Individual Consultancy: Midterm evaluation of the Action Plan for Each Newborn ( PACRN ) 2019-2023 in Mozambique
Job no: 561467
Position type: Consultant
Location: Mozambique Division / Equivalent: Nairobi Regn’l ( ESARO )
School / Unit: Republic of Mozambique
Department / Office: Maputo, Republic of Mozambique
Categories: Health
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Objective: assess the relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency and coordination of the PACRN after two years of implementation. This exercise will closely analyze the extent to which the results of the PACRN have been achieved to date and will examine its implementation to reinforce the implementation of the Plan or improve neonatal health policies and childish in Mozambique.
BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT
PACRN is a concerted effort to translate Mozambique’s commitments into significant changes in the health of newborns with the main objective of ending preventable neonatal deaths. In addition to clear objectives and measures, it also presents indicators that can be used to assess both the progress made in its implementation and its impact. The Plan is based on data that confirm the effectiveness of certain measures and recognize that the survival of a newborn is a sensitive indicator of the health system’s response to the process in question health care course, which extends from the preconception period, pregnancy, childbirth and newborn care in the postnatal period.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRAM
PACRN is expected to contribute effectively to the objectives and goals defined by the Government for the Health Sector, and consequently to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals ( SDG ).
Purpose, Objectives and Scope of the Evaluation
The midterm evaluation of the implementation of the Action Plan for Each Newborn ( PACRN ) 2019-2023 ( / 2024 ) in Mozambique, complies with the determination established in the Plan for analyzing the performance of the implementation two years after its beginning. Initially it was scheduled for 2021, but it was delayed to 2022 considering changes in the Plan’s implementation schedule.
The objective of this Middle Term Assessment is to assess the relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency and coordination of the PACRN after two years of implementation.
The evaluation will have a strong learning purpose at ) ensuring the informed participation of the Plan decision makers ( throughout the data collection, treatment and communication of results ); b ) identifying operational and programmatic lessons that will help to improve the last year of implementation of the Plan and the preparation for a new policy and plan for the continuity of results; c ) reinforcing MISAU and UNICEF’s accountability to program beneficiaries and their communities, development partners and other relevant stakeholders.
More specifically, the detailed objectives are:
- Evaluate the relevance and coherence of the Plan’s interventions, demonstrating whether they are aligned with the real needs of the target population, whether there is a clear and well-founded logic between the proposed activities and the expected results, and whether the assumptions for carrying out the activities were valid and feasible.
- Analyze the extent to which the Plan has so far achieved the expected results (effectiveness), as identified in the operational plan, and whether it was effective in ensuring community involvement ( especially women ), including differential results between vulnerable groups.
- Examine the efficiency implementation of the Plan, with regard to the availability and application of resources, timely execution and institutionalization of processes.
- Analyze the existence, operationalization and sustainability of the mechanisms of coordination for the implementation of PACRN.
- Identify the best practices and key lessons learned with the implementation of the Plan, and whether the lessons learned so far require adjustments in the last year of implementation to achieve the expected results by the end of 2024.
- Elaborate recommendations to improve approaches to implementing the program and further improve relevant health sector policies, plans and strategies.
Scope
Geographic coverage is national, and the results of the assessment must be representative at regional level ( south, center and north ), with recommendations presented by institution and by province when applicable.
Evaluation Criteria and Preliminary Evaluation Issues
It is recommended that the Evaluation team explain in its technical proposal how to intend to answer the questions in a specific way. The final list of questions must be realistic given the proposed budget and deadline for the evaluation process.
Relevance
Coherence
Effectiveness
Efficiency
Coordination
Sustainability
Approach and Assessment Methods
Specifically, the methodology should make it possible to verify whether the social effects of the intervention are as expected, and provide information on the factors that are affecting the expected changes. Thus, the evaluation should allow an analysis of the processes and immediate results, building the conclusions from systematic qualitative methods – such as process mapping and service flow, life history and identification of more significant changes.
Quantitative Potential
- Analysis of secondary data: when appropriate and feasible, the evaluation will analyze the monitoring data ( at the process level and results ) collected on all planned activities for the period 2020-2022, listed in the operational matrix ( attached ), namely: SIS-MA, SIGLUS, parallel database on child health and nutrition, semiannual and annual reports from the Department of Family Health, Department of Nutrition and DPS.
Qualitative Potential
- Documentary review of the instruments that underlie the PACRN, of the instruments created to operationalize each strategic objective, activity execution reports, population surveys, studies, consultancy reports, among others.
- Mapping of service flow in health units, identifying how the various priorities of the PACRN are operationalized by services and experienced by users.
- Semi-structured interviews with beneficiaries ( users ) to identify patterns of behavior and levels of knowledge. Possibility to hold discussions in focus groups ( at community level ) to validate different results experienced by different vulnerable groups.
