ThaiNGO

TERMS OF REFERENCE

For consulting services to conduct CRSA and Country Strategy study

1. Background of the study

Kindernothilfe e.V. (KNH) is a non-governmental organization founded in 1959, working to realize and protect children’s rights globally. In Thailand, KNH is registered as a Foreign Private Organization (FPO), with its regional office based in Chiang Mai. The country program operates through partnerships with ten organizations in Thailand, as well as one partner organization each in Laos (Lao PDR) and Myanmar. Through these partnerships, KNH reaches vulnerable and marginalized children with programs and projects aimed at improving the realization of their rights and supporting their full development and potential.

The in-country office plays a key role in identifying and strengthening partnerships with rights-based organizations that share common values and a commitment to ensuring that children’s rights are respected, protected, and fulfilled.

As the KNH Thailand country strategy approaches its completion in 2026, there is a strategic opportunity to reflect on past achievements and further strengthen the organization’s impact. KNH aims to extend and enhance the effectiveness of its contributions to improving child rights situations in the Mekong sub-region, identified as a key strategic focus area. However, a critical gap remains in the availability of comprehensive, up-to-date, and localized data on the situation of children in these target areas. Therefore, conducting a systematic study of child situations in the target areas is essential to identify key issues and gaps, and inform the development of context-specific, rights-based strategies. The findings of this study will provide a strong foundation for KNH and its partners to design more effective programs and advocacy initiatives that contribute to sustainable improvements in the lives of children across the Mekong sub-region.

2. Objective of the study

2.1 Overall Objective:

• To conduct a comprehensive, evidence-based analysis of the situation of children in the target areas of the Mekong sub-region, in order to inform the development of effective, context-responsive strategies and interventions for the promotion and protection of child rights.

2.1 Specific Objectives:

• To generate the comprehensive and up-to-date evidences on child rights situation in the Loas, Myanmar and Thailand, in particular to children in the migration context.
• To identify the major child rights issues, vulnerabilities and disparities of children in the target areas
• To identify gaps, opportunities and priority areas of intervention and investment
• To inform the development of KNH Thailand Country Strategy (2027 – 2031)

3.       Methodology

The consultant is expected to apply adopt a mixed-methods approach, combining both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis. The methodology will place particular emphasis on developing a comprehensive understanding of the broader system influencing child rights, including institutional, social, and policy dimensions.

The study will prioritize system-level analysis and the identification of key drivers, gaps, and opportunities. This approach aims to generate evidence-based insights and support the formulation of plausible and context-responsive implementation hypotheses to inform the development of the next country strategy.

The methodology may include, but is not limited to, the approaches described below, allowing flexibility for the consultant to refine and adapt methods as appropriate.

3.1   Desk research

3.2 Consultation with adults for e.g., partner organizations and respective government authorities. The information reflects challenges in performing their roles and responsibilities.

3.3   Consultation with children

3.4   Validation discussions with KNH 

4.       Contents and Areas of Analysis

Area 1: Child rights violation in the context of migration in the border regions

·       Understand migration context and patterns: types of child migration, driver of migrations and patterns in the target areas.

·       How do crises (for e.g., conflict in Myanmar, poverty, scaming and cyber crimes) change risk patterns?

·       What are the most common child protection risks faced by migrant children in the target areas (for e.g., child labor, trafficking, exploitation, violence)?

·       Which groups of children are most exposed to these risks (for e.g., unaccompanied children, undocumented children, ethnic minorities)?

Area 2: Context and Policy analysis

·       What are Regional or Bilateral frameworks regarding cross-border child protection mechanism? (for e.g. ASEAN, Thai-Loas MOU, Thai-Myanmar MOU)

·       What national-level policies, strategies, action plans, and/or development plans are in place to address the identified problems and to serve the specific needs of migrant children and their families in key countries include Laos, Myanmar and Thailand?

·       Are existing child protection laws applied equally to migrant and undocumented children? To what extent can migrant children access child protection services regardless of their legal status?

