Antecedentes

Background and Context:

Of over 8 million children living in Ukraine, 167,000 children are registered with disabilities, with more than 40,000 of these children living in institutions. Of those children with disabilities[1], it is estimated that in 2012 there were more than 12,000 children under 3 years with disabilities (83.2 per 10,000 child population of 0-3 years of age) and more than 33,000 children between 3-6 years (179.6 per 10,000 child population of 3-6 years of age).[2]  There is strong stigma and discrimination against children with disability and hence inclusion of children with disabilities in the society and their right to access essential services in healthcare, schooling and social support for them and their families are yet to be realized. Eliminating the placement of children in institutions has not yet clearly become a regular practice regarding support and care for children with disabilities, as medical professionals still advise parents with children having more severe disabilities to place them into institutional care from birth. Furthermore, parents of children with disabilities have limited knowledge about options available or on the advantages of keeping the children at home, and there is lack of mechanisms and comprehensive services to support families with children with disabilities.

At the same time, early intervention services have been developing in Ukraine for more than 10 years.  NGO partners from Lviv and Kharkiv have developed their services based on international early intervention standards, leading the development of early intervention approaches among other colleagues from different agencies (including NGOs, baby homes, and rehabilitation service centers). These initiatives are now at a stage where their experiences could be disseminated to a national level to enhance early intervention responses throughout Ukraine.  UNICEF’s strategy to assess the impacts and cost the work of organizations conducting such services assumes that establishing a Ukrainian evidence-platform for early intervention will serve as the tipping factor for taking the approach to scale.

This process requires a more systematic analysis, which can provide insight into the effectiveness of the services, approaches, or strategies as well as the outcome or impact that the services are contributing to with regards to children and families.  Findings from this research will become the factual basis for policy advocacy, as well as for future expansion and enhancement of early intervention services in Ukraine.  Furthermore, political commitment for this process exists, with the priority expressed by the government on 27 February 2013 at a Cabinet of Ministers meeting within the presidential social initiatives to enhance rehabilitation services for children with disabilities, modelling services such as those in Kharkiv.

Children with disabilities are a key focus for UNICEF’s equity response[3]. In UNICEF Ukraine’s Country Programme 2012-2016, there is a commitment expressed to strive towards a 25% decrease in the number of children in institutions due to disability or development delays.  UNICEF believes that interventions at the earliest age for children with disabilities or at risk of disabilities have the largest impact, providing a strong foundation for children and their families to address the needs of children with disabilities and be more socially included.  A theory of change document on early intervention has been drafted by the UNICEF-Ukraine office and is attached to this Terms of Reference. Research findings will also establish a knowledge base for UNICEF’s equity focused evaluation[4] scheduled at the end of its country programme in 2016.

The Programmes to be assessed:

In this research, “early intervention,” is meant as a system of coordinated services that promotes the child's age-appropriate growth and development and supports families during the critical early years (from birth to 6 years).  The age for intervention can vary from 0-3 years to 6 years, but a critical part is starting intervention early and before 3 years. Development of these services sometimes has been targeted to children with developmental disabilities or delays, but early intervention is not limited to children with these disabilities or delays.  Early intervention services often address needs of young children who have been victims of, or who are at high risk for child abuse and/or neglect, or where the child or family faces other issues to enabling development growth (e.g. poverty, families facing dependencies, pre-mature birth etc.).

Key principles of early intervention, which are found in the different programmes to be assessed, are having: (1) a family-centred approach; (2) coordination of services, using a multidisciplinary team of specialists; and (3) individualized interventions, which are accessible and provided on a regular (continual) basis.

Early intervention services have been extensively developed in Kharkiv’s Institute of Early Intervention as well as Lviv’s Dzherelo NGOs.  Both organizations are NGOs with greater flexibility in structuring.  In Kharkiv, early intervention approaches have been disseminated to other institutions building capacities to enhance access of more inclusive medico-social services for families.

In addition to the assessment of the two NGO services, the research should analyse how early intervention principles have been incorporated into other state agencies and the capacities to build on these initiatives to make early intervention principled services more accessible. For the baseline of the assessment, the assessment will also cover state residential institutions for children with disabilities or developmental delays.

