaluate the progress made towards achieving the goal, project objectives, milestones and the three specified outcomes of the Safe CLICS project.
• Review and analyze the project's activities, outputs, and outcomes achieved during the first one and a half years of the implementation period.
• Assess the extent to which project activities align with the stated objectives and expected outcomes.

Outcome-Specific Analysis

Analyze the effectiveness of activities under each project outcomes.

Outcome 1: Evaluate the impact of advocacy efforts, SOP development, and collaboration with stakeholders on service providers' capacity.

Outcome 2 - Assessment of School Efforts: Assess the empowerment of children and youth, effectiveness of educational programs, and timely responses to reported cases.

• Assess the effectiveness of school initiatives in responding to and preventing OCSEA.
• Evaluate the challenges encountered by schools, including difficulties in dealing with underreporting by learners.

Outcome 3 - Assessment of Community Efforts: Evaluate the improvement in caregivers' understanding of online safety and community surveillance efforts.

• Analyze challenges in reporting and referral mechanisms faced by parents and caregivers.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of community structures in supporting caregivers.
• Evaluate the efforts made by community structures and media in addressing OCSEA, including their successes and challenges.

Risk Analysis

• Conduct a risk analysis to identify potential challenges and risks that may hinder the achievement of project goals.
• Identify and analyze challenges and constraints faced during project implementation, including obstacles in engaging service providers, reaching schoolchildren, caregivers in the communities, addressing online safety risks, including those risks related to coordination, resource allocation, and stakeholder engagement.
• Propose risk mitigation strategies for addressing identified challenges.
• Reassess and update the project's risk management plan including identifying new risks that have emerged during the project implementation.

Implementation Effectiveness

• Assess the effectiveness of implemented strategies and interventions in addressing online sexual exploitation and abuse.
• Identify successful approaches and areas requiring adjustments.
• Assess the implementation status of recommendations provided in the baseline study.

Effectiveness of Capacity-Building Activities

• Evaluate the effectiveness of capacity-building activities for social service providers, considering participation rates and reported challenges.
• Examine the effectiveness of strategies employed in strengthening capacity, raising awareness, and supporting children, caregivers, and communities.

School-Based Initiatives Assessment

• Assess the effectiveness of school-based initiatives on online safety, including the integration of life skills education, awareness campaigns, and guidance and counseling.

Community Engagement and Media Impact

• Evaluate the effectiveness of community engagement strategies and media interventions in raising awareness about OCSEA.

Parental and Caregiver Participation

• Review the extent of parental and caregiver participation in education activities on online safety and their understanding of OCSEA.

Resource Utilization

• Evaluate the efficiency in the utilization of project resources, including budget, personnel, and materials.
• Assess the effectiveness of financial and human resource management.
• Review efficiency and effectiveness in the utilization of project funds, assessing whether budget allocations align with the project's priorities and goals.

Impact Assessment on target beneficiaries

• Assess the impact of project interventions on the capacity of social service providers, children's participation in education programs, parents, community members and the overall safety of children in the digital environment.
• Assess changes in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to online safety.
• Document and analyze success stories and best practices.

Lessons Learned and recommendations for Project Enhancement

• Generate lessons learned from both achievements/successes and challenges.
• Suggest innovative solutions to address identified challenges.

Baseline Recommendations Follow-Up

• Provide clear evidence-based and actionable recommendations for enhancing the project's impact, overcoming challenges, improving overall relevance, effectiveness and efficiency, and adjustments in project strategies and approaches to enhance project outcomes and impact.

Documentation and Reporting

• Prepare a comprehensive mid-term review report (full and abridged versions) in MS Word and a PowerPoint summary, highlighting the methodology, key findings, challenges, and recommendations.
• Present the findings to ChildFund Kenya and relevant stakeholders.

QUALIFICATION AND SKILLS OF THE CONSULTANT(S)

• Strong analytical and research skills, with expertise in child protection, online safety, and advocacy.
• Familiarity with Kenyan child protection policies and frameworks.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• A post-graduate degree in Behavioral/Social Sciences, Development Studies, Community Development, Project Planning and Management, Child Protection, social sciences, and other related studies.
• Minimum of ten years of experience in conducting project studies: action research, participatory monitoring and evaluation of development programmes, process evaluation, mid-term reviews or evaluations of child protection and online safety projects. etc.
• Experience conducting studies on Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (OCSEA) is highly desirable.
• Experience in working with marginalized communities including youth, women, and persons with disabilities in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kilifi or working across multiple counties.
• Experience in working in Online Child Protection Programming in urban/peri-urban settings such as Nairobi, Nakuru, Mombasa, Kisumu, and Kiambu will be highly desirable.
• Fluent in English and Kiswahili.

DELIVERABLES

• Inception Report outlining the consultant's approach, methodology, and work plan within the first week.
• Draft Mid-Term Review Report detailing progress, challenges, and recommendations.
• Half day Validation meeting with key stakeholders
• Final Mid-Term Review Report incorporating feedback from ChildFund Kenya, partners and relevant stakeholders.