1.0. BACKGROUND
1.1. The Safe Community Linkages for Internet Child Safety (Safe CLICS) Project
1.1.1. Project summary
ChildFund Kenya in partnership with Childline Kenya and Life Skills Promoters is implementing a 3-year project entitled “Safe CLICS” – Safe Community Linkages for Internet Child Safety project from June 2022 to May 2025 in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kiambu and Kilifi Counties, Kenya. The “Safe CLICS” project seeks to strengthen capacity, networks, and systems to make the internet safe for children. The project focuses on systematically strengthening Kenyan government agencies’ capacity to prevent and respond to Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (OCSEA), improving children’s self-protection skills with the support of caregivers and communities, and strengthening public awareness of OCSEA and connections to reporting and referral services.
Informed by Disrupting Harm, a multifaceted research project on online child sexual exploitation and abuse conducted in 2021 in Southeast Asia and Southern and East Africa, the project emphasizes collaborative partnerships with the Government of Kenya, the private sector, communities, and development partners.
Emphasizing system thinking and a systems practice approach, the project prioritizes system strengthening and change, institutional strengthening, and local capacity development for sustainable results. Specific interventions include improving child protection systems at national and sub-national levels of government, enhancing child protection environments in schools, and addressing caregiver capacity and knowledge to identify and respond to child protection vulnerabilities of children at the community level with a specific focus on child online protection.
1.1.2. Project Objectives
- Strengthen Kenya’s national infrastructure, focusing on social care capacity, to prevent and respond to online offending against children.
- Improve early intervention to prevent victimization of children, and victim support to assist in recovery.
- Engage families and caregivers in preventing the sexual exploitation and abuse of children and responding to harmful or otherwise unwanted experiences online.
2.0. About the Project Implementing Partners.
The Safe CLICS project is a 3-year project funded by Safe Online, which is implemented in the Nairobi, Mombasa, Kiambu and Kilifi Counties by three partners, which are:
2.1. ChildFund
ChildFund is an international child-centred development organization. We are a member of the ChildFund Alliance; a global network of 12 organizations that assists more than 35 million children in 58 countries around the world. ChildFund works throughout Asia, Africa, and the Americas to connect children with the people, resources, and institutions they need to grow up healthy, educated, skilled and safe, wherever they are. Delivered through over 250 local implementing partner organizations, our programs address the underlying conditions that prevent any child or youth from achieving their full potential. We place a special emphasis on child protection throughout our approach because violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect can reverse developmental gains in an instant. Last year, we reached 35.9 million children and family members in 24 countries. In Kenya, ChildFund works through 11 Implementing Partners (IPs) and 2 direct units spread across 27 counties serving over 3.1 million children and their families. The thematic areas that we focus on are Child Protection including Online Child Protection, Household Economic Strengthening, Early Childhood Development, Education, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Emergency Response, Health and Nutrition, Food Security, Climate Change and Resilience Building.
2.2 LifeSkills Promoters
LifeSkills Promoters (LISP) is an indigenous development organization working with children and youth to promote holistic development through life skills training. LISP works with schools, religious institutions, community groups, and government departments to equip young people for life and promote the empowerment of children and youth. LISP develops life skills in education and economic empowerment and develops curricula for different groups targeting children and youth aged 10-35 years old.
The vision of the organization is to see a future where young people and their influencers are well-developed, empowered, and productive members of their society. The organization’s mission is to transform lives by equipping individuals with the necessary life and technical skills to promote change in behaviour, employability and productivity.
2.3 Childline Kenya
Childline Kenya, established in 2004 by Plan International, SOS Children’s Villages, and the Kenya Alliance for the Advancement of Children (KAACR), is a leading non-governmental organization dedicated to child protection in Kenya. In partnership with the Government of Kenya, through the Department of Children Services, Childline Kenya manages the National Child Helpline 116 is the country’s only 24-hour, toll-free service for children in distress. This helpline provides immediate counselling and effective referrals to child protection services. Beyond responding to cases of violence against children, Childline Kenya proactively works to prevent child abuse by strengthening the child protection system, building the capacity of individuals working with children, raising community awareness, and analyzing helpline data to inform policy and practice. Their comprehensive approach ensures that children across Kenya receive the support they need and fosters a safe environment for their growth and development.
