Consultant - Child Engagement and Participation in WASH in Cambridge

Save the Children International has an exciting short term opportunity for a Child Engagement and Participation in WASH Consultant.

Background:

Meaningful participation of affected populations is a core humanitarian commitment embedded within the Core Humanitarian Standard, the Sphere Handbook, and the Grand Bargain. Despite this, progress on participation in humanitarian WASH responses has been uneven, and children in particular remain under-represented in programme design, decision-making, and feedback processes. The recent study ‘Put us at the centre: What children and young people in humanitarian crises asked for – and the decisions that followed.’ by NRC, Plan and Save the Children highlights a persistent gap between what children and young people say they need and how humanitarian responses are prioritised, designed and funded. At the same time the report highlights that “youth call for prioritising quality services for education, livelihoods, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) support, with women emphasising the need for menstrual hygiene kits.” Evidence from the sector demonstrates the consequences of limited participation. A significant study by Oxfam found that 40% of women and girls were not using emergency latrines constructed by humanitarian agencies, largely due to design issues that could have been identified and addressed through consultation. While no equivalent sector-wide evidence exists for children, experience from WASH programmes suggests that children face similar or greater barriers related to safety, accessibility, appropriateness, and influence over WASH services.

Save the Children has a strong mandate and responsibility to promote children’s rights and participation, including within humanitarian WASH responses. However, there is currently no consolidated evidence base or practical reference that captures how children are being engaged in WASH programming across the sector, where gaps exist, and how engagement can be strengthened in ways that are realistic for emergency contexts. This consultancy seeks to address that gap, while positioning Save the Children as a sector leader on child engagement in humanitarian WASH.

Objective:

The purpose of this consultancy is to bring greater focus to child engagement in humanitarian WASH, generate momentum for improved practice across the sector, and support the development of practical resources that can strengthen engagement of children in WASH responses, while helping to shape Save the Children’s role in driving this agenda forward.

Scope of Work and Estimated Level of Effort:

• Rapid desk review, 4 days: Undertake a quick desk-based review of existing guidance, tools, studies, and initiatives related to child participation and engagement in WASH and relevant adjacent sectors. Identify any key gaps. The output will be an internal summary note for Save the Children including a list of suggested tools for child engagement and participation in WASH programming.
• WASH sector survey, 4 days: Design, pilot, and roll out a sector-wide digital survey targeting humanitarian WASH practitioners to capture insights into current practices, perceptions, and challenges related to child participation and satisfaction in and with WASH programming. This includes identifying current awareness and gaps in guidance and tools. The survey should include both quantitative and qualitative components and be designed for broad dissemination beyond Save the Children. Lead on driving dissemination and getting responses from other agencies at global and country levels, Save the Children will support including at the country level.
• Child consultation survey, 3 days: Design a child-facing consultation tool that Save the Children and other interested partners could use within existing programmes to gather children’s perspectives on WASH services, including safety, accessibility, suitability, and influence over decisions. The tool should be appropriate for children aged 6–17, include age and gender disaggregated considerations. Save the Children can support with producing ethical and safeguarding guidance. The consultant will design the tool only; implementation will be led by country teams.
• Sector engagement, 3 days: Engage with other agencies and sector actors to explore interest in co-developing or co-implementing this work, including formal and informal outreach and follow-up discussions. Save the Children will support introductions where appropriate. This also includes continued engagement with interested partners during the implementation of the work.
• WASH sector survey analysis, 5 days: Analyse and document findings from the practitioner survey in a short concise report suitable for internal and external sharing. Coding frames will be needed to analyse qualitative questions.
• Guidance, 5 days: Based on the desk study and WASH sector survey results, produce a concise, sector-facing slide deck summarising key principles and practical considerations for engaging children in humanitarian WASH. The guidance should draw on existing resources and evidence, bringing relevant content together in a single, accessible reference, and clearly signpost and reference existing guidance. The slides will serve as a practical reference for both internal and external audiences.
• Child consultation survey analysis (optional), 10 days: Analyse and document findings from the child consultation surveys in a short report suitable for internal and external sharing. Coding frames will be needed to analyse qualitative questions. Note that this work is optional and not guaranteed as there may be several months between the tool being designed and the implementing partners carrying out the child consultations and sharing findings back.
• Workshop presentations, 1 day: Delivery of 2 online sessions (45-90mins) to share updates on this work with the wider WASH sector, and/or internally within Save the Children.

Total: up to 35 days (indicative - the work is likely to be spread over 2-4 months depending on progress)

Deliverables:

• Internal synthesis note from the desk review.
• Sector-wide practitioner survey tool and responses.
• Child-facing consultation tool with accompanying guidance.
• Summary of engagement with other agencies.
• Short report documenting practitioner survey findings.
• Sector-facing slide deck on child engagement and considerations in humanitarian WASH.
• Short report documenting child survey findings.
• Delivery of 2 online sessions.

How to Apply:

Location: Any approved Save the Children International office location

Right to Work: The successful candidate must possess the unrestricted right to work in their current or preferred location for the duration of consultancy.

Interested consultants are invited to apply by email. Please include the following:

• A short letter outlining the proposed approach to delivering the assignment, any initial reflections or feedback on the Scope of Work, and a summary of relevant expertise and experience
• A financial proposal, indicating daily rate, estimated level of effort, and total cost
• A CV

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the advert may be closed earlier than advertised subject to the volume of suitable applicants. Please submit your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.

The indicative level of effort included here is provided as a guide only. Applicants may propose a different number of days based on their professional judgement and subject matter expertise. However, any proposed changes to the level of effort must not reduce the scope of work, and all outputs described are required to be delivered in full. We consider that as this is a small piece of work it is most suitable for individual consultants. However, applications may also be submitted by organizations or teams. In the case of organizational or team bids, applications should describe both organizational experience and the experience of the individuals who will deliver the work, with CVs provided for all proposed team members. Individual consultants are required to provide the same information.