Terms of Reference (ToR) to Undertake Baseline Survey for Children in Street Situations (CISS) project in Dessie and Kombolcha

Programme location and context

SOSCVE Bahir Dar program location was established in the year 2000 G.C and is mainly working on an alternative care program supporting children to grow up in alternative families in established villages by providing comprehensive care and essential services for their holistic development. Furthermore, SOSCVE Bahir Dar Program manages and implements various facilities and programs, including Alternative Care (AC), the Family and Community Strengthening Program (FCSP), a kindergarten, and high School (which includes both primary and secondary schools). The AC, FCSP and humanitarian programs are the organization’s core interventions, providing comprehensive care and support to children who are without adequate parental care and affected by crisis. Bahir Dar programme location is currently actively operating in Lalibela, and Waghemira and north Wollo.

Rationale of scaling up the project to Dessie and Kombolcha

SOS Children’s Villages Ethiopia is scaling up Children in Street Situations (CISS) project that has been implemented in Addis Ababa, Adama and Dire Dawa from January 2022 to December 2026 to Dessie and Kobmolcha towns in Amhara regional state due to the conflict in the region coupled with other environmental hazards. Street children in Ethiopia, particularly in major cities like Addis Ababa, face extreme vulnerability, living in constant fear of sexual abuse, violence, and harassment. Driven by poverty and family breakdown, thousands of children and youth cope with hunger and trauma by abusing substances, including sniffing glue to suppress hunger pains. (National Institutes of Health (.gov)

The population of the Amhara region in general and Dessie and Kombolcha towns in particular faced serious challenges related conflict, disrupted livelihoods, education, health, water and other related hazards. Children are primarily pushed to the streets by poverty, family abandonment, abuse, and the search for economic survival. Adolescent street children in most areas found alarming rates of malnutrition, with described as thin and as stunted. Health issues are exacerbated by smoking, alcohol consumption, and unsafe drinking water.

Objective of the Study

Overall objective

The overall objective of the baseline survey is to measure and set baseline values of the indicators of the results framework at outcome and output level before the start of street situation project in the target intervention areas of Dessie and Kombolcha towns. The baseline results will help us to set the targets to be attained at outcome and output indicators at the end of the project intervention.

Specific objectives

• To set achievable and realistic targets for the project`s outcome and outputs defined in the project’s results chain.
• To identify gaps in child protection, education, and livelihoods among target groups.
• To assess access to inclusive and protective education services, dropout rates, resource availability, and teacher capacity
• To assess structural capacity and governance of stakeholders such as Community organizations, associations, community forums, and family-based structures.
• To gather facts and data about the current situation which will assist in designing/updating the project’s monitoring and evaluation (M&E) plan.

Project Outcomes and Outputs

The goal or impact of the project is to reduce the number of children in Street Situations (CISS) in Dessie and Kombolcha and empower them to build sustainable futures.

The summary of project outcomes and outputs are listed as follows:

Outcome 1. OUTCOME 1 CHILDREN EXIT STREET SITUATION

Output 1.1 Children receive education

Output 1.2. Children have good physical and mental health

Output 1.3 Children in the Street Situation have access to basic needs (food, shelter, other necessities)

OUTCOME 2: FAMILIES OF CISS HAVE INCREASED CAPACITY TO PROVIDE CARE

Output 2.1 Families of CISS have improved economic capacity

Output 2.2 Caregivers of CISS have increased parental knowledge

OUTCOME 3: SOCIAL STRUCTURES TO PROTECT AND PREVENT CHILDREN IN THE STREETS ARE STRENGTHENED

Output 3.1 Capacity of institutions that protect children is strengthened

Output 3.2: Community members have more awareness of the issues that cause children to live in the streets

Major evaluation/ research questions

1. Child Protection

• What is the status street children in Dessie and Kombolcha towns currently?
• What major risks and protection issues are street children facing in the target communities of Dessie and Kombolcha towns?
• What community-based child protection mechanisms currently exist, and how effective are they?

2. Education Access and Quality

• What is the current level of access to inclusive and protective education services for street children in the target areas?
• What are the school enrollment, attendance, and dropout rates among children in the target communities?
• What barriers prevent street children from accessing or completing education?
• What is the availability of educational resources (learning materials, infrastructure, support services) in the schools?

3. Teacher Capacity and School Environment

• What is the capacity of teachers to deliver inclusive, protective, and quality education?
• What training or professional support do teachers currently receive?
• How supportive and safe are the school environments for children, including vulnerable groups?

4. Livelihoods of Target Groups

• What are the current livelihood opportunities and income sources for households in the target areas?
• What economic challenges affect families’ ability to support children’s education and well-being?
• What skills, resources, or opportunities are lacking for improving livelihoods?

5. Governance and Institutional Capacity

• What is the current structural and governance capacity of community organizations, associations, and forums?
• How effective are family-based and community-based structures in supporting children and vulnerable groups, particularly street children?
• What coordination mechanisms exist among stakeholders (community organizations, local government, and service providers)?
• What does the existence of rehabilitation centers for street children look like in Dessie and Kombolcha?

