CALL FOR CONSULTANCY- TERMS OF REFERENCE

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1 CALL FOR CONSULTANCY- TERMS OF REFERENCE [A]. TITLE: Evaluation of the Zero Tolerance Violence Free Community Project. 1. PROJECT: Zero Tolerance Violence Free Communities (ZTVFC) 2. REPORTING TO: Permanent Secretary 3. DUTY STATION: Head Quarter (HQ), Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation 4. DURATION: 40 days 5. CONTRACT TYPE: Individual Contract (Output based Consultancy) 6. QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE The Consultant must hold a Master s Degree, with focus on programme monitoring and evaluation, gender and/or development, social sciences or similar fields. Have at least 5 years of practical of in the area of Violence against Women (VAW) and evaluation of VAW initiatives. Experience in Pacific Islands development context and socio- cultural, political and economic systems and knowledge of situation of violence against women in the Pacific and efforts by governments, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), development partners in the area of Elimination of Violence against Women (EVAW) is an advantage. Experience in the Pacific region is strongly preferred; however experience in similar low resource environments is acceptable. 7. SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES Demonstrated capacity to produce high-quality evaluation reports: Experience with qualitative and quantitative evaluation research methods; Experience with leading evaluations utilizing gender equality and human rights responsive approaches Demonstrated ability to provide advice on best practice programming in EVAW work; Demonstrated ability to synthesize research and reach empirically based conclusions on EVAW or related subjects; Demonstrated strong writing skills in English; Focuses on results for the client and responds positively to feedback; Excellent gender analytical skills; Good communication skills; Consistently ensures timeliness and quality of work provided; Is inclusive in their treatment of people; Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability; Demonstrates integrity by modelling ethical standards. 1

2 8. TIME LINE The Evaluation Project will take place in the first quarter of 2015 with the expected starting date around the 1 st March, 2015 and final completion by 30 th April, APPLICATION PROCEDURE The following must be submitted: Cover letter Updated Curriculum Vitae (CV) showing evaluation experience, as well as GBV experience Proposal (up to 5 pages) responding to the Terms of Reference (TOR) Comments on ethical issues arising and how they will be considered Financial proposal, inclusive of fees and per diem costs Three contacts for referees Sample evaluations completed with a gender equality and human rights responsive approach 10. PERIOD TO BE EVALUATED: The Evaluation will consider the full implementation period of the ZTVFC project from EVALUATION FOCUS The objective of this Evaluation Project is to assess the Relevance, Efficiency, Effectiveness, Inclusiveness and Sustainability of the Department of Women s Zero Tolerance Violence Free Community (ZTVFC) Project. Other evaluation issues to consider and actions to be undertaken will include the following: a) Review of the updated Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Framework and advising on issues arising. b) Review of indicators and comment on their efficacy. c) Comments on monitoring forms and procedures. d) Review of and comments on annual Work plan and budget. e) Review of and comments on annual reports to the donor. f) Comment on ethical guidelines and the efficacy of their implementation. g) Comment on support of other government offices and key stakeholders; Key Relevance questions include, but are not limited to, the following: a. Relevance of the project to the needs of target groups. b. Relevance of the project to norms and instruments like Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). 2