In this context, assessment will be three-fold:

• Assessment of the work of Kharkiv/Lviv NGOs work over the last 5 years and whether outputs and programme activities are leading to expected outcomes;
• Assessment of the “pathway” of children (now adolescents/ adults) and their families who worked with Kharkiv/Lviv NGOs in early intervention services;
• Assessment of state agencies that provide medical and social/rehabilitative support to young children with disabilities; and
• Analysis of whether the early intervention models in Kharkiv and Lviv substantiate UNICEF Ukraine’s theory of change (hypothesis, assumptions, linkages and expected outcomes) on early intervention with evidence of envisaged change.

Organisations to be assessed:

• Kharkiv: Institute of Early Intervention

Established: 2000

Main objectives of the services:

• Provide assistance with both a child’s cognitive and developmental delays, as well as support advancement of self-help and social skills during a child’s early years;
• Family-oriented support for families and children with disabilities and/or developmental delays  or health impairments by interdisciplinary teams.

Early Intervention Team:

Director; psychologist, speech therapist; physical therapist; coordinator.

Age Group:  0-4 years

Geographical Coverage: Involves day services for families from the city of Kharkiv

Strategy:

The services of Institute of Early Intervention has the parents as key partners in providing psychological and pedagogical support to young children with disabilities and/or developmental delays – focused on rehabilitation and abilitation of children while normalizing lifestyles for families and working toward social integration and inclusion

Project Interventions:

• Development evaluations of children;
• Monitoring of children’s development;
• Case management approach to services: profile of the child’s development and an individual plan with involvement of family members, realizing the plan through individual and group therapy;
• Home visits;
• Counselling for family members; informational support for parents; parent clubs;
• Play therapy, involving caregivers in the process;
• Provision of crisis groups that counsel parents in maternity wards;
• Accompaniment of children to transition from early intervention programme in pre-school to other development programmes.

Key Stakeholders:

The end beneficiaries are children with disabilities, development delays or risks of disability, and their families.

Other partner organizations in Kharkiv applying components of early intervention:

Children’s Polyclinics #2 and #14: EI service since 2012.

Kharkiv Oblast Baby Home #1: EI service since 2007.

Objective: Accompany children with disabilities and their families to provide support and multi-profile rehabilitation.

Age group: 0 up to 4 years.

Provide support to children with:

• Nervous system impairments (neurological impairments);
• Congenital disorders (abnormalities of structure, function, or body metabolism that are present at birth);
• Genetic disorders with psycho-physical delays/disorders;
• Children with autistic spectrum disorder.

Intervention Components:

• Medical diagnosis (EKG, ultrasounds, etc.);
• Medical monitoring;
• Correctional/ rehabilitation therapy;
• Medical treatment for convulsive disorders (Institution is licensed to provide medical treatment);
• Services for medical rehabilitation;
• Psychological-pedagogical rehabilitation.

Lviv: “Dzherelo” Rehabilitation Center

Established: 1993, as a grassroots association.

Early intervention services - since 2002.

Since 2008, part of the Center is a communal organization (Lviv City Rehabilitation Center).

Main objectives of the services:

• Provide a complex of services to families with young children with disability, health problem or risk of developmental disorders, focused on early identification, treatment and prevention of disorders in child’s development and of issues in a family;
• Further overall development of children with disabilities, their self-fulfilment and full social integration by providing - in close cooperation with the family - integrated rehabilitation to children and ensuring child’s full participation in the society.

Early Intervention Team:

Paediatrician, child neurologist, speech therapist, physical therapist, psychologist, psychotherapist, medical registrar.

Age Group:  0-5 years

Geographical Coverage: Lviv and Lviv Oblast, as well as all Western Ukraine

Strategy: Like IEI in Kharkiv, Dzherelo’s services have parents as key partners in providing psychological and pedagogical support to young children with disabilities and/or developmental delays – focused on rehabilitation and abilitation of children while normalizing lifestyles for families and working toward social integration and inclusion.  At the same time, Dzherelo’s work extends to support children with or at risk of disabilities and their families throughout the life cycle (schooling, integration, support with work opportunities etc.)

Project Interventions:

• Development evaluation of children (motor, psychological, speech, and social development);
• Identification of key issues and goals of EI;
• Integrated individual rehabilitation program.;
• Family support, incl. psychological.
• Feeding therapy;
• Consultations on social and legal issues;
• Peer support family group meetings;
• Referral to other specialists;
• Hydrotherapy;
• Kindergarten;
• Social accompaniment.

