CALL FOR STUDY PROPOSAL on Child Protection in the Education Sector - Tonga

· Short term consultancy assignment

· Commencing February 2024 to 15 April 2024

· Nuku`alofa, Tongatapu, Tonga: Desk-based and in-country research with a local partner

Save the Children is no ordinary not-for-profit:

We’re ambitious, creative and outspoken. We stand up for children’s rights. We want all children to be educated, healthy and live a life free from violence. We run programs in Australia and overseas and, if there’s a disaster - like an earthquake, drought, or conflict – we are there on the ground.

About the project:

Background

Save the Children is an international organization working to uphold children’s rights and protection in different regions of the world, including the Pacific.

In 2022, the Government of Tonga drafted a National Child Protection Policy to strengthen child protection mechanisms and coordination in Tonga across governmental departments, civil society and other child-wellbeing stakeholders. This policy follows Tonga becoming a signatory to the UNCRC in 1995. The policy and accompanying Strategic Plan of Action are under the remit of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and pending release.

In early 2022, the Government of Tonga invited Save the Children Australia (SCA) to support the policy implementation process, recognizing SCA’s strong expertise in Child Protection in the Pacific Region. SCA is providing support under the, Future Ready Children in Tonga.

The overall objective of this 3 year project (Aug 2022-July 2025) is to strengthen capacities and systems in place to protect children from violence with a focus on robust, inclusive and equitable mechanisms. The project is aligned with the objectives of the Government of Tonga’s draft National Child Protection Policy (NCPP) and strategic plan of action (SPA) detailed above.

In its first year (2022/23), the project has accompanied the work of the National Child protection Policy committee to guide the draft policy through a series of participatory consultations.

Support to the Government of Tonga in year 2 (Aug 2023-July 2024) aims to strengthen child protection systems as set out in the draft National Child Protection Policy/ Strategic Plan of Action This focus is on the education sector with the aim of (i) analysing gaps and priorities for child protection and child safeguarding in schools and; (ii) generating teacher training resources in child protection which align to key finding and recommendations from this analysis. These resources will include an online induction short course and other course materials for pre-service and in-service teachers.

This work will be undertaken in close partnership with the Ministry of Education and Training (MET). A Steering Group will be established to guide the study, review the findings and support incorporation of key findings into the planning and development of professional development resources for teachers.

The Study to be undertaken through this Consultancy will be guided by this Steering Group.

Where you come in:

Save the Children is seeking expressions of interest for a consultant(s) to complete a Child Protection and Safeguarding analysis in the (Tonga) education sector to generate data and information that will support evidence on the status of child protection in the primary and secondary school context.

In this consulting assignment you will: be expected to undertake the following main tasks:

· In consultation with the Project Team – Child Protection Lead, develop a detailed research plan including methodology, specific research study questions, analytical framework, and timeline, and budget/costing, in compliance with the requirements and purpose of consultancy;
(to be set out in Inception Plan)

· Implement the approved research plan relevant to the research topic and the approved research questions with data collection, including school based consultations and key informant interviews.

· Analyse data and conduct initial validation session, with the Steering Group, on the key findings against the approved research questions

· Prepare a full report outlining the results of the study, including at a minimum, evidence-based findings on:

o Context setting (literature review, primary data collection, research questions etc)

o Methodology

o Results and discussion

o Conclusion and recommendations to improve child protection within the Tonga education system

o Annexes, including all data collection tools

· Submit a draft of the study to be presented and validated by the Child Protection project team and MET through the Steering Group

· Submit the final version of the research output

· Prepare a summary briefing paper drawing from broader findings of the Sector Study and structured to inform the content and structure of specific teacher training resources in Child Protection and Child Safeguarding.

For detailed information, the full Terms of Reference are available here.

This consultancy requires:

Experience and Skills Requirement:

(Combining Expertise of both international and local study partnership)

· Advance educational background in development, education, child rights/human rights, research, or other related fields

· Experience demonstrating strong understanding of children’s rights, child protection, child safeguarding or education and school safety management

· Familiarity with global (or regional) frameworks or standards on child protection and other related development concerns

· Experienced in conducting qualitative and quantitative research related to development, child protection, or school safety

· Demonstrated ability for critical thinking, analysis and problem solving

· Having the trust and/or acceptability to work with key partners of Save the Children and the Ministry of Education and Training in Tonga

· Excellent report writing and oral skills in English.

· Demonstrated ability to deliver project outputs on time

Sound interesting?

We’d love to hear from you. To respond to this EOI, please submit:

· A letter expressing interest, outlining the experience and expertise of the individual consultant or consulting agency relevant for the work.

· A copy of CV(s) or details of expertise in your research institution, or consultancy firm/agency, if applicable

· Sample of previous research work/s, relevant to this consultancy

· Contact details of at least two references

· An operational plan detailing how the work will be done and how the objectives above will be met (max. 2 pages)

· A financial proposal or costing for items/activities required for the fulfillment of the expected deliverables of the consultancy work.

Applications must be received no later than 19th January 2024 and can be sent to Jay Sikorski, Pacific Program Operations Advisor (email: jay.sikorski@savethechildren.org.au)

Save the Children Australia is a child-safe organisation. All consultants are required to undergo an International / National Police Check, a Working with Children Check where necessary, and sign our Child Safeguarding Policy and Code of Conduct.