3 c. Relevance of project intent and actions to the overall response to GBV and Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls (EVAWG). d. Relevance of project intent and actions to other national priorities (e.g. National Policies and Action Plans, legislation). e. Relevance of project design and operations in terms of human rights, gender equality and child protection. f. Relevance of the project objectives in light of current situations. g. Relevance of the project approach and intent to the problem. h. Relevance of the project to neighbouring communities not reached directly by ZTVFC. i. Relevance of a referral process for identified VAW issues j. Other aspects of relevance as they arise during the Evaluation. An assessment of relevance should specifically address the possibility that the zero tolerance approach can hamper reporting violence, while at the same time such reporting may cause violence to be less acceptable due to the very public nature of the actions. Key Efficiency questions include, but are not limited to, the following: a. Have communities received capacity development support in a timely manner? b. Have the use of mentoring activities, such as training provision including technical assistance from government officials and providers been efficient? c. An analysis of the efficiency of the ZTVFCs mechanism and processes, mentoring, training and capacity development towards field, programme, administrative and operational costs. Effectiveness questions include, but are not limited to the following: a) Effectiveness of strategies used in ZTVFCs. b) Effectiveness of capacity development strategy and approach provided to communities. c) Effectiveness of the Implementation partnership modality. Inclusiveness questions include, but are not limited to, the following: a) How inclusive is ZTVFCs project in supporting marginalised and vulnerable groups? b) How effective and efficient is ZTVFCs in targeting all affected groups? c) How inclusive is the ZTVFCs in involving affected groups and key stakeholders in governance and management of the ZTVFCs project? d) How inclusive is the ZTVFCs project in building capacities of duty bearers such as relevant government officials? The Consultant is requested to consider various options for sustainability, including (i) Maintaining current arrangements and if so for how long; 3

4 (ii) Engagement of government institutions into management and other possible options such as the management of the ZTVFC by the communities. The Consultant will provide analysis of possible impacts of any of the proposed options (including financial), pros and cons for each of these options and future plan on sustainability. 12. DELIVERABLES The Consultant will be responsible for delivering the following written products: Inception Report (draft, revised and final) plus annexes Field Instruments (draft and final) one-on-one and group qualitative tools, a rapid quantitative questionnaire of no more than 18 minutes in administrative length All field results, with identifiers removed. Evaluation Report (draft, revised draft, final) plus annexes [20 to 40 pages] 13. EVALUATION OVERSIGHT A Steering Committee comprised of representatives from Department of Women (DoW) Fiji and United Nation Women Multi Country Office Fiji; will work with the Consultant, providing oversight on behalf of the EVAW Task Force in terms of initial meetings, review of the Inception Report, comments on fieldwork plans including review of the draft Evaluation Report. Following clearance from the EVAW Task Force, the Steering Committee will provide the administrative support and technical oversight. The Consultant will report directly to the Permanent Secretary for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation through the Director of Women. The Director of Women will sign off on the work of the Consultant following the final approval of the EVAW Task Force and the Permanent Secretary for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation. Administrative support will be provided by the Department for Women s office in Civic Towers, Victoria Parade, Suva, Fiji Islands. 14. FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENT The financial arrangement of this consultancy will depend on the expertise and experience of the incumbent and will be made between the Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation and the Consultant. The implementing institution/organisation will be paid as per agreed payment schedule. The payment will be made as follows: 20% percentage payment upon signing of the Contract. 40% percentage on the submission of the final Inception Report. It is expected that the Consultant will have sufficient funds to complete the fieldwork phase of the consultancy, including local contracting. Should this be considered insufficient, it is the responsibility of the Consultant to note this in their proposal. 40% upon submission of the Final Evaluation Report. Payment will be made within 30 (thirty) days after receipt and acceptance of the specified deliverable and corresponding invoice but only is Department of Women has certified that the services have been satisfactorily performed by the Consultant. 4

5 [B]. PROJECT BACKGROUND Article 1 of United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women (1993) defines Violence against women as: any act of gender based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life. Government of Fiji ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discriminations Against Women (CEDAW) in 1995 and the State is obligated to comply with all the requirements in protecting human rights of women in all spheres of life. Government endorsed the Beijing Platform for Action (1995) which underlines our commitment to the implementation of national legislations, policies and programs to prevent all forms of gender based violence. Gender Based Violence in Fiji is widespread and is seen in various forms such as physical, sexual and emotional violence by an intimate partner, sexual violence by non-partners and strangers and child sexual abuse perpetrated mostly by someone known to the child. A report by FWCC in 2011, titled Somebody s life, everybody s business found that 64% of Fijian women who had ever been in an intimate relationship had experienced physical and/or sexual violence by a husband or intimate partner in their lifetime. Some 24% of respondents reported that they were suffering from physical or sexual partner violence at the time of the survey. There were also high rates of non-partner abuse, with 31% of respondents being subjected to physical and/or sexual assault since the age of 15 by someone other than their husbands or partners. The reported cases by the Fiji Police from showed a steady increase in the number of cases reported. This noted an increase of approximately 34% for the period, a total of 1108 reported cases. The national strategy under the Women s Plan of Action ( ) focusses on strengthening institutional capacities to improve inter-sectoral coordination in the goal to promote a safer community that is free from violence against women and children through: improved responses to crimes perpetrated against women and children; and improved access to justice and legal services through public awareness on current decrees, regulations and policies and processes including: Family Law Act: 2003, Crimes Decree: 2009 Child Welfare Decree: 2007 Domestic Violence Decree: 2009; 5