Key Stakeholders:

The end beneficiaries are children with disabilities, development delays or risks of disability and their families.

Partner organizations in Lviv:

Lviv city children polyclinics; Lviv Genetics Center; Departments of Intensive Care for Newborns.

State institution: Specialized Baby Home focused on children with disabilities (concrete baby home to be chosen after agreement with the Ministry of Health).

Specialized baby home is an institution for medical and social care for orphan children and children deprived of parental care, with physical or mental disorders (III to V groups of health) aged 0 to 4 years, as well as children:

• with organic lesions of the nervous system and mental impairments;
• with organic lesion of the central nervous system, incl. cerebral palsy without mental impairments;
• with dysfunction of the musculoskeletal system and other disorders in physical development, without mental impairments;
• with hearing and speech impairments;
• with vision impairments;
• TB- and HIV-infected children.

State institution: Social Rehabilitation Center for Children with Disabilities:

Social Rehabilitation Center for Children with Disabilities is a rehabilitation facility for children with disabilities under the Ministry of Social Policy and social protection authorities. It provides rehabilitation services aimed at correcting disorders and/or impairments of and developing children with disabilities, teaching them core social and personal skills, and establishing conditions for their integration into society. It also provides training to parents of children with disabilities for their follow-up rehabilitation in family environment after the service has been provided at the center.  Some of these rehabilitation centers have already established specialised “mother and child” sections that focus on rehabilitation work with young children (and in some cased, depending on the center management the age level has been reduced to 6 months rather than 2 years).

Rationale:

Early intervention services have been developing in Ukraine for more than 10 years.  NGO partners from Lviv and Kharkiv have developed their services based on international early intervention standards, collaborating with European (e.g. Holland), North American (e.g. Canada, US) and Australian colleagues, as well as partners from St. Petersburg’s Institute of Early Intervention.  These NGO partners have led development of early intervention approaches among other colleagues from different agencies (including NGOs, baby homes, and rehabilitation service centers).  Through these efforts, there is an “informal” early intervention network from more than 10 regions of Ukraine’s 27.  In 2013, UNICEF conducted a mapping of existing early intervention practices, which revealed a growing movement of state and NGO colleagues applying portions of early intervention practices.

These initiatives are now at a stage where their experiences could be disseminated to a national level to enhance early intervention responses throughout Ukraine. UNICEF’s strategy to evaluate the impacts and cost the work of organizations conducting such services assumes that establishing a Ukrainian evidence-platform for early intervention will serve as the tipping factor for taking the approach to scale. As lack of information affects the government’s ability to design appropriate services and measures for children with disabilities and their families both on a normative level (including finance, standards, guidelines, and protocols) and on a service delivery level, there is a need to document and assess the results of the model services along with evidence of outcomes.

Assessment is undertaken when the government is increasingly interested in ensuring and enhancing services to children with disabilities and their families. Ukraine has politically made a commitment to move from institutional care to family-based care, including for children with disabilities.  The government called for transformation of baby homes by 2017 (Order of the Ministry of Health #70 of 02.02.2010 On Activities to Develop Baby Homes). In addition, a presidential order was made in 2013 to enhance rehabilitation services for children with disabilities modeling services such as those in Kharkiv.

It is expected that the assessment results will reveal the extent to which the early intervention services are contributing to: reduction of young children (0-4 years) entering or staying in residential care (baby homes); increase in the health/ development abilities of young children with disabilities; and increase in the capacities of these children’s families to manage their children’s needs.

 It is also expected that the assessment results will provide understanding about the ability for early intervention services to be replicated throughout Ukraine.[5] Government ownership in the expansion and incorporation of early intervention practices and transformation of baby homes is crucial for national scale up. Throughout the process, there will be documentation on implementation of early intervention approaches with agreement by the national state partners.

