Summary
Date Posted: Monday, October 10, 2022 , Base Salary: Not Disclosed

JOB DETAILS:
Invitation For Submission Of Sealed Bids For Consultancy Services To Conduct Analysis Review Of The Child Sensitivity Of The National Social Protection Policy (Nspp) In Zambia
Save the Children is the world’s leading independent non-profit organization for children. Our vision is a world in which every child attains the right to survival, protection, development, and participation. Our mission is to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children, and to achieve immediate and lasting changes in their lives. In Zambia, Save the Children has been implementing programs across Child Rights Governance (CRG), Health and Nutrition, Child Protection, Education, Child Poverty and Humanitarian thematic areas since 1983.
1. Background
Save the Children International (SCI) is a leading global independent organization for children and believes that every child deserves a future. Around the world, SCI work every day to give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and be protected from harm. SCI argued that public investments in, for example, healthcare, food security, and access to safe water and sanitation, play a crucial role because they define the situation of the child. Heckmans’s (2007)[1] framework explains the development of children and the effect of investments on the formation of capabilities and the processes behind it. The Heckman Curve is among the most widely referenced analytical models predicting high economic and social returns to multi-sectoral (including nutrition-centric) investments in the earliest stages of early childhood (the critical 1,000 day “window of opportunity”), especially for disadvantaged children, and how these returns reduce with the increasing age of the child. Also, Mani et al. (2013)[2] demonstrated that even relatively short spells of poverty have a significant negative impact on the cognitive abilities and executive functions performance of children. Children need inputs (investments) into their development throughout their lifecycle.
Government of the Republic of Zambia considers Social Protection as key strategy to support inclusive economic growth, contribute directly to poverty and vulnerability reduction, and promote equity and fulfilment of human rights. In 2014, the institutional framework that guides the Government’s social protection response to poverty and vulnerability underwent significant revision with the Cabinet approval of the National Social Protection Policy (NSPP) with an accompanying Implementation Plan (IP) for the period 2014-2019. The NSPP reflects a broad-based approach to social protection anchored on the transformative framework of social protection which focuses on 4 springboards that is protection, prevention, promotion, and transformation. The policy is built on 4 pillars: Social Assistance, Social Security, Livelihood & Empowerment, Protection, with cross cutting pillars of Coordination and Disability. These pillars lay a foundation for coherent and coordinated social protection services and interventions.
Currently, the Government of the Republic of Zambia is in the process of reviewing the NSPP as per Government procedure and to develop a new implementation plan since the implementation period came to an end in 2019. During this process, the government will be updating the NSPP with current and emerging issues such as the Cash Plus concept, Single Window Initiative, shock-responsive elements of social protection as well as the integrated management information system known as the Zambia integrated Social Protection Information System (ZISPIS) among others. Lastly, the process will assess how best to bring out cross-cutting themes in the new policy, such as disability, gender, HIV, etc.
2. Justification to analyse the Child Sensitivity of the National Social Protection Policy
‘Child-sensitive social protection’ refers to public policies, programmes and systems that address the specific patterns of children’s poverty and vulnerability, are rights-based in approach, and recognize the long-term developmental benefits of investing in children. Social protection has the potential to address social and economic vulnerabilities but also has the potential to contribute to other developmental challenges. These include, among others, economic growth, national poverty reduction and human capital development. Investments in social protection are associated with reductions in poverty. By raising incomes, increasing consumption and allowing for investments, social protection makes positive contributions to poverty reduction, employment and education outcomes.
Child-sensitive social protection (CSSP) is foundational to addressing many child poverty and can help prevent the intergenerational transfer of poverty. CSSP allows the most deprived and marginalized children to be reached at scale and results in sustained reductions in multidimensional child poverty. Despite its importance, the review of the NSPP by the government is silent of child sensitivity of the policy. A key step in improving child sensitivity of social protection in through undertaking a child sensitivity analysis.
3. Purpose and Objectives
Purpose: To undertake a child sensitivity analysis of the current National Social Protection Policy and its implementation plan and come up with recommendations for child sensitive inclusion in the revised policy looking at social protection from an integrated social protection approach.

