TERMS OF REFERENCE (TOR)—-For Consultant

Job Description

TERMS OF REFERENCE (TOR)

Non-Financial Safeguarding Minimum Requirement Assessment for Trócaire Partners.

6th of March 2025. 

• Brief Overview 

Trócaire is an Irish development agency that was established in 1973 by the Catholic Bishops of Ireland and whose work is inspired by Catholic Social teachings, with an overarching commitment to social justice. Trócaire in partnership with local organizations and with the people in Ireland works in 20 of the most at risk countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East to tackle the root causes of poverty and injustice and respond to the crises they create.

In Sierra Leone since 1995 Trócaire currently works to achieve: climate and environmental justice; ensure women and girls’ protection, voice and influence; and save lives and protect human dignity. We support work on the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence, women’s political participation and leadership, sustainable livelihoods and economic empowerment, peacebuilding, climate and environmental justice and humanitarian preparedness and response. We work in partnership with currently 17 local Civil Society Organizations who implement projects in Port Loko, Kambia, Karene, Bombali, Kono, Bo, Kenema, Pujehun, Western Area Rural and Urban districts. 

We through our work with local partners we actively support localised development and humanitarian aid. Supporting local CSO’s to strengthen their organisational, institutional, financial, technical, and managerial capacities is core to Trócaire’s partnership approach in Sierra Leone.

About the Work 

Trócaire is committed to ensuring our policies and procedures are fit for purpose and that the actions of members of our governance structure, staff, contracted parties and other third parties including visitors and volunteers are always appropriate. We also require that our partner organisations demonstrate a similar commitment. In relation to this, Trócaire has identified as part of the institutional capacity strengthening process, the need to support its partners in developing/strengthening mechanisms (policies and processes) that promote a culture of zero tolerance to abuse. The mechanisms should have strong preventative measures in place and complaints/response mechanisms that are accessible and safe for sensitive complaints.

In line with the above, Trócaire will be supporting its partners to conduct a non-financial safeguarding minimum requirement self-assessment. This activity should be conducted once every three years and seeks to identify key strengths and weaknesses in the partners’ safeguarding mechanisms and enable Trócaire to identify partners with high safeguarding support requirement. The assessment will include a comprehensive analysis of which partner(s) have capacity strengthening requirements and supporting them develop action plans to address identified gaps. 

Trócaire is therefore seeking the service of an experienced and interested consultant/consultancy firm to analyse and verify the 17 partners’ safeguarding self-assessment data, identify high risk partners and support with action planning to address safeguarding gaps identified. The process will be different for each partner depending on where they are on their safeguarding journey. Generally, it will include desk reviews of partners self-assessments forms and safeguarding and related policies; conduct in person data verification followed by participatory action planning for each partner. The process throughout should foster awareness on the importance of safeguarding mechanism, be participatory and promote openness and transparency with the partners. Noting that not meeting key minimum requirements would not exclude the partners from continuing partnership with Trócaire as long as there is a commitment and willingness to address critical gaps identified. 

To achieve this, the successful consultant/consultancy firm will: 

• Collaborate with the Trócaire Safeguarding Team, Partnership and Localisation Manager and partner Safeguarding Focal Points Leadership to develop a plan for reviewing the partner safeguarding self-assessment forms.
• Conduct desk review and field visits to 17 partner offices in Kambia, Bombali, Port Loko, Kenema and Western Area Rural and Urban to review, verify and analyse the safeguarding self-assessment forms through one-to-one meetings with the partners. 
• Produce the partners Non-Financial Safeguarding Minimum Requirement Assessment verification and analysis report highlighting partners with high-capacity support needs, especially those not meeting minimum requirements. 
• Though one-to-one meetings support 17 partners to develop individual safeguarding improvement action plans highlighting immediate and well as longer term measures to address identified gaps as well as common capacity strengthening needs. 