[1] The term ‘a person with disability’ shall be defined here according to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities whereupon ‘persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.’ In this document the term ‘a child/children with disabilities’ is used to define a person with disability under the age of 18. Given the context of the Ukrainian legal framework, the notion ‘a child with disabilities/children with disabilities’ used throughout this text is an equivalent to the term ‘disabled child/children‘ used in the Ukrainian legislation. According to the Law of Ukraine ‘On Rehabilitation of People with Disabilities in Ukraine’, a ‘child with disabilities’ is a person under 18 years (majority) with long-tern disorder of the functions of the organism, which under the interaction with external environment may lead to limitation of the person’s life; therefore the state shall establish conditions for realization of the person’s life on a par with other citizens and ensure his or her social protection.

[2] UNICEF, Creating a Good Start for Children with Special Needs & their Families: Early Intervention, p1

[3] For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop, and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. This interpretation is consistent with the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which guarantees the fundamental rights of every child, regardless of gender, race, religious beliefs, income, physical attributes, geographical location, or other status. This means that pro-equity interventions should prioritize worst-off groups with the aim of achieving universal rights for all children. This could be done through interventions addressing the causes of inequity and aimed at improving the well-being of all children, focusing especially on accelerating the rate of progress in improving the well-being of the worst-off children.

[4] An equity-focused evaluation provides assessment on what works and what does not work to reduce inequity, and it highlights intended and unintended results for worst-off groups as well as the gaps between best-off, average and worst-off groups.

[5] UNICEF’s 10 criteria for successful modelling shall be used to assess the replicability or scale-up of the models.

Deberes y responsabilidades

Objectives:

The objectives of the formative assessment are as follows:

• To analyse whether outputs and activities within the project are leading to expected outcomes and goal of the project;
• To assess and analyse the bottlenecks and barriers, including policies, practices and other structural barriers in service model implementation;
• To document lessons learned and good practices of the service model activities, along with evidence of outcomes;
• To demonstrate, based on evidence, whether or not a nation-wide scale up of the service model approach and practice is possible and whether a scale up will effectively lead to closing of equity gaps in the area of work;
• To assess the validity of UNICEF Ukraine’s theory of change on early intervention and revise the theory of change according to the findings; and
• To develop strategic, policy and implementation recommendations of how the on-going service model, if achieved its key outcomes, will be efficient and sustainable in future, thus informing policy development and framework of the national scale-up of the pilot.

End-Users of Assessment Findings:

The primary user of the research findings are the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Social Policy, the Ministry of Education, Kharkiv and Lviv local authorities, partner NGOs implementing the early intervention services in Lviv and Kharkiv, UNICEF, and local organizations involved in the development of policies and services related to young children with disabilities and families.  

It is expected that the assessment results will help the primary users, such as national and regional authorities as duty bearers, to inform the way forward in the enhancement and national scale up of the service model of early intervention services for children with disability. It will help to identify, based on evidence, what the essential steps, strategies, and environment are in order to achieve the intended results. NGOs providing various services for vulnerable groups such as children with disabilities will use the results of assessment as advocacy instrument for expansion of the service model in the country as well as to adjust or enhance the services and approaches, based on the findings.  UNICEF will also use findings for evidence-based advocacy and to provide evidence to the donor community for the effectiveness of investment. All stakeholders are expected to use the findings, conclusions and recommendations to further develop policy and framework to achieve positive impact for children and women, in particular children with disabilities and their families.

Scope:

The assessment will comprise two approaches:

• Review and analysis of the early intervention services in comparison to conventional medical approach services provided in state care institutions;
• Assessment of children and families who received early intervention services in 2002-2005 in ‘Dzherelo’ Rehabilitation Center or the Institute of Early Intervention, their health, participation in education, social inclusion, relations inside the family, quality of life, in comparison to children who resided and received services in state care institutions in 2002-2005.

The assessment will review early intervention practices/services in the first years of introducing the services as well as during the last five years until the present (July 2014).  For the different agencies, the time line will be the following:

• Dzerelo (Lviv) and the Institution of Early Intervention (Kharkiv):  2010-2014 & 2002-2005 retrospectively;
• Children’s Polyclinics in Kharkiv: 2012-2014;
• State child care institutions: current practices 2010-2014.

The scope of the assessment will focus on the effects of the early intervention services for children and their families (impact level) as well as identify the lessons learned about “what worked” and “what did not work” (outcome level) and to answer particularly the question of feasibility for replicating these practices on a regional or national scale. In the baseline assessment of state care institutions, the assessment will focus on the effects of conventional social and medical services on children and their families.

