Consultant - Evaluability Assessment of the “Todos Unidos pela Primeira Infância” (TUPPI) programme - Home-based (2.5 Months)
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UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.
Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.
And we never give up.
For every child, a voice.
Young children in Angola face a series of challenges that impede their integral development. The recent Analysis of Overlapping Multiple Deprivation (MODA in English) revealed that children aged 0-59 months suffer 5 or more overlapping dimensions of poverty (INE, 2018). In the area of nutrition, for example, almost 38% of children under the age of 5 (approximately 2.1 million children) are malnourished, with wide disparities between provinces (INE, Multiple Indicator Clusters Multiple Indicator and Health Survey [IIMS] 2015-2016).
An important constraint is the limited coverage of existing early childhood development services. For example, in relation to participation in more formal early childhood education (ECE) activities, the 2014 census estimates that education coverage for children aged 0 to 5 years is approximately 9%. Other estimates point to 2% (MINARS, 2013) and 4.9% (MED, 2016). The 2015-2016 Multiple Indicators and Health Survey (IIMS) estimates that only 11% of children aged 3 to 5 are enrolled in some form of schooling.
To overcome the low access that Angolan families have to early childhood development services (and in rural areas in particular), since 2017 UNICEF Angola has been working with the Ministry of Education to pilot the “All United for First Childhood” model, known as TUPPI. The project is a community-based, non-institutional parenting program that aims to strengthen the knowledge, skills, attitudes and parenting practices of parents and guardians to care for and support the positive development of children aged 0 to 6 years.
TUPPI is based on models that were originally developed in Latin America, in particular the project “Educa a tu Hijo”, from Cuba, and the project First Childhood Better (PIM), from Rio Grande do Sul, in Brazil. It is based on three pillars: (1) the family is the protagonist of early childhood development; (2) successful development requires the involvement of the entire community; and (3) intersectoriality. The TUPPI methodology includes two types of implementation: individual attendance, which implies home visits for children between 0 and 12 months of age, and group attendance, consisting of community meetings of 7 to 10 in charge of children from 1 to 6 years of age.
After four years of implementation and the results achieved, the Ministry of Education would like to conduct an evaluation to inform the scale-up of the initiative. However, field visits, activity reports and regular project monitoring have identified challenges such as (i) Lack of technical and monitoring tools for the project; (ii) Weak collection, communication and management of project data; (iii) Weak technical capacities to implementation the project, particularly at the provincial and municipal levels; (iv) Inadequate coordination between sectors and implementation levels; and (v) Weak involvement of other sectors beyond education, which could impact not only the realization of an evaluation but also the efficiency, effectiveness and the sustainability of the programme.
As it explores the possibility of scaling-up TUPPI at the national level, the Angolan Ministry of Education is requesting technical and financial support from UNICEF to assess this initiative in terms of its relevance, coherence, efficiency, effectiveness, impact and sustainability, as well as to identify what requirements are needed to assure the functioning of this social service in emergency contexts such as COVID-19. As a first step to ensure that a high-quality evaluation is possible, UNICEF is proposing an evaluability assessment of TUPPI.
Evaluability is defined by OECD-DAC as “The extent to which an activity or project can be evaluated in a reliable and credible fashion.” An evaluability assessment calls for the early review of a proposed programme/ project in order to ascertain whether its objectives are adequately defined and its results verifiable. Put differently, evaluability assessments examine:
-The nature of a project’s design, including its implicit or explicit Theory of Change (ToC), and asks if it is possible to evaluate it as it is described at present;
-The availability of relevant data, as well as the systems and capacities which make that data available;
-The practicality and usefulness of doing an evaluation via discussions with stakeholders.
The final product of this consultancy will be used to:
-Make decision related to the realization or not of the TUPPI programme evaluation;
-Make key decisions regarding the adjustment / improvement of the Angolan TUPPI model relative to key components to be implemented in order to carry out the impact evaluation.
The expected public of the evaluability assessment report are key Ministry of Education officials and officials at the national and subnational levels, and UNICEF Angola staff.
How can you make a difference?
General Objective
To undertake an evaluability assessment of the TUPPI programme to assess the extent to which the programme can be evaluated against the criteria of relevance, coherence, efficiency, effectiveness, impact, and sustainability.
