Consultant - Impact Of Cash On Outcomes For Children Research

The scope of the research is to measure the direct and indirect impact of multi-purpose cash assistance on the children of beneficiary households. The specific research question is: How can positive outcomes for children be maximised and negative outcomes / risks minimised through cash-based programming?   This would involve identifying, defining and measuring the positive and negative outcomes of cash-based programming for children, and examining the sometimes complex dynamics between outcomes and how they relate to different roles and power dynamics within the household, including for unrelated children who are being cared for within the household. It will also involve defining the limits of cash-based programming in achieving child protection and development outcomes and identifying additional approaches that need to be taken to ensure the protection and development of children. The research would incorporate the following steps: Exploratory Desk Review of internal project documents and documentation produced in the region by members of the Lebanon Cash Consortium (LCC). Exploration of existing quantitative data and analysis of data gathered in the region by members of the Lebanon Cash Consortium (LCC). Qualitative research: Focus Group Discussions and Interviews with children and their caregivers, using the Most Significant Change Methodology, and Key informants interviews. Development and implementation of supplementary tools to measures outcomes for children at the household level, including child-friendly assessment tools. Undertake baseline data gathering as feasible / appropriate in cooperation with child protection teams, and analyse trends in child outcomes. Undertake endline data gathering using tools developed above, and analyse against baseline. Qualitative research with children and community members to analyse / validate findings from baseline / endline analysis, undertaken with child protection teams. Produce report including data analysis, findings and recommendations for further programing and areas of research. Expected outputs Inception report including methodology and work plan Matrix of secondary data sources for child outcomes in emergencies Primary qualitative and quantitative data collection tools and child assessment tools Recommendations for strengthening future child outcome monitoring and local accountability systems Debrief with program and management staff Workshop with all consortium staff members and other key stakeholders to review and discuss key research findings/lessons learned. Participants to the workshop can be: Agencies’ staff Targeted communities Other Lebanon cash actors Other community members (child focused local-international organizations etc…) Production of draft report to be reviewed by all consortium partners Title page, table of contents, executive summary in English and Arabic, list of acronyms, description of the program and any changes, description of the research methodologies, main findings, recommendations for program improvement; bibliography. Final research paper with the following structure: title page, table of contents, executive summary in English and Arabic, list of acronyms, description of the program and any changes, description of the research methodologies, main findings, recommendations for program improvement; bibliography. Data set for quantitative and qualitative data collected. Child focused indicators, and guidance on how to measure and analyze data Integration of a child focus in existing training material