3.0 Impact Evaluation Purpose and Objectives
3.1. General Objective
The purpose of this impact evaluation is to assess changes that have occurred in the lives of project participants (positive or negative, intended or unintended) because of the implementation of the project. The evaluation will provide evidence-based insights and recommendations to inform future programming and policy decisions as well as understand the broader impacts it has had on the target population. The impact evaluation will use a hybrid approach using OECD/DAC criteria and outcome harvesting. The OECD/DAC criteria will be applied to assess the project’s performance along with the evaluation questions of effectiveness, relevance, efficiency, sustainability, and impact. The outcome harvesting will be used to assess changes and the contribution of the project interventions to the changes that are most significant to the results and goals of the project.
3.2. Specific Objectives
Effectiveness – to what extent have the project interventions contributed to the project’s high–level objectives and outcomes of empowering children and youth in their own self-protection, engaging community members to safeguard children’s rights online, changing the capacity of Kenyan service providers to prevent and respond to OCSEA, impact of project advocacy initiatives on change of behaviours and practices of government agencies, tech companies, CSOs and the community to respond and prevent online violence against children?
Impact – what are the actual and expected changes that occurred to the project participants (including positive and negative, direct and indirect) because of project interventions?
Relevance – how and to what extent were the project activities consistent with project participants needs, local condition requirements, policy and institutional priorities?
Efficiency – were the project inputs and resources translated into concrete results in an economically feasible manner (based on the assessment of implementation delays, technical capacity issues; operational efficiency, and the economic rates of return)?
Sustainability – to what extent would the project benefits extend beyond the project duration including the assessment of the anticipated results and risks. Can the project
approach or results be replicated or scaled up by or with other partners? What would
support their replication and scaling up beyond the project duration?
Innovation: In what aspects did the project manage to bring innovative solutions to meet the needs of the project participants, provide unique methods to overcome challenges, and demonstrate exemplary approaches?
Lessons Learned: What are the key results (both positive and negative), insights, stories, and messages learned from the implementation of the project worth reporting to improve the design and implementation of future projects?
Advocacy: To what extent has the project influenced the draft of policies, policy review, adoption and implementation of government efforts to address online child safety?
Recommendations: Develop specific recommendations for the project concerning strategies, approaches, partnerships, implementation mechanisms and overall project cycle management.
4.0. SCOPE OF WORK
The impact evaluation will focus on determining whether the project achieved its intended outcomes and if there were any unintended consequences, both positive and negative on the project participants 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 implementation strategy and proposal to demonstrate the value and effectiveness of the project to stakeholders and the donor, identify what worked, what did not, and why. The evaluation will also generate insights to inform decisions about expanding or replicating project successes and provide evidence for designing future programs for improved outcomes. The consultant will assess the effectiveness, impact, relevance, innovation, and sustainability of the project. In addition, the consultants will carry out an in-depth analysis of the community empowerment and engagement outcomes of the project and assess the extent to which systems strengthening was achieved. He/she will assess the achievements made, challenges faced, and lessons learned about the achievement of intended/unintended (positive or negative) project outcomes at the systems, school and community levels. The consultant is expected to provide clear and practical recommendations that will inform us of the successful implementation of future similar projects.
5.0. Evaluation Methodology
The successful consultant should propose the appropriate study design and data collection techniques for the evaluation. The identified approach should facilitate data validation, reduce the likelihood of bias, and enrich the findings based on the evaluation questions and objectives.
The methodology may include:
•Document Review: Analysis of project documents, reports, and baseline/midline studies.
•Surveys: Structured surveys with children, caregivers, and service providers.