·       Where are the most critical gaps in prevention, protection, and response systems?

·       What opportunities exist to strengthen cross-border or community-based protection mechanisms?

·       Which interventions are likely to have the greatest impact in reducing risks?

Area 3: Organization Capacity Gap Assessment

·       How appropriate and effective are the project strategies and implementation approaches of the current KNH partner organizaitons in addressing the contextual needs and complexities of the target population?

·       What is the current level of capacity and competency among KNH partner organizations, and what key gaps must be addressed to ensure effective and sustainable implementation of the country strategy?

·       What opportunities are available for KNH partner organizations to effectively contribute to strengthening advocacy at the government level for child rights in the migraiton context?

·       How relevant and strategically positioned are the existing CSO networks of KNH partner organizations to advance a framework of Children in the migration at national and cross-border levels? What gaps exist, and which additional actors should be engaged to strengthen regional impacts?

Area 4: Contribution to KNH Global Strategy

·       Are KNH global priorities/GPS consistently integrated into the country strategy? Is there a clear results chain linking country interventions to global impact?

·       To what extent is KNH Thailand staff equipped with the knowledge and technical expertise required to address complex issues, such as cross-border child protection and safeguarding? What technical gaps exist, and how critical are they?

·       Is the organization capable of driving strategic enhancement, and what systemic supports need to be strengthened to enable effective implementation?

Area 5: Assessment of achievement of Country Strategy 2022-2026

·       To what extent has the country strategy contribute to measurable improvement in the wellbeing, protection, and rights of children particularly those in the vulnerable contexts?

·       To what extent has the strategy reached and included the most marginalized and vulnerable groups of children in the target regions?

·       How relevant, adaptive, and efficient has the strategy been in responding to the evolving context and needs of the target areas?

·       To what extent has the strategy strengthened the capacity of KNH partner organizations to design, implement, and sustain quality child rights programming? 

5. Deliverable

The consultant is expected to produce the CRSA and Country strategy study report (maximum 30 pages), which includes

·       Executive Summary and Key Recommendations (2–3 pages)

·       Introduction and Methodology (2–3 pages)

·       Findings by Analysis Area (1–5) (10–12 pages)

·       Recommendation for the system-change pathway(s) and new Country strategy

·       Key risks and conditions for success

6. Timeline

The CRSA and country strategy study will be conducted over two months starting 01.06.2026. As needed, KNH Thailand will support the consultant to facilitate introductory meetings for consultations with targeted stakeholders with whom KNH Thailand has established a working relationship.

The consultant should submit the draft report by 01.08.2026 and submit the final report by 31.08.2026.

7. Consultant Profile

The consultant (or team) should demonstrate:

• Proven expertise in socio-political context, child rights, migrant rights, public policy, and advocacy at the national and regional levels (strong asset)
• Experience in conducting similar studies
• Expertise in participatory project planning and monitoring approaches and Child Rights Approaches
• Excellent analytical and report-writing skills in English
• Thai-language capacity or demonstrated access to local research partners
• Minimum five years’ professional experience in the aforementioned topics 

8. Proposal Submission

Applicants interested in conducting this assignment are requested to submit their proposals including the following (in English):

• A technical proposal outlining the methodology and workplan
• A detailed financial proposal with a break-down of costs for professional fees, travel, per diems and other related costs.
• Letter of Interest presenting the understanding of the TOR with references on similar assignments already conducted
• Updated CVs of key persons involved in the study and one sample of similar study conducted.

The applicant is asked to share the required documents (in pdf versions) to the following addresses:

KNH Thailand: thailand@kindernothilfe.com

 The title of the email subject line and related attachments should include the name of the applicant and the words “CRSA and Country Strategy study”

 Final Deadline for Submissions: 5th of May 2026

Note that incomplete applications cannot be taken into consideration and will be deleted. You will receive an acknowledgement e-mail the working day after you have sent it, earliest on 18th May 2026.