Thematic Review: Early Childhood Care and Development

Terms of Reference, 15/01/2013Extended deadline

Executive summary: The purpose of the review is to help Plan improve how it manages its programme work within the area of Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) including ECCD in Emergencies (ECCDiE). Plan has defined “Healthy Start in Life” as one of its eight impact areas and has long history of work in the area. However,understanding of “Healthy Start” and ECCD varies, and Plan has yet to define a global, comprehensive approach to ECCD programming.

The reviewwill include an overview of the current external context and practice on ECCD and an assessmentof Plan’s internal context and performance; and consist of a desk review and 4 field visits to look at programming practice and consult with Plan staff and other actors.

The review should be conducted over a period of up to 7 months from inception to final reporting. Reporting requirements are a midterm report, 4field visit reports and a final consolidated report.

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  1. Background

Plan is an international child-centred development organization. Plan’s vision is of a world in which all children realize their full potential in societies that respect people’s rights and dignity.

Plan works in50 programme countries across Africa, Asia and the Americas supported by fundraising in 22 donor countries (including 3 programme countries Colombia, India and Brazil) and by 4 regional offices as well as Plan international headquarters in the UK.

Child Centred Community Development (CCCD) is Plan’s Child Rights approach, in which children, families and communities are active and leading participants in their own development. This approach recognizes the intrinsic link between poverty and rights, where poverty is both a cause and consequence of the denial of rights.See further information in Plan’s Programme Guide; Promoting Child Rights to End Child Poverty

Plan has identified eight impact areas in which it can effectively contribute to the realisation of child rights by applying its CCCD approach and one of these areas is “Healthy Start in Life”. Plan has a long history of work within this area and has been strongly involved in networks at regional and global level working to develop strategies for ECCD[1]. However, the area covers a wide range of work[2]; understanding and practice of ECCD vary across countries; and Plan has yet to define a comprehensive, global framework that ensures effective management and quality of the components involved.

Plan is therefore commissioning this review to help us understand how ECCD is currently interpreted in programming, and develop a global strategy.

  1. Purpose

The overall purpose for the review is to strengthen Plan’s programme work within the area of Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD). The review should provide evidence-based, practical options for Plan on a global strategic approach and practical steps to improve the focus and quality of our work on ECCD.

  1. Specific objectives
  • Provide an overview of established and emerging frameworks, standards and good practice on ECCD from outside Plan which that can set the context for the assessment and recommendations for Plan’s ECCD work.
  • Assess the Plan’s current strategies and programmes within ECCD(including ECCDiE and advocacy work), as well as the organizational support available to ECCD programming.
  • Provide options for a common understanding and global strategic approach to ECCD in Plan
  • Provide recommendations on practical and evidenced steps to significantly improve Plan’s ECCD programmes.
  1. Review Elements:

The review will include collecting, analysing and assessing relevant quantitative and qualitative data, drawing on external and Plan internal documentation and informants.The review should include the following:

a)A review of external frameworks, standards and emerging good practice including review of relevant literature and evidence, as well as engagement with other organisations and experts.

b)Assessment of Plan’s current performance on ECCD including:

  • Survey of Plan’s activity on ECCD across all Plan field countries
  • A review of relevant programme work carried out by or supported by Plan, as well as the guidance and support provided to staff. This should be based on a review of internal documents and consultations with key staff across Plan offices.
  • Field visits to each of Plan’s four regions (Asia, South East Africa, West Africa and Latin America). This should include a visit to a programme country and the related regional office and cover document review and consultations with internal and external stakeholders.

These visits should provide opportunities to test hypotheses about programme practice derived from the desk review; to explore opportunities & constraints that field staff face; and identify and discuss ways forward.

The assessment should establish an overview and identify common trends, strengths and weaknesses, helping and hindering factors, as well as lessons learnt.