•Interviews: In-depth interviews with key stakeholders, including government agencies, schools, and community leaders.
•Focus Groups: Focus group discussions with children, caregivers, and community members.
•Case Studies: Development of case studies to illustrate the impact of the project on specific individuals or groups.
•Outcome harvesting to document most significant changes, capture unintended results and the contribution of the project to the changes experienced as unintended result attributed to project implementation
6.0. Evaluation Deliverables
The evaluation team will be responsible for delivering the following:
1. Inception Report: Detailed evaluation plan, including study design, methodology, evaluation matrix, data collection tools, and timeline.
2. Data Collection Tools: Surveys, interview guides, and focus group discussion guides.
3. Interim Report: Preliminary findings and analysis based on initial data collection.
4. Draft Evaluation Report: Comprehensive report with findings, analysis, and recommendations.
5. Final Evaluation Report: Revised report, incorporating feedback from stakeholders.
6. Presentation of Findings: PowerPoint presentation summarizing key findings and recommendations for stakeholders.
7.0. Timeline
The evaluation is expected to be completed within 1.5 months, with the following key milestones:
1. Inception Report
2. Data Collection
3. Interim Report
4. Draft Evaluation Report
5. Final Evaluation Report
6. Presentation of Findings
8.0. Evaluation Team
The evaluation team should consist of experienced evaluators with expertise in child protection, online safety, and mixed-methods research.
8.1 Evaluation team profile.
The consultancy team should comprise people with skill sets, competencies and experience in the following areas:
•A post-graduate degree in Behavioral/Social Sciences, Development Studies, Community Development, Project Planning and Management, Child Protection, Social Sciences, and other related studies is desirable.
•Strong analytical and research skills, with expertise in child protection, online safety, and advocacy.
•Excellent communication and presentation skills.
•Minimum of ten years of experience in conducting project studies: action research, participatory monitoring and evaluation of development programs, process evaluation, impact 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 working in urban/peri-urban settings such as Nairobi, Nakuru, Mombasa, Kisumu, and Kiambu will be highly desirable.
•Fluent in English and Kiswahili.
•Familiarity with Kenyan child protection policies and frameworks
8.2 Consultant assessment criteria
Consultants’ suitability shall be assessed in the following:
- Qualification and Experience of the consultancy team – 40%
- Methodology and General Technical considerations – 30%
- Proposed cost of assignment – 15%
- Previous experience in undertaking similar assignments for international NGOs – 15%
9.0. Payment process
The consultant shall be paid for the successful completion of the deliverables following the payment schedule below:
- Inception Report outlining the consultant’s approach, methodology, and work plan within the first week – 30%
- Interim Briefing presenting initial findings and receiving feedback. Draft Impact Evaluation Report detailing progress, challenges, and recommendations – 30%
- Final Impact Evaluation Report (including PPT slides) incorporating feedback from ChildFund Kenya, partners and relevant stakeholders – 40%
The Consultant’s compensation shall be paid within 30 days of receipt of a proper invoice unless otherwise specified.
Payment will be made by electronic transfer unless otherwise specified.
The payment shall be subjected to a 5% withholding tax as required by the Law at the time of payment.
The budget denomination should be KES.
How to Apply:
Interested consultants should submit a detailed proposal by 24/02/2025 to KenyaProcurement@childfund.org indicating the assignment title on the subject line.
The technical proposal should include;
•A cover letter outlining how the firm/individual meets the requirements for the assignment,
•The CV and CVs of all team members (if individual or institution) highlighting relevant experience in conducting project studies related to Online Child Protection (baseline, mid-term, process and endline),
•Highlight 5 or more years of experience evaluating projects (baseline, endline, mid-term, impact, participatory research) on child protection, education, child rights and protection, online safety for children
•Past similar evaluation reports or other research reports authored by the individual or institution’s staff,
•Reference contact information of at least 3 individuals or institutions that have conducted research with the individual or institution.