• Objectives of the assignment – coordinating closely with Trócaire

• Review, verify and analyse non-financial safeguarding minimum requirement assessment data for 17 Trócaire partners.  
• Evaluate the accessibility and effectiveness of complaints mechanisms within the 17 partner organizations for handling sensitive and non-sensitive complaints related to safeguarding issues.
• Identify gaps and jointly with each partner develop tailored action plans to strengthen their safeguarding and complaints mechanism.
• Proffer recommendations to the partners and Trócaire on safeguarding improvement mechanisms.

• Deliverables and Timelines

The consultancy will last for 60 days over a period of three months (April-June 2025) to allow enough time for the consultant to produce quality deliverables and for Trócaire review and feedback. Within the 50 days period the consultant/consultancy firm will adhere to agreed submission timelines, which can be reviewed and jointly agreed in inception meeting: 

• Deliverables 

• Inception report 
• Non-financial safeguarding minimum requirement assessment report  
• Partner safeguarding capacity strengthening action plans with recommendations. 
• Final report containing overview of the assignment process and recommendations to Trócaire management team and partners and a PowerPoint presentation.   

• Profile of the Consultant 

 The consultant or consultancy firm should have the following expertise: 

• Knowledge and expertise on safeguarding (Child Protection, Prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse, harm and neglect, work with vulnerable populations) particularly in the context of Sierra Leone. 
• Experience of working with Civil Society Organisation in Sierra Leone. 
• Understanding human rights and protection legal framework in Sierra Leone. 
• Experience of working with senior management – making recommendations and providing guidance for change.   
• Experience of conducting similar assessment for civil society organization’s in Sierra Leone. 
• Experience of working with a range of stakeholders (management, staff team, communities), culture, contexts and local communities.    
• Availability within the required period and for the required time.    
• Desirable – Use of English and local languages within the geographic scope of the consultancy.     
• Previous experience doing a similar role for Trócaire or partners is desirable.  

• Training and Guidance

The successful candidate will be supported through remote training and guidance sessions with Trócaire’s Head of Safeguarding (based in Ireland). It is important that the successful candidate is flexible and open to shared learning and adhering to Trócaire safeguarding approach.

• Submission Guidelines

Interested consultants should submit the following documents by 21st of March 2025

• Cover letter expressing how your experience aligns with the expertise required for this assignment. 
• A technical proposal detailing your understanding of the assignment, approach, and methodology, materials, with clear timeline.
• A financial proposal, including a detailed budget quoted in Sierra Leone Leones – outlining all relevant costs, including consultant fee. 
• CV(s) of the consultant(s) highlighting relevant experience.
• Samples of previous work done for any CSOs or relevant client. 
• Contact details for three references.

• Evaluation Criteria

• Post-level: Consultant/consultant firm must be registered and licensed to operate in Sierra Leone
• Languages required: Proficiency in English (local languages within the geographic scope of the consultancy is desirable). 
• Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Price of products and services offered: (20%)
• Relevance and quality of experience (25%)
• Methodology and approach (25%)
• Previous work samples (15%)
• Delivery time: (15%)

• Safeguarding 

All consultants who work for Trócaire will be required to sign and abide by Trócaire’s Safeguarding and Data Protection principles. Any instances of breach of Trócaire’s safeguarding and data protection policy by the consultant and his or her team members will result into the immediate cancellation of the contract between Trócaire and the consultant.  No photographs are required for this initiative. Therefore, in keeping with Trócaire’s Safeguarding Policy and Use of Images Policy no photographs should be taken by the consultant in the course of this project.

• Performance-Linked Payment Schedule

• 30%: Inception report
• 30%: Safeguarding assessment reports. 
• 20%: Capacity plans. 
• 20%: Final report and ppt   

• APPLICATION

Your proposal marked “Consultancy Service – Non-Financial Safeguarding Minimum Requirement Assessment for Trócaire partners” should be submitted electronically to: tenders_sle@trocaire.org

The deadline for the receipt of tenders is 11:59 PM  21st of March 2025.