Overall, each service provider should be assessed and analysed for its approach, innovation, evidence of impact on children’s development capacity and family’s coping mechanisms, standards to be used in developing regional or national policy, and costing.[1]

The assessment should be conducted in line with UNICEF’s determinant analysis (Annex 2). The assessment should identify whether there is evidence that the key elements of the UNICEF theory of change, i.e. the hypothesis, assumptions, linkages, expected outcomes and strategies, hold true and demonstrate that expected change is happening, or whether there is a need for adapting elements of the theory of change. Example of questions to be considered in the assessment, may include:

Relevance:

What is the profile of children and families in the early intervention service provision?

• Ages the children enter the service;
• Types of impairments and/or disabilities or other risks they have in entering the service;
• Status of the family;
• Average timeframe for services.

How did the family hear about the service provision?  Who made the referral?

Was the service model design relevant within the Ukrainian context: was this intervention in line with national priorities, strategies and goals?

To what degree has the project objectives been relevant to the priorities and needs of women and children, particularly the most vulnerable groups of children in Ukraine?

Effectiveness:

• To what extent has the underlying theory of change been valid at this point? To what extent are the expected results chain occurring as planned?
• To what extent has the design of the service model and its evolution, including type of intervention, the choice of beneficiaries, funding, and stakeholder/beneficiary involvement enabled to achieve the project’s defined objectives?
• To what degree has the project contributed to removing bottlenecks hampering the improvement or expansion of early intervention services in Ukraine?
• To what extent has the resources, including human resources and funding been used effectively and contributed to or hindered the achievement of results?
• Did the project result in better coverage, quality and uptake of services for children with disabilities and their families in selected sites?
• To what extent has capacity building activities for service providers resulted in service quality improvement?

Efficiency:

• How cost effective are the service model activities compared to similar activities in Ukraine?
• Has the initiative used resources (funds, expertise, time) in the most economical manner to achieve the results?

Impact:

Primary beneficiaries:

• What evidence is there to prove that there is increased number of children with disabilities staying with families?
• To what extent have the primary beneficiaries (families with children with disabilities) experienced increased capability and confidence to take care of children at home or increased ability to demand/seek support?
• To what extent have the primary beneficiaries satisfied with the quality of services available for them up until now?
• To what extent have the primary beneficiaries perceive that their unique needs and sensitivities are reflected in the established services?
• To what extent have the primary beneficiaries been able to take up (use) on the available services?
• To what extent has gender, human and child rights[2] and capacity-building issues been taken into account in the service model and to what extent have they have contributed to achieving of the results?
• To what extent has the equity gap closed in the number of children in institutions? If it has not closed, what is the likelihood that it will? If it did not close, what are the most prominent barriers for the lack of forward movement?

Local and national authorities:

• How has the project influenced or affected local and national authorities and the wider community to establish early intervention services?
• To what extent has the service model changed (or likely to change) behaviours and attitudes of local and national authorities as well as families of children with disabilities on taking care of children with disabilities in a family environment?

Sustainability:

• To what extent have partnership and stakeholders’ involvement at different stages of the service model been decisive for the project in attaining its expected results up until now?

These questions are intended to give a more specific and accessible form to the evaluation criteria and articulate the key issues of concern to stakeholders, thus optimising the focus and utility of the assessment.

Indicators to be used in the assessment:

Impact Indicators:

• # Children ‘at risk’ of separation who remained with families
• Status of children’s health/development[1]:

• % children who demonstrate improved positive social-emotional skills (including social relationships)
• % children who demonstrate improved acquisition and use of knowledge and skills (including early language/ communication)
• % children who demonstrate improved use of appropriate behavior to meet their needs

• Status of children’s families to manage their children’s special needs:

• % families participating in early intervention services who report that early intervention services have helped the family know their rights.
• % families participating in early intervention services who report that early intervention services have helped the family effectively communicate their children’s needs.
• % families participating in early intervention services who report that early intervention services have helped the family help their children develop and learn.

