Requisition ID: req3153

Job Title: Review of focused PSS Interventions Consultant

Sector: Women Protection & Empowerment

Employment Category: Consultant

Employment Type: Part-Time

Location: Beirut, Lebanon

Job Description

I- Consultancy Overview

Since 2012, IRC has provided a broad range of group psychosocial activities in the form of skills training, information sessions, non-formal education, and life-skills activities that are designed, informed, and led by women and girls in the WGCCs and mobile safe spaces. All activities conducted focus on strengthening informal support networks among women and girls to promote coping, resilience and community-based protection mechanisms. The WGCC and mobile safe spaces offer a variety of structured PSS activities through life-skills curricula that are conducted with women and girls in closed groups.

These curricula consist of sessions that were created through evidence-based assessments to respond to the needs and GBV risks that women and girls face in their communities. The curricula have undergone a series of adaptations since 2012, through continuous reflections and ongoing assessments with community members. However, eight years after the Syrian Crisis, IRC recognizes that the context of women and girls might have changed and hence it is important to conduct a thorough review to revisit the existing PSS curricula in order to ensure they still respond to the current needs of women and girls.

II-  Purpose of the consultancy

In this frame, the purpose of this consultancy is to better understand how to respond to the changing needs of women and girls through tailored life-skills PSS interventions. Accordingly, the IRC is seeking a Consultant with a strong background in research, design and implementation of PSS interventions for GBV prevention and response. The consultant will conduct a thorough reviewof WPE’s existing focused Psychosocial Support (PSS) curricula  for women and girls which are being used in static and mobile settings. More specifically, the consultant will identify areas for adaptations, recommendations and lessons learned to ensure the curricula still respond to the needs of women and girls after seven years of conflict and displacement. This consultancy will inform the adaptive strategies that future projects will adopt when faced with similar challenges or opportunities.

III-  Scope of Work:

This consultancy will directly contribute to generating evidence and recommendation to better target, reach and engage women and girls in GBV prevention and response programming through focused PSS provision.

The main curricula that will bereviewed within the framework of this consultancy are highlighted in the below table:

 Responsibilities:

Consultant:

• Review the ToR and provide input, propose any refinements to the methodological approach.
• Conduct preparatory consultations with relevant IRC staff prior to the review of relevant material.
• Review project background materials; WPE’s previous research assessments and evaluations and WPE PSS life-skills curricula.
• Prepare an inception report with review of project background documents, detailed methodology and plan including KII and FGD guides.
• Develop and implement the proposed methodology (i.e., conduct interviews, FGDs, observations, review documents, etc.) to answer key questions as follows:
• Do the current PSS curricula still respond to the needs of women and girls after 8 years of crisis? What are the changing needs, priorities, risks and preferred approaches? Are there new needs that are not being addressed by the PSS curricula?
• Document and analyze preliminary findings to IRC in an initial draft report.
• Develop recommendations and guidance on the adaptations needed in approach, content, topics, length, setting, frequency and M&E tools of the PSS life-skills curricula.
• Prepare the final report based on feedback from IRC
• Ensure that lessons learned over the course of the project period are well documented and that recommendations for future projects are clear  

IRC WPE Team:

The IRC WPE team will support the consultant through and in:

• Providing project background materials, including studies, analytical papers, progress reports, curricula, M&E tools, publications produced, etc.
• Reviewing and providing comments on the inception report
• Organizing field visits, planning FGDs and KIIs with women and girls.
• Ensuring necessary logistical arrangements
• Reviewing and providing comments on the initial evaluation draft report
• Making sure appropriate follow-up action is taken

Deliverables:

• Deliverable one: Inception Report including review of project background documents, detailed methodology and plan including KII and FGD guides
• Deliverable two: Draft report including findings, analysis of findings and recommendations and guidance on the adaptations needed.
• Deliverable three: PowerPoint presentation summarizing study findings and highlighting final recommendations.
• Deliverable four: Final report with executive summary

IV- Timeframe:

25 working days from time of confirmation

V-  Key Working Relationships:

• Position Reports to: WPE Coordinator
• Position works with: WPE Senior Manager, Adolescent Girls Manager, M&E Manager, Program Managers, Senior Officers, and frontline workers

Qualifications

• Graduate degree in Gender or Women Studies, Social Work, Public Health, International Affairs or other relevant field
• Minimum three years of relevant work experience in the area of GBV prevention and response
• In-depth understanding of the root causes of GBV, related international standards, and GBV prevention and response strategies
• Strong research skills and knowledge of participatory research methods.
• Experience in program evaluation/reviews, producing lessons learned and best practices.
• Fluency in English and Arabic
• Strong interpersonal, intercultural and communication skills.
• Ability to multi-task, handle pressure, work with limited supervision and be a good team player.

I-   Working Environment: 

The position will be based in Beirut with travel to sites of implementation in the Bekaa and Akkar.

II-  Application:

Interested applicants can send their CV and a technical proposal including evaluation methodology, timeframe and daily rate.