Specific Objectives
The main specific objectives of this evaluability assessment are:
-To assess the evaluability of the TUPPI programme design including its (implicit) theory of change;
-To examine the availability of relevant information and the ability of the monitoring and evaluation system currently in place to produce, compile, analyse data and making-decisions based on strategic information;
-To advise the Ministry of Education and UNICEF Angola on the utility of a TUPPI programme evaluation given the current nature of the programme and the implementation context;
-To develop a joint action plan to implement the short-, medium- and long-term recommendations outlined in the document.
Methodology
The development of the TUPPI evaluability assessment will be governed by principles of:
-A results-based management (RBM) approach;
-Participation and inclusion of key stakeholders involved in the process;
-Ownership of the process by the Ministry of Education; and
-An intersectoral and “inter-jurisdictional” lens to ensure that the evaluability assessment includes perspectives across all sectors (health, education, nutrition, protection, WASH, etc.) and levels of implementation (central, provincial, municipal, communal and community).
The evaluability assessment will be conducted through administration of a checklist to assess the follow criteria:
(i)Project design (is the programme being implemented as designed?)
-Clarity: in TUPPI documents, are the desired impact, outcomes, and outputs clearly defined? Do the TUPPI documents include a ToC? Are the steps to achieve these defined? Given the planned interventions, is it feasible that the targets and objectives will be achieved within the established timeframe? Is it possible to identify which linkages in the causal chain will be most critical to the success of the project, and thus should be the focus of evaluation questions? Are the roles, responsibilities and accountabilities of each stakeholder well known?
-Relevance: are the beneficiaries well identified? Is there evidence that the programme responds to each target group’s needs?
-Equity: to what extent are the planned interventions equitable?
-Consistency: is there consistency across various TUPPI programme documents (programme design, work plan, M&E framework, activities report, budget)? Is there harmonized understanding of the TUPPI programme among stakeholders?
-Validity and reliability: are SMART indicators defined for each level of results?
-Resources: does the TUPPI programme have resources available (human and financial, material, and equipment) as established in the programme design?
-Contextualization: have assumptions about the roles of other actors outside the project been made explicit (both enablers and constrainers)? Are there plausible plans to monitor these in any practicable way?
-Complexity: To what extent are there multiple interactions between different project components (complicating attribution of causes and identification of effects)? How clearly defined are the expected interactions?
(ii)Availability of information (does the programme have the capacity to provide data for an evaluation?)
-Availability of documents such as a comprehensive programme document, progress reports, reviews, assessment, studies, reports, etc.;
-Existence of a monitoring framework (baseline and target established, data collection, existence of control group);
-Functional monitoring system: communication mechanism, data management includes data collection tools, data available to inform all indicators;
-Gender: are data disaggregated by sex?
-Equity: does available data allow for an equity analysis?
(iii)Institutional context
-Practicability: are resources available to undertake an evaluation? Are there preferred times to carry out an evaluation, or times when an evaluation cannot be conducted? Are the stakeholders available and accessible? What kind of stakeholders are interested in the evaluation and how can they take part in the process? Is a coordination mechanism in place?
-Utility: Which actors are requesting an evaluation to take place? Will these actors be able to manage and address any possible negative findings that emerge from an evaluation? What are the ethical issues that may arise?
The results analysis of the three components described above will be used to reach one of three possible conclusions:
1.No major barriers exist: proceed with the evaluation.
2.Impact evaluation is assumed feasible in the near future: proceed with the evaluation but address critical issues first.
3.Critical barriers cannot be addressed easily or in a timely manner: Do not proceed with impact evaluation in the short-to medium-term.
Benchmark values to determining the scoring of the TUPPI evaluation into the three categories mentioned above will be developed.
Activities & Tasks
1.Introductory meeting with UNICEF Angola and the Ministry of Education;
2.Development of the inception report for the project, including:
a.Brief international literature review on evaluability assessments, with a focus on low- and middle-income contexts and ECD and parenting interventions;
b.Proposed research plan (including research methodology, draft interview protocols and stakeholders to be interviewed; and other data collection tools, if needed);
c.Review and revision of the TUPPI evaluability assessment checklist, including the weighting of all criteria and the proposed scoring system;
3.Desk review of all relevant TUPPI documentation, including, but not limited to: programme documents, planning documents, project proposals, training, and activity reports, etc.;
4.Key informant interviews with key stakeholders at the national, provincial, municipal and community levels undertaken (in-person or remotely);
5.First draft of the evaluability assessment developed (in Portuguese) and shared with UNICEF and the Ministry of Education for review and comments;
6.Update the evaluability assessment based on the feedback from UNICEF and the Ministry of Education;
7.Facilitation of an online workshop to present the evaluability assessment to national, provincial, and municipal stakeholders;
8.Update and finalize the evaluability assessment based on feedback received during the validation workshop with stakeholders;
9.Development of a joint action plan (road map) to implement the recommendations outlined in the evaluability assessment
Geographic Scope
The proposed consultancy will be primarily home-based. Meetings with UNICEF and the Ministry of Education, the development of the inception report, meetings with key national and provincial-level stakeholders, the development of the evaluability assessment, and the facilitation of the online workshop can all take place remotely.