Outcome Indicators:

• # service providers/ # regions providing early intervention counseling

(based on principles: family-centred, using multidisciplinary team, outreach occurring on regular basis and in child’s/family’s regular environment)

# service providers providing home consultations, regular counseling (not in sessions)

• Existence of normative provisions establishing legal/ regulatory framework for early intervention services:

• Protocol/ instruction defining inter-sectoral coordination
• Standards on screening, diagnostics & early intervention service

• Existence of Early Intervention Professional Network:

• # regions/ service providers participating in network
• level of regularity of communication/ information exchange among members

• Existence of higher education modules on early intervention/ Approval by Government and incorporation in academic institutions/ Ministry continued learning programmes.
• Existence of communication outreach package (developed)

• # regions incorporating communication outreach proposed
• # general population reached (is informed) through public information campaign via TV and radio channels
• # internet users mobilised to support changes for children with disabilities and their families

Limitations to the assessment – Evaluator will have access to all sources of information, available at the time of assessment, including state statistics, research and study data and data related to the service model budget and implementation. The service model clients in all sites, as representatives of the target groups, will be involved during the in-country phase of the assessment to the possible extent for interview and meetings as well as national and local stakeholders. The availability of key informants (i.e. those directly involved in the service model) for interview and clients for focus group discussions during the in-country phase of the assessment could be limited due to the summer holidays season. Other limitations for assessment related to the methodology, source of information and baseline will be identified and documented by the evaluator during the preparation phase of the assessment while developing desk review and methodology.

Data quality, reliability, and validity – All data provided for evaluator for desk – review and further analysis, are from the official sources and validated by the authorities, thus reliable. This includes state statistics, and the information bulletins of the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Social Policy, and Ministry of Educations. Ukraine’s state authorities have a wealth of statistics and data relating to the project both within the service model sites as well as nation-wide, which would be useful for the evaluator.  In addition, data will be collected through the partner NGOs implementing the service model in the 2 regional sites.

Approach:

While designing the assessment methodology, and implementing the assessment, the following approaches should be applied: 

• Keep assessment procedures (e.g. interviews) brief and convenient to minimize disruptions in respondents work process;
• Ensure that potential participants can make an informed decision about the process and duration of face to face interview;
• Follow the principle of confidentiality; iv) Accurately and impartially analyse information and findings.

Elements of a successful modelling:

The service model should be assessed and analysed according to the 6 elements of modelling[3], specified as following:

• An equity-based hypothesis (H) to describe the pathways from model to the national system of care and treatment for vulnerable to HIV groups of pregnant women, in particular drug-addicted;
• Expected equity-based Overall Results formulated as Child Rights Realisation and which meet international HR standards, technical protocols and guidance;
• Baseline as a basis for (H) above, including equity-increasing impact indicators;
• Set Sustainability/Exit Strategy and Termination date agreed with partners;
• Monitoring mechanisms, including for process indicators; and
• Strategies and budget to disseminate results of assessment (communication, advocacy).

Cross-cutting Issues:

Based on available data, the assessment will assess how the project and the strategy that it employs affect the gender equity, if there is one. The communication for social change component will be assessed as well, in order to identify to what degree (and how) communication efforts have been able to change social norms, social and cultural practices and beliefs in the area of early intervention services and stigma/discrimination against children with disabilities/developmental delays.

National Consultant:

As the assessment will require obtaining data retrospectively, a national (local) consultant will be hired in each region to conduct a statistical data collection based on the agreed indicators for the assessment. This consultant can also serve to support the international consultant in obtaining additional primary information required and, if needed, support could also be considered to the international consultant in his/her field trips.

Tasks and Deliverables:

Work Assignments (Tasks) - Deliverables - # of Days

• Conduct desk review of secondary data and relevant legal framework/policies for the national level as well as the provincial level from existing sources available within UNICEF (retrieved from project officers; method to be decided upon) and partner organisations, analyse data and define data gaps and need for data updates related to the area of early intervention services.  - Summary of (desk review) data available and information gap analysis - 6 days;
• Develop methodology, framework, tools and indicators for the assessment in consultation with UNICEF programme officers and partners.-Report on methodology, framework, tools and indicators -2 days;
• Conduct field work to collect primary data from with key stakeholders. -Interview records and summary report of field work conducted -12 days;
• Analyse data and information collected. -Analysis report -5 days;
• Present preliminary finding and analysis to UNICEF and key stakeholders. -Presentation of preliminary finding/analysis -1 day;
• Prepare a draft version of the assessment. -1st draft of the assessment -3 days;
• Review and validate the contents with UNICEF programme officers and UNICEF partners through a participatory approach (method to be decided upon in consultation with Programme Officer). -Documentation of comments and review -2 days;
• Produce final version of the assessment report. - Final assessment report - 2 days;
• Produce summary presentation of the final assessment report. - Summary presentation of final assessment report - 1 day.