6. Stakeholder Coordination and Service Delivery

• How do different stakeholders (community organizations, schools, NGOs, and local authorities) collaborate in delivering child protection, education, and livelihood services?
• What gaps exist in coordination and service delivery among stakeholders?

7. Baseline for Monitoring and Evaluation

• What are the current baseline values for the outcome and output indicators?

The commissioned consultant should further list relevant, tailored and possible baseline study questions for both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. He/she is expected to refer to the project document in detail, log frame and in addition to developing evaluation questions, and data collection tools. SOS CVE Ethiopia will share the project document, log frame/result framework for winner consultancy

Scope of the Study

Children in Street Situations (CISS) project will be started in June 2026 and will phaseout in Dec 2028. Geographically, the baseline study is limited to Dessie and Kombolcha towns. The project targets are children, care givers and youth.

By pooling expertise and resources, the project will amplify its impact and outcomes, ensuring a synergistic, effective and efficient response to the needs of the target communities.

The direct community level program participants excluding day care and full service programme participants are summarized in the following table.

Target groups	Dessie	Komblcha	Total
Children with care givers	94	141	235
Young people	125	188	313
Care Givers	336	504	840
Total	555	833	1,388

Methodology

The consultancy firm to be recruited is expected to develop appropriate and standard quantitative and qualitative methodologies that can generate the highest quality and most credible evidence. The commissioned consultant should use a mixed method approaches (quantitative and qualitative methods) to answer the baseline study questions. As far as possible, the consultant should disaggregate data by sex, age, disability while collecting and analyzing data. The consultant should also clearly explain which questions will be answered using which methods. Data collection methods proposed by the consultant should be linked to the specific target group question(s). In addition to the data collection methodology, the consultant should refer to the relevant desk review of the project agreement documents. Moreover, the consultant is expected to explain the design and process of data collection tools, data collection plans and data analysis instruments. The consultant is also expected to test data collection tools before the actual utilization.

The Consultant should also ensure that the survey and qualitative methods (such as focus group discussion (FGD), key informant interview (KII) and group discussion) with participants are representative of the project’s target groups and key stakeholders (Community members, Children, youth, care givers (men & women), CBOs.)

Sampling

The Commissioned consultant is expected to use appropriate sampling techniques and set a representative sample size for both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. Based on the project objectives, results, the baseline study equations and the CISS project result framework. The consultant should produce appropriate sampling methods and ensure representativeness of the sampled households or respondents, and the sampling frame is from target children, youth, care givers, schools, Day Cares and community structures.

Work Plan and Expected Deliverables

Work plan

The baseline study task is expected to be finalized within 40 days after the contractual agreement is signed.

The consultant is expected to develop her/his detailed work plan based on the following table

Activities	Dates	Time frame	Location/site

Responsibility of the consultant:

• The awarded consultant shall show feasible logistical arrangements for the assignment as part of the technical proposal
• Refer the project document, result framework and indicators and develop baseline study questions and detailed tools for both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods.
• Recruit and train data collectors/ enumerators
• Covers transport and per diem costs for data collectors
• Develop inception report with data collection tools, data collection plans and present for SOS CVE team and data collection plans
• Compiled draft and final baseline report based on scheduled time

Note that SOS CVE programme location-level staff (SOSCVE) will be available to help organize the interviews including contacting SOSCVE, announcing and local preparation of baseline study, and linking to community duty bearers and national authorities. SOSCVE team will facilitate while the consultant collects data from prgramme participants, partners and key government stakeholders.

 

Report criteria:

The reporting criteria for CISS project baseline study shall be in line with the SOS Children’s Villages Ethiopia result based management (RBM) toolkit and should be shared with the winner consultant along with the data review process and/or for the preparation of the inception report.

Deliverables

The commissioned external consultant must deliver the baseline study findings within 40 days of the contract signing. Based on the work plan, SOS Children’s Villages of Bahir Dar programme location MEAL department, the national office MEAL and Alternative care program teams expect the following deliverables:

• An inception report of 8 pages on the baseline study design, methodology, sampling frame, sampling technique, sample size, assessment tools and work plan
• Draft baseline study report of maximum 20 pages.
• The consultant is expected to present findings of CISS project (for both draft and final findings) by intervention areas.
• Final baseline study report – The findings of baseline study report including an executive summary and data collection tools in both electronic and hardcopy formats should be submitted.
• Raw data, which has been cleaned (both qualitative and quantitative, including original field notes for in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, and recorded audio material), should be submitted with the report. SOS CVE will have sole ownership of all final data, and any findings shall only be shared or reproduced with the permission of SOS Children’s Village in Ethiopia.

The reporting criteria for CISS project baseline study shall be in line with the SOS Children’s Villages result based management (RBM) toolkit and should be shared with the winner consultancy firm along with the data review process and/or for the preparation of the inception report.

Child Safeguarding and ethical issues.

SOS Children’s Villages is committed to ensuring that all research, evaluation and data collection processes (i.e. evidence-generating activities) undertaken by SOS Children’s Villages and its partners are ethical and respect child safeguarding policy and procedure.