6 Zero Tolerance Violence Free Community Cabinet endorsed the establishment of the ZTVFC Project in This Project is part of Government s broader response to the elimination of gender-based violence perpetrated against women and girls, implemented through the Ministry for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation. Fully funded by Government with adequate support from UN Women; the project fits into the framework of promoting gender equity and gender equality and women s empowerment. The Ministry in partnership with civil societies and donor communities is committed to strengthening legal processes, policy development and implementation of relevant programs. The ZTVFC Project was piloted at Koroipita in 2008 after a series of consultations with key agencies. Koroipita is a peri-urban community; accessible by car and situated off Naikabula Road about 3km from Lautoka town. Koroipita community was declared violence free on 25 th November, 2008 marking the beginning of 16 Days of Activism on the Elimination of Violence against Women and Children. The goal for the ZTVFC Project is to empower women, men and children through human rights education, media campaigns and community training for services on the elimination of violence against women and children. A small-scale evaluation was conducted during the early phase of implementation of the ZTVFC Project in 2009.There are still a number of questions that are yet to be considered in terms of the successes and constraints of the Project. For this reason, the Government of Fiji, with support from the United Nation Women Multi-Country Office, Suva, have commissioned an evaluation five years into the implementation of the ZTVFC Project. The specified outcome of the ZTVFC Project is changed attitudes and behaviour[s] of the community and stakeholders that promotes and protects women s human rights. Target groups: adult men and women and adolescents and children in the communities reached by the intervention. Process of Implementation It is crucial that communities go through nine (9) implementation phases and are publicly declared as Zero Tolerance Communities towards Gender Based Violence on the tenth phase as detailed below. The project is implemented in the following phases: Phase 1: Initial Planning Identification of Stakeholders. Phase 3: Stakeholders Meeting. Phase 4: Community Consultation. Phase 5: Establishment of Gate- Keepers. 6

7 Phase 6: Phase 7: Phase 8: Phase 9: Phase 10: Official Commitment Stakeholders Training. Community Training. Socio-Economic Development. Community Declaration as Violence Free. Expansion of Project The project has expanded and has far covered the four division of Fiji namely Northern, Western, Eastern and Central Division. Communities are identified through consultation with the Police Department and by analysing statistical information and other relevant issues on GBV. While this is so, the project would only be undertaken in the identified community upon endorsement by the relevant community. Since 2008, a total of 88 communities are engaged with the ZTVFC. Thirty eight [38] communities have been declared violence free and twenty nine [29] communities officially committed while twenty one [21] communities are still at the early phases of implementation. For 2014 alone, seventeen [17] communities were declared, while fifteen [15] have been officially committed and twelve [12] have opened their doors to this initiative. Official Declaration is done once the community successfully implements all 10 phases of implementation. [C]. SCOPE OF WORK The Fijian Government through the Department of Women seeks the services of a Consultant to lead an Evaluation of the Zero Tolerance Violence Free Community Project. This Consultant will work closely with the Department of Women field staff based at various districts and with the EVAW Desk Officer. The evaluation should assess relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability of the project. It should assess what works and why, highlight intended and unintended results, and provide strategic lessons to guide decision-makers and inform stakeholders. The Evaluator will review, analyze and provide conclusions and recommendations on the following: The degree to which the project activities have been successfully implemented and desired outputs achieved; Factors that contributed to effectiveness or ineffectiveness; Efficiency of the project approach in delivering outputs; Assessment of external factors affecting the project, and the extent to which the project has been able to adapt and/or mitigate the effects of such factors; Role of stakeholders and coordination with gate keepers in the community; Extent to which the target beneficiaries have benefited from the project activities; 7

