Terms of Reference for a consultant to develop and implement training sessions for Centers for Development of Inclusive practices staff on the topic of communication, time-management and teamwork, for the project Inclusive4All

"Terms of Reference for a consultant to develop and implement training sessions for Centers for Development of Inclusive practices staff on the topic of communication, time-management and teamwork, for the project Inclusive4All: Inclusive education for all children in Bosnia and Herzegovina."

1. 1.     Introduction

Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. In the North-West Balkans and around the world, we work every day to give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. When crisis strikes and children are most vulnerable, we are always among the first to respond and the last to leave. We ensure children's unique needs are met, and their voices are heard.  We deliver lasting results for millions of children, including those hardest to reach. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share.                                                               

1. 2.     Background and Rationale

Children with disabilities[1] and their families are one of the most marginalised and excluded groups, often experiencing discrimination and violation of their rights guaranteed under the Convention on the Rights of the Child and Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the medical approach to children with disabilities is still omnipresent, which focuses on the defects of the child rather than their potentials and environmental barriers, as well as the complementary charity approach which focuses on the provision of social welfare as the only means of community support. Children with disabilities often experience discrimination and social exclusion in every aspect of their lives, including negative beliefs, lack of knowledge, and discriminatory behavior of others.

Although data on the number of children with disabilities is scarce, it is estimated that in Bosnia and Herzegovina, there are over 70,000 children who have some disability. Over 7,500 of them live in Tuzla Canton[2].

The project: Inclusive4All - Inclusive education for all children in Bosnia and Herzegovina, code: AID 011522, funded by the Italian Agency for development cooperation (AICS), started on May 1^st 2018. The project aims to enable children with disabilities to develop their potentials and fully enjoy their right to education and social inclusion.

Specifically, the project aims to reach the following three main results:

1. Children with disabilities and their families have access to several diverse support services in Tuzla Canton;
2. Tuzla Canton authorities are strengthened and supported in the review and adoption of the local strategy for the inclusion of children with disabilities in the regular education system;
3. The population and civil society organizations of Tuzla Canton understand and support the bio-psycho-social model of educational and social inclusion of children with disabilities.

Concerning the first result, to build support services in Tuzla Canton for children with disabilities and their families, it is necessary to improve the quality of work Centres for the development of inclusive practice in order to equip them to support children with disabilities and their families effectively. In this regard, we want to build the capacity of the human resources in CDIPs through extensive training and qualify them for the principles of lifelong learning. The purpose of lifelong education and learning is necessary for all experts to respond to the challenges of change in the development of methods of support for children with disabilities, and thereby improve the quality of Centres for the development of inclusive practice. Lifelong learning today is a leading principle for the development of inclusive support systems. The particular importance of lifelong learning lies in the fact that experts employed at the Centres are crucial for the success of the Centres themselves, and hence for the development of inclusive practices in the Tuzla Canton. The purpose of contemporary social development is to improve the quality of life of individuals, children with disabilities and their family members.

SC, therefore, invite requests for proposals from various experienced individual consultants and/or agencies to carry out training for professionals working in CDIPs in TK as specified in this Terms of Reference. 

1. 3.     Objective

The purpose of this assignment is to provide expert support in the preparation and finalisation of specific training on communication, time-management and teamwork for professionals working in CDIPs in Tuzla Canton.   

The main aim of this training is to educate Centres for Development of Inclusive Practices in order to strengthen the human resources in the area of team cooperation and team management. Although the services provided by the Centres are central to the Centres' operation, one should not ignore the importance of teamwork in maintaining the quality and making the most significant possible impact on beneficiaries. The specific features of the Centres should be emphasised, as they reflect in the multidisciplinary nature of work since the Centres are employing experts of different profiles. For their activities to be coordinated, the teams need to be prepared for cooperation. This will help avoid the risk that several professionals of different profiles work at the same Centre, but separately and with separate goals for beneficiaries. Planned education and training sessions will guide all experts in collaborative planning of service provision in order to deliver timely, quality and effective service.

In order to improve multidisciplinary cooperation and team management, the following education and/or training sessions in communication skills, time management and teamwork are planned. 

1. 4.     Expected outputs 

The expert consultant is expected to provide the following:

• Develop the agenda and materials for the training
• Design and development of self-paced and interactive e-learning modules or the named topics (duration will be discussed in cooperation with StC)
• Conduct online training sessions
• Submit final report in Bosnian and English

Expected outcomes and acquired competence of CDIP professionals:

1) Understand and describe the activities of the Centres for Development of Inclusive Practice;

2) Manage team communication – formal and informal communication network:

- identify communication channels within the Centre's team;

- apply constructive, assertive communication;

- understand the differences in communication media and their capacities;

- manage a formal network and recognize informal communication network;

- apply communication techniques.

3) Recognize and manage team conflicts by applying conflict management methods.

4) Lead effective team meetings.

5) Time management:

- determine working objectives;

- differentiate important from not important and urgent from not urgent assignments;

- plan working assignments and commitments towards beneficiaries and co-workers;

- identify working priorities in view of the beneficiaries and co-workers;

- apply methods and models of performing assignments

6) Recognize obstacles in time management and completion of work assignments.

 5.  Timeframe and methodology

In order to complete the above-specified task, the consultant will be engaged from October 1^st to November 5^th 2020. The consultant will develop and implement the work plan in consultations and with the support of SCINWB designated staff, in line with the proposed timeframe below.

1. *Timeframe can be changed in consultations with SCINWB.

 The final deliverables should be the following:

• List of participants;
• An outlined training plan and what the training will cover;
• Online training package (recorded),
• Report on the training in Bosnian and English.

   6. Funding and logistical support and organization

Funding will be provided by Save the Children in North West Balkans to cover the consulting fees and materials costs for the participants. The consultant is responsible for the organization of the training, facilitation, preparing materials and final reports.

   7. Qualifications and Specialised Knowledge/Experience Required  

A consultant engaged in performing the task should possess the following expertise and skills as a minimum:

• Extensive experience in training on team-management and operational planning;
• At least 5 years of experience in developing training materials and delivering training;
• Know inclusion values and principles;
• Exceptional organization, ability to plan, realize and monitor work progress;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.

   8. Formal Expression of Interest for Consultancy

The interested consultant should develop and submit the financial proposal to respond to the above mentioned specific tasks. The proposal should include:

1. Submission of the Bidders response document with a specified budget breakdown (Annex 1);
2. Letter of interest with confirmation of the availability for the proposed dates and work dynamics
3. Curriculum Vitae (CV) in SCI template (Annex 2).

The interested applicants should submit their proposals on Procurement.NWB@savethechildren.org no later than the September 23^rd 2020, 12:00 h. Only the shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

Detailed Terms of Reference and necessary forms can be downloaded at:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rTmTht-ZRH3J70ih6u8csDV-1yrp-1-Q/view?usp=sharing

 Particular requirement: no person is performing any task on behalf of Save the Children may, in any way, be involved in or connected with abuse or exploitation of children.