Total # of days: - 34 days

All deliverables to be submitted to UNICEF in electronic form for feedback and assessment. The evaluator should be available for follow-up clarification and revisions of the report until its finalization.

Methodology:

The assessment methodology should be comprised of a mixed-method assessment design, which includes of site visits and observations, face-to-face interviews of key informants, including with families with children with disabilities, service providers and stakeholders. Qualitative and quantitative components are conducted in parallel.

The assessment combines collection and analysis of quantitative data, from both surveys and secondary data, with more in depth quality methods. The principal data collection methods are a sample of focus groups selected in the service delivery sites, combined with structured interviews and direct observation of services provided at health/community facilities. The primary data will be complemented by an analysis of the extensive secondary data available from national record and other sources. Secondary data will be used as an independent source to triangulate with primary survey data in order to test for consistency.

Assessment approach and data collection to be human /child rights based and gender sensitive. Assessment methods should include analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data, including baseline indicators and established targets.

Data  collected during the in-country stage of the assessment (interviews, meetings etc.) will be complemented by  a desk review of all data that has been collected during the  implementation of the pilots, including  official sources of information,  administrative records and state statistics as well as budget and records of expenditure of the  project.  

While the overall approach is that the assessment should be the result of a collective contribution by relevant stakeholders, project staff, decision makers, donors and beneficiaries, the Consultant shall develop the methodology based on the background resources provided to the Consultant by the UNICEF and key parties.

Structure of the Assessment Report:

The assessment report to be produced must be compliant with the UNICEF Evaluation report standards:

http://intranet.unicef.org/epp/evalsite.nsf/0/2BDF97BB3F789849852577E500680BF6/$FILE/UNEG_UNICEF%20Eval%20Report%20Standards.pdf and the GEROS Quality Assessment System

The final pilot report produced and presented to UNICEF should be presented in the following format:

Executive Summary

Detail information on the purpose of the assessment, approaches and the process of assessment.

• Assessment methodology and limitations;
• Overall overview of state policies and issues in early intervention, social protection and child care sphere.

An overview of the government’s current policy and priorities in the sphere of early intervention, social protection and child care, including a review of key strategic documents. An overview of the key problems identified at national and local levels and the link with local practices.

• Key findings
• Conclusions and Recommendations (plan of follow up actions)

Based on evidence, whether or not a nation-wide scale up of the pilot approach and practice is possible and whether a scale up will effectively lead to closing of equity gaps in the area of work. Recommendations for enhancing the effectiveness of early intervention services for children with disabilities and their families within the country. Strategic, policy and implementation recommendations of how to ensure the model’s efficiency and sustainability in future and inform policy development and framework of the national scale-up of the pilot.

Performance indicators for evaluation of results:

The evaluation of the results will be based on:

• Technical and professional competence (quality of the product delivered to UNICEF as indicated in part 6 above);
• Scope of work (No. of meetings with the partners);
• Quality of work (Timely submission of the assessment draft and final report to UNICEF);
• Quantity of work (completing the assignments indicated above);
• Frequency and quality of communication with UNICEF and key partners throughout the process.

In addition, such indicators as work relations, responsibility, and communication will be taken into account during the evaluation of the Consultant’s work.

Ethical Issues

All interviewees, including children, should be provided the “UNICEF Principle Guidelines for the Ethical Reporting on Children and Young People under 18 years old” and should be informed about the objectives of the analysis and how findings will be used; they also should be informed that collected data and any statement about the programme will be kept confidential and respondents will not be named or identified in the reports with regard to their statements.

All interviewees should agree without coercion to take part in the analysis and be given the option to withdraw or not to participate at any time during the process. All gathered data should be confidential and names of individuals deleted from the data and replaced by codes in the analysis notes.

