CALL FOR CONSULTANCY Combined Assignment: Baseline Study for the Balbala Standard Project and National & Local Research on Alternative Care, Child Pro

CALL FOR CONSULTANCY Combined Assignment: Baseline Study for the Balbala Standard Project and National & Local Research on Alternative Care, Child Protection Systems and Community-Based Responses in Djibouti IMPORTANT – ONE CONSULTANT / FIRM FOR BOTH ASSIGNMENTS This is a combined call. SOS Children’s Villages Djibouti intends to engage one qualified consultant or consulting firm with the capacity and availability to undertake both studies. Applicants should therefore submit one coordinated application covering both assignments, with a clear methodology and work plan for each study and a financial proposal showing the cost of each assignment separately and the overall combined cost.

About SOS Children’s Villages

SOS Children’s Villages is a global federation working to ensure that children and young people grow up in a safe, nurturing family environment where their rights are protected. SOS Children’s Villages Djibouti has operated in the country since 1999 and implements integrated programmes including family-like care, family strengthening, education support, emergency response and initiatives that strengthen civil society and community-based child protection. Context and Background SOS Children’s Villages Djibouti is inviting qualified national and international consultants or consulting firms to undertake two complementary studies under one consultancy arrangement. The assignments are intended to generate evidence for programme implementation, monitoring, learning, child protection system strengthening, policy advocacy and childcare reform.

Assignment 1: Baseline Study for the Balbala Standard Project

The Balbala Standard Project builds on the Family Strengthening Project and targets vulnerable families, children and young people in selected areas of Balbala and Boulaos in Djibouti City. The programme is planned for January 2026–December 2028 and aims to strengthen family care, access to essential services, alternative care, crisis resilience, community-based child protection and youth self-reliance. Purpose of the baseline study The baseline will establish reliable starting values against which programme progress and results can be measured. It will also test the availability and reliability of indicators and sources of verification and, where necessary, recommend feasible refinements. - Assess caregiving practices, child protection awareness, access to social and basic services, and the situation of children without adequate parental care or at risk of separation. - Establish baseline information on household income, livelihoods, employment, poverty, access to financial services and household resilience to economic, social and climate-related shocks. - Assess education, health, psychosocial support, protection, care, accommodation and other key dimensions of child and family well-being. - Map existing care arrangements, including family-based, informal and institutional care, and assess the availability and functionality of formal alternative care options such as foster care, kafala and kinship care. - Identify gaps in case management and referral systems, existing community-based organisations and community resilience mechanisms. - Assess youth unemployment, barriers and opportunities for employability, and marketable skills relevant to young people. Geographic scope Selected areas of Balbala (including Wahadi Daba and 8 Meter) and Boulaos (including Quartier 4, Quartier 5 and Djabal District), Djibouti City. Key baseline deliverables - Documentation of data collection and consultations carried out. - Draft and final baseline study report with Executive Summary, methodology, recommendations on indicators and sources of verification, a table of baseline values, narrative findings and recommendations. - Presentation of final findings, if required.

Assignment 2: National and Local Research on Alternative Care Practices, Child Protection Systems and Community-Based Responses

SOS Children’s Villages Djibouti seeks to undertake national and local research, including case studies, to document current alternative care practices, child protection systems and community-based responses. The evidence will help identify what works, existing gaps and opportunities for reform, and will support programme design, policy advocacy, childcare reform and stronger collaboration among governmental and non-governmental child protection actors. Key objectives - Map formal and informal alternative care arrangements, including kinship care, foster care, kafala, residential care, informal care and family reunification approaches. - Assess the legal and policy framework, institutional roles, coordination mechanisms, case management systems, referral pathways and child safeguarding mechanisms. - Document community-led protection mechanisms, including Community Child Protection Committees, CBOs, religious and traditional support systems, women’s associations, youth groups and informal support networks. - Identify challenges affecting children without parental care or at risk of losing parental care. - Document good practices and successful community-based initiatives to identify what works. - Identify system and service gaps and opportunities for reform, and provide evidence-based recommendations for strengthening family-based care and child protection systems. - Develop a minimum of five detailed case studies illustrating effective child protection and alternative care practices. Geographic scope The study will combine a national-level review with local research in Djibouti Town, Balbala and Tadjourah. Key research deliverables - Inception Report and approved data collection tools. - Stakeholder Mapping Report. - Minimum five (5) detailed case studies. - Draft Research Report. - Validation Workshop Presentation. - Final Research Report. - Executive Summary. - Final database and interview records. Methodology and Quality Expectations Applicants should propose a rigorous, practical and coordinated mixed-methods