• Short-term consultancy assignment
  
• Commencing 01 March 2024, concluding 31 August 2024
  
• Remote/Home-based

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:

In 2016, Save the Children, on behalf of the Global Alliance for Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience in Education Sector (GADRRRES), conducted a global survey collecting baseline data on national (and sub-national) comprehensive school safety (CSS) policies and programs. The World Bank Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery supported this initiative.

The survey tool available online (SurveyMonkey) consisted of 29 multi-part questions designed to assess national and sub-national policies and programs related to the school safety enabling environment and the three Comprehensive School Safety Framework pillars (i.e., Safer Learning Facilities, School Disaster Management, and Risk Reduction and Resilience Education). The survey also explores the facilitative and hindering factors for policy development and implementation. A total of 68 countries across Latin America, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific regions participated in the survey. The survey outputs were validated and substantiated through additional data collection methods, including desk review, key informant interviews, and collective responses from education authorities, subject-matter experts, and members of the country's school safety coordination platforms. The outputs from the survey were intended to strengthen the evidence foundations to identify priorities for school safety actions at the school, national, and regional/global levels.

In 2021, GADRRRES reviewed the CSS Framework through a global consultation process and launched the revised Comprehensive School Safety Framework 2022-2030 in September 2022. The CSS Targets and Indicators were also updated to correspond with the revised Framework. Following these GADRRRES initiatives, the Alliance prioritised the implementation of a new round of CSS policy mapping as a follow-up to the 2016 global CSS policy survey and to serve as a basis for assessing and further strengthening the global implementation of the CSS Framework 2022-2030. In the latter part of 2023, Save the Children initiated the development of a new policy survey instrument and methodology aligned to the expanded scope, targets, and indicators of the revised CSS Framework. This planned CSS Policy Survey is targeted to be implemented in 2024 and aims to reach at least 75 countries across the globe. The results from the survey are also expected to generate CSS Country Policy Profiles and aggregated global and regional/sub-regional reports.

Where you come in:

Save the Children Australia is seeking expressions of interest or proposals for technical support to coordinate the global implementation of the 2024 CSS Policy Survey for GADRRRES (https://gadrrres.net).

This assignment includes coordination with GADRRRES regional affiliates, national CSS focal points, and other relevant stakeholders and partners, dissemination of the survey tools and relevant documents to the target respondents, survey response monitoring, collation, and validation for reliable analysis and reporting.

In this consulting assignment, you will:

• Ensure that all survey tools and necessary documents prepared or approved by GADRRRES are ready for dissemination to target respondents.
• Identify and prepare a list of target country respondents and focal points (national and regional) for the policy survey.
• Prepare official communication documents for the survey dissemination and contact the identified focal points for the survey.
• Coordinate and provide orientation or technical assistance to country or regional focal points in administering the survey tools to national stakeholders.
• Monitor the data gathering and implement quality assurance measures to ensure the reliability and validity of the survey and its findings.
• Collate survey responses and conduct data validation or clarification, if necessary.
• Adhere to relevant guidelines and standards in survey implementation, including confidentiality and ethical considerations.
• Provide additional data validation support to the GADRRRES technical person responsible for the data analysis and report writing for the 2024 CSS Policy Survey.
• Prepare a final documentation/report of the data-collection process, including the enabling factors, limitations, challenges, and strategies to address the issues or concerns.

Save the Children will ensure:

• Together with the GADRRRES Secretariat, provide the approved CSS Policy Survey data collection tools and guidelines.
• Link the consultant to relevant GADRRRES focal points, regional affiliates, technical working groups, and technical partners to support the consultant's activities and deliverables.
• Recruit/Identify the technical writer to analyse and prepare the global CSS Policy Survey Report.

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

This consultancy requires a candidate with the following qualifications:

• Holds an Advanced Degree (at least Master's degree or higher) in fields relevant to the consultancy assignment
• Has strong research work background and experience,
• Experienced in delivering professional quality research data gathering and reporting,
• Knowledgeable of the Comprehensive School Safety Framework (experience in CSS Policy Assessment and reporting, an advantage)
• Knowledgeable of different school safety domains (e.g., disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, education in emergencies).
• Experienced in leading or coordinating global projects, programs, or research and dealing with multi-regional and multi-sectoral stakeholders
• Has a strong ability to communicate well both orally and in writing in English, especially for the education sector, humanitarian and development policy, and advocacy audiences.
• Can establish priorities, plan, coordinate, and monitor own work.

Sound interesting?

We'd love to hear from you. To apply please send an application that includes:

• A letter expressing interest, outlining the experience and expertise of the individual consultant or consulting agency relevant to the work
• A copy of CV(s) or details of expertise in your research institution, or consultancy firm/agency, if applicable
• Sample of previous 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 (maximum 2 pages)
• A financial proposal or costing for items/activities required for the fulfilment of the expected deliverables of the consultancy work.

Please click Apply Now to submit your application.

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.