It should provide:

  • Assessment of programme strategies and approaches applied; the main programme interventions; and processes of programme development and management.
  • High-level assessment of the support available to field staff and challenges they face to designing and implementing consistent and high quality ECCD programming. These may be conceptual or practical, including sources of advice and recognising conflicting demands placed on field staff and partners by Plan’s processes and systems.

c)Considered and substantiated options and recommendations that can help Plan determine a way forward. This should include concept definitions, a strategic approach, framework for programme implementation and programme and key organisational implications and next steps. The options and recommendations should be tested with Plan staff during the review process, and the consultations captured in the review reporting.

Throughout the review should reference core CCCD principles and strategies, including the aspect of “complementarity” of working concurrently at multiple levels (from local to international).

  1. Plan Support:

Plan will support the process by:

  • Lead and implement Plan wide stocktaking survey (Plan has taken initial steps on this exercise).
  • Facilitating contacts with staff, making staff time available at all levels and providing explicit management support for the process.
  • Set up advisory group, including brief terms of reference for its engagement.
  • Arranging relevant meetings, including the inception workshop, reference group meetings and final consolidation meeting.
  • Being available for discussion and providing feedback to the consultants during the review.
  • Supplying relevant internal documentation and facilitating contact with staff.
  1. Time plan:

a)Start 11/03

b)Inception workshop, end March 2013

c)Development of analytical framework and review plan, by end March 2013

d)Desk review part 1: Externalliterature and interviews; internal strategy review and interview; and development of tools and methodologies for field visits,by 10th May2013

e)Country and regional visits,from 13thMay to 07th June 2013

f)Desk review part 2: Internal programme implementation review and interviews, and concluding consultations, by mid July2013

g)Reporting, from midJuly-September 2013

  1. Deliverables:

a)Review structure and process (analytical framework, detailed plan, and outline of end reports)

b)Interim report after completed desk review phase. Brief (max 20 pages) summary of initial findings and key issues to be covered in the further process

c)Specific methodologies and tools for case studies as appropriate.

d)Final reporting consisting of:

  • Individual field visit reports with additional annexes as necessary.
  • Final consolidated report covering the all review elements and including an overview of the review methods and limitations, with annexes outlining literature and documentation reviewed and people/organisations interviewed.

The reporting process will likely take 6 weeks, and should allow for up to 3 report revisions (a first full draft, second version that may include a reasonable level of restructure/rewrite, and a final draft ready for publication).

Throughout the process it is expected that the consultants will provide short 2-weekly updates on progress, and be available for (virtual) review meetings after each stage of the review.

  1. Budget and Payment:
  • Estimated total costs in the range of £100,000 – 140,000
  • The total contract payment will cover all work and expenses incurred by the consultants. Plan will cover costs for participating Plan staff and incidental, local logistics costs.
  • Payment schedule:

The total payment will be paid in 4 instalments against invoice from consultants:

  1. 20% of total payment after completed inception workshop
  2. 30% of total payment after receipt and approval of interim report
  3. 30% after completion of field visits
  4. 20% of total payment after receipt and approval of all final reports.
  1. Project Management

Programme Effectiveness Manager, Simon Early, has the overall responsibility for the review.

Day to day manager and key contact, to whom all communication should be directed, is:

Ms. Elsebeth Elo

Programme Effectiveness Officer

Plan - International Headquarters; Dukes Court, Block A, Dukes Street

Woking, Surrey GU21 5BH United Kingdom

Email:

Tel: +44 (0)1483 733271

1

[1]Among others, Plan is a core member of the Global Consultative Group on Early Childhood, and through that has been instrumental in the development of the Four Cornerstones model on ECCD.

[2]Early Childhood Care and Development covers the period from pregnancy through thetransition from home or early childhood programs into the early formal and non-formalprimary school years (prenatal – 8 years of age).In Plan’s Programme Guide, the Healthy Startis broadly described as covering: ..maternal and child Health as well as early childhood care and development.