ThaiNGO

Consultant to conduct baseline/end line assessment for 

Drowning Prevention Education for Children in Thailand Project

1. Background

With growing public concern over the danger of child drowning death, Save the Children is improving child safety by harnessing the power of communities, family effort and citizen support to meet the emergency demand of drowning prevention. Save the Children has been implementing drowning prevention projects since 2015 to raise awareness, promote knowledge of drowning prevention and teach children lifesaving survival swimming practices. These projects provide inclusive environment, encouraging all students, including those disability or special education needs to learn together and from each other.

With Family Mart’s support, in 2019 Save the Children is launching a new project in 15 primary schools in Bangkok to educate children on water safety and drowning prevention, in alignment with the national Comprehensive School Safety (CSS) Framework endorsed by the Ministry of Education. Through a partnership with the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH), the Office of Private Education (OPEC), the Special Education Bureau (SEB), Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), the Thai Life Saving Society (TLSS), MCOT and Thai PBS, the project will improve children and teachers’ knowledge of water safety through training, practical activities, workshops and production of child-friendly IEC (information, education, communication) materials.

In Year 1 (2019/2020), the project will be implemented in 8 schools. In Year 2 (2020/2021), it will be implemented in a further 7 schools The key project activities include:

• Training teachers in water safety, drowning prevention and survival swimming and providing them with tools and resources to deliver pool and classroom-based education activities.
• Providing under-five and primary-aged children, their families and communities, the knowledge and practice of survival swimming skills through peer-to-peer education and participatory activities.
• Advocating with relevant Ministries to endorse Water Safety Education, the curriculum and survival swimming practices for all kindergarten and primary-level students nationwide.
• Developing and testing a Disability Inclusion Survival Swimming Manual.

2. Purpose and scope of the consultancy

Save the Children seeks a consultant(s) to conduct baseline and endline assessments for Year 1 and Year 2 of the project in order to assess the improvements in knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of teachers and children, and to generate learning and recommendations for advocacy and future implementation. A mid-term report at the end of Year 1 will assess progress, outcomes and provide recommendations for Year 2. The final report at the end of Year 2 will assess the overall success and impact of the project.

The baseline and end line assessments together will try to answer the following learning questions:

• To what extent did targeted children and teachers improve their awareness of water safety and knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) on drowning prevention?
• What successes and barriers were children and teachers able to identify during the practice?
• What good practices were adopted in gender and inclusive approaches?
• What was the interest and engagement from the local communities?

3. Scope of Work

Over the lifetime of the project the consultant(s) will:

1. Design research tools and methodology;
2. Produce Inception Report;
3. Conduct Year 1 Baseline survey and interviews;
4. Gather information on current planning, resourcing and deliver of water safety education in schools;
5. Produce Baseline Report;
6. Conduct Year 1 Endline survey and interviews;
7. Produce Mid-term Report on progress, outcomes and recommendations for Year 2 implementation;
8. Conduct and produce Year 2 Baseline survey and interviews to assess KAP of teachers and students;
9. Update existing information on planning, resourcing and deliver of water safety education in schools;
10. Conduct Year 2 End line survey, interviews and Focus Group Discussions;
11. Analyze Year 1 and Year 2 data and findings;
12. Produce Final Report on project impact and lessons learned.

All reports and survey tools will be prepared in English and translated as required.

4. Design and methodology

The following is the outline of a suggested process; however, it is expected that this will be further refined by the consultant. The baseline and end line assessment shall be undertaken according to sector standards and must be in line with Save the Children’s ethical guidelines (Annex I).

Literature/desk review

• Review of relevant documentation;
• Development and review of the survey and interview tools to be used for data collection;
• Development of sampling methodology for administering Knowledge Attitude and Practice (KAP) surveys;
• Training of data enumerators;

Field Work:

• Leading the administering of KAP survey tools (4 times);
• Conducting series of interviews/focus group discussions with beneficiaries and stakeholders;

Data Processing, Analysis and Reporting:

• Discussion on preliminary findings;
• Draft Report and Final Report;
• Presentation on key findings

5. Target area and group

The target respondents consist of students, teachers and principals of 15 target schools in central Bangkok. 8 schools in Year 1 (2019/2020), and 7 schools in Year 2 (2020/2021). Approximately 40 teachers including school principals will be in the cohort in Year 1, and 35 teachers in Year 2. Targeted children are of primary school age and will include children with learning or physical disabilities.

6. Timeframe

The consultant will be required to dedicate an estimated 120 person-days to this consultancy between August 2019 to February 2021, subject to requirements and agreements with Save the Children.

7. Schedule and deliverables

Specifications:

• All reports will be prepared and submitted in English.
• All survey and interview tools will be prepared in English and Thai
• All reports will contain associated tools and/or data sets as annexes
• Suggested approximate report sizes are:

• Inception Report – 15 pages
• Baseline Report – 20 pages
• Mid-term Report – 30 pages
• Final Report – 40 pages
• Presentation of Findings – 25 slides

• The Final report will be assessed using Save the Children’s Evaluation Report Scoring Tool (Annex 2).

All materials collected in the undertaking of the consultancy process should be submitted to Save the Children prior to the termination of the contract.

8. Management of the consultancy:

The consultant(s) will report to Child Health and Safety Programme Coordinator, and receive additional guidance and technical support from programme and MEAL staff who will provide inputs throughout, including on the proposed methodology and data collection tools, analysis and interpretation and recommendations. Save the Children will maintain regular contact with the consultant(s) and staff will be available to provide information or guidance as required. Support requirements for tasks such as translation and visit scheduling/logistics will be discussed with the successful applicant.

The consultant/s will be responsible for

• Developing the baseline and end line framework, processes and tools
• Coordinating the data collection and consultation
• Training the data collection team and interpreters/notetakers as appropriate
• Overseeing the data collection
• Data entry and analyzing data
• Report drafting

9. Consultancy Fee

The consultant(s) is asked to propose the budget in Thai Baht. The financial competitiveness of the fee will be considered in the selection process. Costs involved in the assessment, such as materials, travel, translation and applicable taxes, should be included in the proposed budget.

10. Consultant qualifications and profile

• Master’s degree in education, research, social sciences or other related fields
• Expertise in qualitative and quantitative research methods and analysis skills
• Thai and English language proficiency
• Expertise in issues related to Child Safety and Water Safety is desirable
• Familiarity with the NGO sector standards and expectations is desirable
• Ability to work within strict deadlines

11. Submissions for the Consultancy

The submission must address the terms of reference and include:

• Name and contact details of applicant
• Resume of the lead consultant and details of at least 3 referees  
• A cover letter outlining the relevant experience and expertise of the consultant and initial ideas on the approach to be taken the achieve the consultancy objectives
• A summary proposal of the proposed research scope, design, methods, and field implementation approach (maximum 5 pages)
• A detailed quote in THB (including travel and other costs)

12. Close date for submissions:

Applicant should submit their interest by 7 August 2019.

The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI Health and Safety policies and procedures.

Please indicate in the subject as “Consultant to conduct baseline/end line assessment for Drowning Prevention Education for Children in Thailand Project_(Name of candidate)”

Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

“We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse”

Submissions should be addressed to: hr.thailand@savethechildren.org

Annex I: Save the Children’s ethical guidelines

Annex II: Evaluation report quality score tool