Specific Objectives
• Conduct desk analysis or review of other countries’ child sensitivity of the social protection policies to benchmark the best practices for replication in Zambia using the CODI tool developed by WB, UNCIEF, etc., and Save the Children’s global approach to CSSP.
• Review the national social protection policy framework/strategy documents to map social protection schemes directly or indirectly benefiting children across age groups. The overarching question guiding this objective will be: What are the commitments, if any, that the government has made with regards to addressing child poverty or other main child deprivations in their social protection policy framework? And what are the main social protection programmes set up to achieve them? Are these social protection programs child sensitive? What can make these programs child sensitive, for example, referring to our “cash plus parenting” approach that we have piloted?
• Find out the Coverage for Children in the main programmes identified and document them as per coverage for each scheme per age groups of Pre-primary (0-3 and 3-6); Primary (6-14) and Secondary (14-18).
• Provide an analysis of how much of the Social Protection investments have been focused on children (historical budget allocation for the past five years) and evaluate if UN, AU and SADC commitments are being met.
• Provide an overview of the expenditure towards social protection for the past five years against the budget allocated especially how the budget is reaching the intended beneficiaries (in particular, children). Also to have an overview of whether the announcements and allocations are actually reaching to the intended beneficiaries in a regular and predictable manner, and what can be done to promote it. Again drawing on some of the work we are trying to promote around transparency and accountability in accessing social protection benefits and related basic services.
• Formulate Recommendations for Save the Children International and other child-focused organizations, and for the government to strengthen the child sensitivity of the new NSPP.
4. Expected Deliverables
• A detailed concept note showing understanding of the assignment and how the analysis of the NSPP will be done.
• Literature review report detailing how other countries’ social protection policies, and programmes are child sensitive, gender and inclusive social protection programmes.
• Draft Child Sensitive Social Protection analysis report
• Validation virtual meeting with SCI Country Office, Regional Office and Global Office
• Final report (consolidating contribution from Save the Children)
• Present the finding and recommendations (in-person) to all-stakeholder meeting to be organized by the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services in early November 2022.
5. Tentative timeline
To be discussed with the consultant, but the assignment needs to be finalized by October 28, 2022 pending presentation of the findings to an all-stakeholder meeting early November. Number of days for the total assignment must not exceed 14, and this can be discussed further. Pay attention to the deliverables.
6. Experience and skill set required

Minimum competencies:
• Advanced degree in Economics, Public Policy, social sciences, or a related field
• At least seven years of relevant work experience (three minimum with a Ph.D.) in research and evaluation and/or policy design and implementation in social protection
• Familiarity with desk analysis, impact evaluations and randomized trials, as well as expertise in one or more areas of child sensitive social protection, including cash transfers, safety nets, graduation and livelihood development programs
• Experience from/ in Zambia will be an added value
Mandatory Requirements
• That they are not on any Save the Children prohibited parties list or blacklisted by the government.
• Copy of the National Registration Card or copy of the passport
• Copy of Tax Clearance Certificate (TPIN)
• Certificate of incorporation for companies
• Three months bank statement

Required Expertise & Experience
The study is to be done by a consultant/firm with a team composition of 2-3 individuals with a mix of experience in the focus areas described under the objectives section.
The consultant/team must possess the following qualifications and competences in order to be eligible for this assignment:
• University degree at minimum in a relevant field (e.g. child protection, development or social sciences).
• Substantial experience (10 years+’ experience conducting baseline studies in large scale projects especially health, education and child protection) and in monitoring and evaluation, specifically in developing qualitative and quantitative methodologies and tools including child-friendly tools (preferably in the child protection sector), and in collecting and analyzing both qualitative and quantitative data.
• Knowledge of child protection programming. Strong child rights programming skills (child participation skills an asset)
• Knowledge in gender equality mainstreaming
• Excellent writing skills in English, and effective presentation skills
• Good local language skills (spoken and written) in Nsenga/Chewa.
• Knowledge and skills in disability inclusion
• Previous experience of engaging community agents of change, civil society organizations, national partners and key government staff in the development and implementation of assessments/evaluations.
• Evidence of having done similar work (kindly share copies of completed assignments or links) especially in similar set ups as the project area (Rural areas) in the past 3 years.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills including experience of working within multi- cultural teams.

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: 48

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Job application procedure
Follow link provided for specific additional information requirements https://www.savethechildren.net/invitation-submission-sealed-bids-consultancy-services-conduct-analysis-review-child-sensitivity or https://www.iapg.org.uk/invitation-for-submission-of-sealed-bids-for-consultancy-services-to-conduct-analysis-review-of-the-child-sensitivity-of-the-national-social-protection-policy-nspp-in-zambia/
Deadline for submission of the Expressions of Interest is Monday 17th October 2022, at midnight GMT. Expressions of Interests submitted after the stated closing time and date will not be accepted.
• All inquiries should be directed to: Procurement.Queries@savethechildren.org
• Applications should be submitted to zambia.tenders@savethechildren.org
Note
• Save the Children will only contact successful applicants
• Save the Children reserves the right to accept or reject any proposal/expression or cancel the procurement process at any time, without assigning any reason, and shall have no liability to any potential consultants for such rejection or cancellation of the procurement.

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