8 Potential for continuation or up-scaling of the initiative. METHODOLOGY The proposed steps in conducting the evaluation will be: Review of ZTVFC project documentation, monitoring records and progress and other relevant reports as well as relevant publications produced under the Ministry; Initial meeting with the Steering Committee to agree on the specific design and methods for the evaluation, what is appropriate and feasible to meet the evaluation purpose and objectives. Agree on the evaluation questions that will need to be answered, given limitations of time and existing data. Organization of interviews with key staff involved in the project implementation and key Stakeholders Focus Group Discussions with target groups and project beneficiaries 1 to assess project's relevance and effectiveness of project implementation take note of their perceptions of accomplishments and potentials for further development and provide suggestions for management response to evaluation findings. Objectively verifiable data should be collected whenever available, to supplement evidences obtained through interviews and focus group discussions. Preparation of the Draft Report and presentation to the Steering Committee. Incorporation of received feedback into the Final Report. Preparation and adoption of the Final Report with the Executive Summary. EVALUATION LOCATIONS Of the engaged communities to date, a representative sample of communities will be selected for evaluation purposes. The sample will include newer and older communities and declared and non-declared communities. 1 Project beneficiaries include government institutions, civil society organizations, center for social work and other relevant stakeholders who can contribute to evaluation findings (experts, representatives of academia or independent consultants, activists in the area of GBV) 8

9 DELIVERABLES AND TIMELINES Deliverables Outputs Adopted Inception Report including work plan and evaluation matrix Activities Preparation of Inception report Submission of report to Director Women for adoption by Steering Committee Design qualitative information collection tool Review all relevant programme files Inputs: Estimated number of working days 5 days Start up and consultations Initial briefings, further materials 4 days review, and discussions with Steering Committee. Interviews with stakeholders.. With the EVAW focal point in Department of Women, make field arrangements On-site Field work Conduct and complete in-country 16days consultations and site visits to 8-10 ZTFVCs in Fiji. This will include discussions communities leaders, stakeholders, focusing on project implementation, capacity development including partnerships Compile findings Analyse Field work data Complete field data analysis 2 days Compile Draft Evaluation report Prepare Draft Evaluation report Submit report to Director Women 3 days Compile Final Evaluation Report Consultation on Recommendation Compile Recommendation and Finalize Report TOTAL Finalising the draft report including recommendations from Steering Committee review with duly completed contents and appendices Submit Final Report to Director Women. EVAW Taskforce convene Evaluation findings and recommendation jointly presented to Steering Committee. EVAW Taskforce comment on Evaluation findings and recommendations Incorporate comments and recommendations from Taskforce meeting Submit recommendations to Director Women 5 days 2 days 3 days 40days 9

10 TEAM COMPOSITION It is expected that the Consultant may require a team of appropriately skilled and experienced personnel to support her/him in this Evaluation Project. This Consultant can be from Fiji, the broader Pacific region, or from any other country. The Consultant would be supported by a team identified by the Consultant and approved by the Department of Women. While this leaves room for the Consultant to select her/his team members, it is expected that other team members will have the skills and experience required to fulfil their tasks. The Consultant may identify a Junior Consultant to complement the skills profile. The Consultant should appoint field assistance to assist with the collection of qualitative data and implementation of a rapid quantitative questionnaire. The Consultant should have specific experience in both qualitative and quantitative data collection, including instrument design, implementation, analysis and write-up. The Consultant s proposal must itemise costs for all personnel, including field allowances, direct costs, along with fees. 10