Terms of Reference for providing supervision services to SCI frontline workers in three areas Una-Sana Canton, Tuzla Canton and Sarajevo Canton

Terms of Reference

for providing supervision services to SCI frontline workers in three areas Una-Sana Canton, Tuzla Canton and Sarajevo Canton

1.     INTRODUCTION

Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. In northwest 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.

2.     RATIONALE

Since the start of the migration crisis in 2015, SC has been providing urgent support to the most vulnerable refugee and migrant children and their families, including UASC, in the Western Balkan Route. In 2018, following the increased influx of people and deterioration of the humanitarian situation, operations have been also launched in BiH where SC provides humanitarian assistance, child protection services, extensive capacity building for professionals, and educational activities.

To respond to the needs of a large number of families with children and unaccompanied and separated children (UASC) in the Una-Sana Canton, SC provides a 24/7 teams in reception centers Borici, Sedra and Miral to manage designated zones for UASC and provide Child Protection services to children accompanied with parents. SC also seconds social workers to the Social Welfare Centres in Una-Sana Canton to perform the role of a legal guardians for UASC accommodated in the designated zones for UASC in reception centers. Save the Children partners with local organization LAN to run Child Friendly Spaces in family reception centres. Save the Children runs outreach Child Protection Units in Una-Sana Canton, Sarajevo Canton and Tuzla Canton to provide outreach work focused on children, including the identification of newly arrived, returnees and children staying out of reception centers, referrals to services, assistance in registration, urgent NFI distributions and escort to accommodation and other services out. We have also established strong case management work, including case management for SGBV victims, strengthened MHPSS for UASC, and increased capacities for accommodation of UASC in the country. In education, Save the Children provides support to cantonal education authorities to implement programme for the enrolment of migrant and refugee children into regular classes, based on the HEART methodology (Healing and Education through the Arts). SC also provides school escorts and cultural mediators who assist children in going to school and help them in class/with school work.

Humanitarian workers operate in traumatic contexts, putting them at an increased risk of adverse mental health outcomes. Comprehensive and highly responsible professional work in humanitarian setting can cause burnout of SCI employees which can cause decrease in quality of the services. The quality of the support they receive from their organization, their supervisor, and team members are proposed as determinants of mental illness and well-being, via the stress-appraisal process. To prevent burnout, improve job satisfaction and ensure the best quality of the service for the beneficiaries, the model of professional supervision will be developed and provided during 2021.  

The purpose of this Program component will be to provide supportive supervision to SCI employees in Una-Sana Canton, Tuzla Canton and Sarajevo Canton engaged as front line workers in the emergency response to migrant crisis in BiH. Supportive supervision is a process of helping staff to better cope and deal with daily challenges and to, through facilitated self-reflection, build own resilience and develop competencies to preserve own mental health and prevent burn out despite stressful work environment, thus indirectly ensuring quality of services provided to children and families they work with directly.

PURPOSE OF THE CONSULTANCY

Purpose

The purpose of the consultancy is to ensure psycho-social support to SCI staff in the emergency response to better cope and deal with daily challenges and to, through facilitated self-reflection, build own resilience and develop competencies to preserve own mental health and prevent burn out despite stressful work environment, thus indirectly ensuring quality of services provided to children and families they work with directly

Objective

To provide supportive supervision for SCI frontline workers in humanitarian setting in following areas: Una-Sana Canton, Sarajevo Canton and Tuzla Canton.

SCOPE OF WORK

A consultant is expected to carry out the following activities:

·        Hold an initial meeting with Save the Children to finalize the work plan agreement.

·        Create a plan of supportive supervision to emergency response front line SCI staff with proposed topics and time frame and present it to the SCI staff.

·        Provide qualified and experienced staff for provision of professional supervision and psychosocial support

·        Organise 3 to 7 group sessions (each session in duration of 2 hours) per month face to face or through online platforms for SCI front line workers that is facilitated with application of sensitive listening and questioning skills in order to allow staff to explain their problem(s), needs, and empower them to better cope with stress.

·        Identify the need for individual support and organize individual sessions (maximim 10 per month) face to face or through online platforms for SCI front line workers

·        Identify and recommend further learning and development needs regarding first psychosocial support to front line workers

·        Maintain record of sessions held and attendance record.

·        Prepare and submit montly and final report to the SCI.

WORK METHODOLOGY

The Consultant will submit a technical and financial offer, which includes the description of the methodology and detailed work plan. During the engagement, the Consultant will mainly work with Save the Children staff in Sarajevo. In order to adequately prepare for the creation of defined consulting assignments, it is crucial to review all the relevant documents of the respective subject area. Since Save the Children has been long involved in dealing with issues related to children on the move, it is necessary to carefully study and consult the documentation available on the website of our organization (https://nwb.savethechildren.net). 

Location and official travel not involved

The Supplier will organize its own time in its own facilities during the time of engagement.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Save the Children MHPSS Specialist and the Response Team Leader will be the main focal point for the Consultant.