Ownership of all data/information/findings gathered, databases and analysis prepared for the analysis lies with UNICEF. The use of the data/information/findings for publication or any other presentation or sharing can only be made after agreement with UNICEF.

[1] The Programme will be assessed and analysed according to the 10 ‘sine-qua-non’ criteria as specified in the Annex to the present ToR.

[1] Indicators were developed based on review of indicators in the following documents: New Jersey Early Intervention System, County Performance and Determination Report, NJ Dept. Health and Senior Services, Division of Family Health Services, State Fiscal Year 2010-2011;Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services, Division for Early Childhood Intervention, Annual Performance Report, FFY 2011-2012.

[3] Fulfilling these elements would be a prerequisite to a national scale up of the ‘model’.

Competencias

Functional:

• Demonstrated ability to conduct qualitative and quantitative analysis/evaluation;
• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of issues related to disability as defined in the UNCRPD;
• Proven ability to analyse, interpret and synthesise information from a number of sources;
• Proven ability to work in a team;
• Excellent and proven communication skills.

Habilidades y experiencia requeridas

Education:

• At least a Master’s Degree in public health, sociology or other relevant discipline;

Experience:

• At least 7 years of experience of disability, early childhood development, and social policy issues at the national level with government departments, development partners inter alia;
• Solid and demonstrated knowledge and understanding of early intervention services and approach, as well as social protection thematic areas;
• Specific knowledge of issues related to children with disabilities and/or developmental delays;
• Extensive experience in conducting analytical surveys and sociological assessments or evaluations;
• Proven experience of managing multiple, complex tasks being undertaken concurrently;
• Proven experience of conducting key informant interviews and focus group discussions;
• Demonstrated experience with completing assessments, reviews, and evaluations;
• Proven and demonstrated experience in writing analytical reports.

Languages:

• Excellent and proven command of English;
• Command of Ukrainian and/or Russian would be an asset.

Definition of supervision arrangements:

Consultants will be supervised by the Child Protection Specialist, UNICEF Ukraine and work in close coordination with the UNICEF Ukraine Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist.   

Description of official travel involved:

Travels are envisaged to the 2 sites within the in-country Programme assessment mission. The local travel will be paid separately. No travel shall be undertaken prior to completing the UN Basic and Advanced Security in the Field Courses as well as Landmines and Explosive Remnants of War Safety Training. The links to the electronic courses will be sent to the consultant separately.

UNICEF recourse in the case of unsatisfactory performance:

In the event of unsatisfactory performance, UNICEF will terminate the Agreement. In case of partially satisfactory performance, such as serious delays causing the negative impact in meeting the programme objectives, low quality or insufficient depth and/or scope of the assessment completion, UNICEF will decrease the payment by the range from 30 to 50%.

Support provided by UNICEF:

Day-to-day support for the assignment will be provided by the Child Protection Specialist and will include relevant information sharing via e-mail, briefing and de-briefing sessions, and facilitation of the evaluator’s meetings with UNICEF counterparts when necessary.

The deadline for submission of applications is 27 November 2014.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Applicants that fulfil the above requirements are requested to complete the United Nations Personal History Form (P. 11) available at www.unicef.org/employ and submit it together with a CV and a cover letter describing your professional interests in working for UNICEF. 

Applications should be sent to:

UNICEF Office, 1, Klovskiy Uzviz, Kyiv, Ukraine

Fax No. 380-44-230-2506

E-mail: recruitment_kiev@unicef.org (Please indicate ‘Assessment of the Early Intervention Services[1] n Ukraine (in the subject of your application)

UNICEF does not charge any fees or request money from candidates at any stage of the selection process, nor does it concern itself with bank account details of applicants. Requests of this nature allegedly made on behalf of UNICEF are fraudulent and should be disregarded

[1] In this research, “early intervention,” is meant as a system of coordinated services that promotes the child's age-appropriate growth and development and supports families during the critical early years (from birth to 6 years).  The age for intervention can vary from 0-3 years to 6 years, but a critical part is starting intervention early and before 3 years. Development of these services sometimes has been targeted to children with developmental disabilities or delays, but early intervention is not limited to children with these disabilities.  Early intervention services often address needs of young children who have been victims of, or who are at high risk for child abuse and/or neglect, or where the child or family faces other vulnerabilities to enabling development growth.