The consultant must respect the rights, dignity and protection of children and other vulnerable population groups and should ensure special protection for children and other vulnerable groups during any data-generating activities to minimize any potential risks. Any research, evaluation and data collection directly carried out with SOS Children’s Villages or SOS CVE partners.

Ethical practices need to be ensured in the following circumstances:

• Any research, baseline, midterm or final evaluations and data collection SOS Children’s Villages has commissioned for ethical oversight of these processes.
• Any research, evaluation and data collection carried out by researchers/consultants on SOS Children’s Villages programmes and participants.

Hence, relevant project coordinator and location MEAL coordinator in Bahir Dar will ensure that any researchers, evaluators and data collectors should receive awareness training on, sign and adhere to SOS Children’s Villages core policies:

Obtaining consent from research participants is central to the research relationship and signals respect for the research participant’s dignity, their capability to express their views and their right to have these heard in matters that affect them. Informed consent is an explicit agreement which requires participants to be informed about and understand the research/assessment. This must be given voluntarily and be renegotiable, so that participants may withdraw at any stage of the research process.

Logistical arrangements:

The awarded consultant shall show feasible logistical arrangements for the assignment as part of the technical proposal. National or location-level staff (SOSCVE) will be available to help organize the interviews including contacting SOSCV, announcing and local preparation of evaluation, and linking to community duty bearers and national authorities if required.

Duration of the contract and terms of payment

Payment will be made only upon SOS Children’s Villages’ acceptance of the work performed in accordance with the above-described deliverables. Financial proposals should include proposed stage payments. Payment will be affected by bank transfer in the currency of birr.

Funding and Payment: The consultant will be paid by SOS Children’s Villages as follows:

• 30% on the submission and approval of the inception report.
• 30% on completion of the draft report.
• 40% on completion of the final report.

Duration of contract: the contract is effective from the moment it was signed until the acceptance of work by the SOS Children’s Villages in Ethiopia management team.

Notice of delay

Shall the successful bidder encounter a delay in the performance of the contract which may be excusable under unavoidable circumstances; the contractor shall notify SOS Children’s Villages in writing about the causes of any such delays within one (1) week from the beginning of the delay.

After receipt of the Contractor’s notice of delay, SOS Children’s Villages in Ethiopia shall analyze the facts and extent of the delay and extend the time for performance when in its judgment the facts justify such an extension.

Copyright and other proprietary rights

SOS Children’s Villages shall be entitled to all intellectual property and other proprietary rights including, but not limited to, copyrights, and trademarks, with regard to products, processes, inventions, ideas, know-how, or documents and other materials which the Contractor has developed for SOS Children’s Villages under the Contract and which bear a direct relation to or are produced or prepared or collected in consequence of, or during the course of, the performance of the Contract. The Contractor acknowledges and agrees that such products, documents, and other materials constitute works made for hire for SOS Children’s Villages.

All materials: interviews, reports, recommendations, and all other data compiled by or received by the Contractor under the Contract shall be the property of SOS Children’s Villages and shall be treated as confidential and shall be delivered only to SOS Children’s Villages authorized officials on completion of work under the Contract. The external consultant is obliged to hand over all raw data collected during the assessment to SOS Children’s Villages in Ethiopia.

Termination

The termination of the service agreement for the assignment will be in accordance with the contractual agreement to be included at the formal agreement’s actual signing.

Signing of the contract

The signing of the contract will follow the awarding of the assignment.

Rights of SOS Children’s Villages

SOS-CVE has the right to cancel the service contract if the consultant cannot comply with any standards articulated in the service agreement. SOS-CVE has the right to hold the impact assessment result as its own sole property.

Qualification of the researcher / research team

• The applicant consultant shall have PHD degree (at least the team leader) in relevant fields of study such Psychology, Sociology, Social Work, development studies, Economics, Project Management, Monitoring & Evaluation and other related fields per the required assignment
• At least 5 years’ work experience in international NGOs & proven competency in assessments, monitoring, and evaluation, including baseline assessments or organizational/program evaluation (baseline, midterm, and final evaluations). The incumbent shall attach at least one sample baseline or final evaluation report produced by the candidate on a similar topic.
• A good understanding of street children situation, family strengthening, community empowerment, education, rehabilitation centers, livelihoods and development programme work.
• A good understanding of child/youth rights/safeguarding & other issues affecting vulnerable children in the Ethiopian context.
• Proven experience in working with conceptual frameworks and data collection methods (including age-appropriate data collection methods)
• Proven experience in participatory processes and data collection methods
• Strong skills in coordination, good facilitation, organizational, and interpersonal skills
• Proven experience in participatory processes
• Strong skills in coordinating teamwork
• Analytical and conceptual skills on market and livelihood assessment
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills in English.
• Ability to transfer complex concepts and ideas into practical and simple language.
• Experience in organizing research processes with SOS Children’s Villages or similar child focused organizations.
• Experience and credibility in providing market and livelihood assessments for external communication and organizational purposes.
• Experience in managing baselines, final evaluations and livelihood assignments in respect of the participating communities’ culture, social norms, values, and behavior; and maintain appropriate relationships with participants of this evaluation.
• Legally registered firms with renewed license, VAT registration and TIN number