Duties of Consultant:

·        The Consultant is required to maintain the contact with the Save the Children staff over the entire process and inform them, on a regular basis, of the process and seek information and guidance as necessary. 

·        The Consultant has a general managerial responsibility for the implementation of the Consultancy tasks.

·        The task of the Consultant will be to develop required documents and deliver activities and submit the final drafts to Save the Children for comments and suggestions, if any, within the agreed timeframe.

·        The Consultant is required to include the feedback information as given by Save the Children in the final version of the document, as necessary.

·        The Consultant is required to abide by the time frame set for the consultancy work.

Responsibilities of Save the Children:

·        Provide all background materials for the Consultant on time.

·        Monitor adherence to specified deadlines, facilitating access to required information.

·        Provide guidance throughout all phases of implementation, approving all deliverables, and facilitating, access to any documentation (or any person) deemed relevant to the process.

·        Share deliverables with stakeholders.

·        Ensure cooperation from partner organizations.

·        Perform quality control of all deliverables, as required.

DELIVERABLES

·        Plan for supervision sessions with SCI staff.

·        Monthly reports with all relevant inforamtion.

·        The final report on completion of the task submitted in English and local language.   

TIMEFRAME

In order to perform all scheduled tasks, an independent Consultant shall be hired for the period May 1, 2021– December 31, 2021. The Consultant will prepare and implement the work plan in consultations and with the support of relevant Save the Children staff.

* The time frame can be changed in consultation with the relevant staff of Save the Children

REQUIRED EXPERTISE AND EXPERIENCE

Consultant should possess the following expertise and skills as a minimum:

·        PhD or Master’s Degree (or relevant specialist studies) in the area of human services and a minimum of two-year field experience working in child welfare and/or with multi-problem families -OR-

·        A Bachelor’s Degree in the area of human services and a minimum of four (4) years of field experience working in child welfare and/or with multi-problem families.

·        Extensive knowledge and proven practice in providing supervision support in the field of social services.

·        Extensive knowledge in MHPSS (mental health and psychosocial support)  recommendation and guidelines by international organizations such as WHO, IASC and IFRC.

·        Demonstrated knowledge and experience in conducting need assessments and developing training modules/curriculum, training materials etc.

·        Demonstrated experiences and skills in facilitating stakeholder/working group consultations and training.

·        Fluency in English and local language

·        Strong analytical and communication skills.

BUDGET

The consultants must indicate the prices he/she is offering to Save the Children as part of the contract, including the currency in the Bidding Response document as well as SC-PR-10-Request for Quotation if applying on behalf of a company or organization. Provide a narrative clarification of each budget activity demonstrating how they relate to the proposed methodology and work plan. The budget headings and specific budget lines are obligatory within proposed budget.

The financial proposal shall specify a total amount (including a breakdown of costs for fee per session, and number of sessions to be delivered in total).

APPLICATION AND BIDDING PROCEDURES

Interested consultants or companies/organisations should develop and submit the bidding proposal (accompanied with relevant annexes) in English language to respond to above mentioned specific tasks. The bidding proposal should include: 1. Package for Consultants companies OR 2. Package for Consultants Individuals:

Package for Consultants individuals (complete if applying as an individual):

1. Bidder Response document - individuals;

2. CVs format - individuals (maximum 3 pages) emphasizing relevant experience.

3. Reference list and example of a Research Paper/ Analyses/Evaluation in English

SELECTION CRITERIA

Essential:

·        Meet minimum requirements

·        Agency/Individual bidder provided all documentation

Capability (60 points)

·        Education (PhD or specialistic studies  in relevant field– 20 points, Master degree in relevant field – 15 points, Bachelor in relevant field 10 points)

·        Minimum 3 years expirience in relevant field (3 years of experience 10 points, 5 years of experience 15 points, more than 5 years of experience 20 points)

·        Metodology (detailed plan for supervision sessions 10 points, initial draft for the Supervision manual with relevant chapters - 10 points)

Commercial 40 points

·        Price

SC will make a decision on the most successful bidder, subject to the available budget, based on the following criteria:

• Relevant education;
• Relevant experience;
• How well the proposal meets the requirements set out in the Terms of Reference;
• Value for money.

No person working on any task for or behalf of Save the Children may in no way whatsoever be involved or related to child abuse or exploitation as defined in the Save the Children's Child Safeguarding Policy. The contracting authority also requires that the personal data of all evaluation participants must be protected and stored in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation - (EU) 2016/679 and the national law on personal data protection in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH Law on Personal Data Protection, Official Gazette of Bosnia and Herzegovina No. 49/06).

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

Interested candidates should send their applications to info.nwbalkans@savethechildren.org no later than April 15^th 2021. Only short listed candidates will be contacted.

Please find enclosed link with documents for application: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tBx_Qf1bfnRhNtB4RLpzLGud7HhYrswz/view?usp=sharing