Work Assignment Overview
Tasks/Milestone:
Deliverables/Outputs:
Timeline
Estimate Budget
- The preliminary meeting with UNICEF Angola and the Ministry of Education is heldand the inception report is submitted and approved.
The inception report should include:
- Finalized and agreed workplan;
- Proposed research plan (including research methodology, draft interview protocols and stakeholders to be interviewed; and other data collection tools, if needed);
- Review and revision of the TUPPI evaluability assessment checklist, including the weighting of all criteria and the proposed scoring system;
7.5 working days
(Week 2)
20%
- Desk review of all key documents completed and interviews with key stakeholders undertaken.
Brief report outlining the main findings of the desk review of TUPPI documents and meetings/focus group meetings with stakeholders;
10 working days
(Week 4)
30%
- The first draft of the evaluability assessment (in Portuguese) is presented to UNICEF and the Ministry of Education.
The draft evaluability assessment presented at an online workshop with stakeholders from the national, provincial, and municipal levels;
- The draft situation analysis is completed, submitted, and revised.
- Agenda and slide deck for the workshop submitted and approved;
c. Brief report of key points discussed in the validation workshop submitted and approved, as well as an attendance list
7.5 working days
(Week 6)
5 working days
(Week 8)
20%
- Final version of the evaluability assessment submitted and approved by UNICEF and the Ministry of Education.
Development of a joint action plan (roadmap) to implementation the evaluability assessment recommendations.
Final version of the evaluability assessment is available (in Portuguese) and is approved by UNICEF and the Ministry of Education
5 working days
(Week 9)
5 working days
(Week 10)
30%
Total:
100%
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
- A first University degree in one of the following fields: Education; Health; Early Childhood Development; Monitoring and Evaluation; or Programme Evaluation.
- A minimum of five years' experience in programme evaluation and/or programme development using RBM best practices;
- Demonstrated experience undertaking evaluability assessments, preferably in sub-Saharan Africa in the fields of ECD, Education or Health;
- Minimum of five years of experience in early childhood education or parenting, or a closely related social sector (i.e. education, health);
- Experience facilitating and leading workshops with a wide range of stakeholders;
- Strong writing skills;
- Proven ability of working with people and communication skills to work with people of government institutions, volunteer facilitators, communities, and children;
- Experience working in a development context, ideally Africa/Angola, is required;
- Experience working with the UN or similar development agencies is strongly preferred;
- Professional proficiency in Portuguese; proficiency in English is also strongly preferred.
For every Child, you demonstrate…
UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.
The UNICEF competencies required for this post are:
- Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness
- Works Collaboratively with others
- Builds and Maintains Partnerships
- Innovates and Embraces Change
- Thinks and Acts Strategically
- Drives to achieve impactful results
- Manages ambiguity and complexity
To view our competency framework, please visit here.
Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.
UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.
UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.
Remarks:
Duty Station: Home-based
Terms of Payment: The consultant will be paid an all-inclusive fee (transportation costs, stationary, communication and other miscellaneous expenses) as per the stipulated deliverable and payment schedule.
Contract Duration****: 2.5 months
How to apply: Interested candidates are requested to create their profile on UNICEF career portal at https://www.unicef.org/careers/, including cover letter and CV. Applicants must submit an expression of interest (5-10 pages) that includes:
1.A 1-2 page summary of how your experience and qualifications meet the requirements outlined in this Terms of Reference;
2.A brief technical proposal (2-6 pages) describing how the work will be carried out;
3.A financial proposal that includes all associated costs and expenses to carry out the consultancy (including travel, accommodation, and local transport) (1-2 pages)
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.
Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.
Added 2 years ago
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Updated 2 years ago
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Source:
unicef.org