- Semi-structured interviews with senior officials and government technicians, as well as with partners responsible for implementing the program, representatives of the affected population, to capture process narratives and inform the analysis of operational facilitators.
- Guided observation: structured observation guides for services offered in health units and / or training activities.
The initial phase will clarify and finalize the evaluation questions based on the conditions above.
Specific Tasks, Deliveries and Deadlines
The evaluation is expected to start in early May 2023, and end in October 2023. The key steps in this assessment and the provisional timeline will be as follows: Timeline: 6 weeks
Activity: Initial phase
- Preparation of draft initial report, including a detailed work plan;
- Involvement with stakeholders in the review of the draft report.
- Management with stakeholders in the formulation and agreement of evaluation issues;
- Evaluation matrix population
- Preparation of data collection instruments,
- UNICEF ethical approval process ( through Health Media Lab – HML )
Deliverable:
1. Draft start-up report and instruments
Addressees: members of the evaluation reference group
2. Presentation of the preliminary version of the start-up report and instruments – in person or via video link – to the Evaluation Reference Group and a broader group of partners and staff UNICEF;
3. Final start-up report ( plus the complete review track covering all comments )
Recipients: members of the evaluation reference group.
Payment: 30% of the total contract value after completion
Timeline: 6 weeks
Activity: Data collection phase
- Pre-test and piloting of instruments
- Training of qualitative researchers Preparation of interview transcripts
- Prepare a fieldwork report
Deliverable:
4. Fieldwork report
5. Present to MISAU and UNICEF personnel after data collection with summary of collection activities, data availability and challenges encountered.
Timeline: 6 weeks
Activity: Preparation, validation and conclusion phase
- Analysis and writing of data
- Involvement with stakeholders in the review of the draft report.
- Preparation of a PowerPoint presentation on emerging results, conclusions and recommendations
Deliverable:
5. Validation meeting of preliminary results, conclusions and recommendations – in person or through a video link with the main stakeholders in the evaluation, including the Evaluation Reference Group.
Addressees: members of the evaluation reference group
6. A first full version of the draft evaluation report
Addressees: members of the evaluation reference group
Payment: 40% of the total contract value after completion
Timeline: 3 weeks
Activity: Final approval phase
- Finalization of the report: before approval, the report will undergo at least two rounds of review by an outside party against UNICEF GEROS quality criteria, and the evaluator must address the comments / feedback received.
- Preparation of the summary presentation in PowerPoint.
- Preparation of a policy summary and an evaluation summary.
Deliverable:
7. A final report, including an executive summary ( and a complete audit trail covering all comments ). The main results must be viewed through graphs and tables. Gender should also be included as a cross-cutting theme in all findings. The approval process for the final report included at least two rounds of reviews with UNICEF MCO and UNICEF ESARO.
Addressees: members of the evaluation reference group
8. A policy summary and a summary of the Assessment. A summary of the key points of the evaluation, with a maximum of 4 pages, illustrated with data and infographics.
Recipients: members of the evaluation reference group.
9. Support in UNICEF’s dissemination efforts. Present and share the results at a conference via the web and support broader communication efforts upon request.
Recipients: national and international stakeholders.
Payment: 30% of the total contract value after completion
Required qualifications
- Extensive experience in conducting complex public policy assessments, preferably with experience in assessments for the UN system;
- Proven experience in public health assessment in the region of eastern and southern Africa or in developing countries, with a focus on public health, epidemiology, biostatistics.
- Extensive knowledge of health programs, including UNICEF programs, especially in the area of neonatal and child health. Proven technical knowledge on the design and management of multisectoral and complex public policies.
- Knowledge of the latest methods and approaches for evaluating development policies, especially participatory and accountability methods for affected populations.
- Work experience in a cooperative and rapidly changing environment.
- Verified knowledge and specific experience with the Most Significant Change method is an advantage
- Familiarity with cross-cutting issues ( for example, gender equality, equity and human rights, including children’s rights ) and how they relate to health outcomes and the equity agenda;
- Experience with ethics in generating evidence; experience in collecting data with vulnerable groups; familiarity with ethical safeguards;
- Good capacity and experience in planning and organizing evaluation logistics;
- Excellent oral and written communication skills ( in English and Portuguese ) Required qualifications
- Extensive experience in conducting complex public policy assessments, preferably with experience in assessments for the UN system;
- Proven experience in public health assessment in the region of eastern and southern Africa or in developing countries, with a focus on public health, epidemiology, biostatistics.
- Extensive knowledge of health programs, including UNICEF programs, especially in the area of neonatal and child health. Proven technical knowledge on the design and management of multisectoral and complex public policies.
- Knowledge of the latest methods and approaches for evaluating development policies, especially participatory and accountability methods for affected populations.
- Work experience in a cooperative and rapidly changing environment.
- Verified knowledge and specific experience with the Most Significant Change method is an advantage
- Familiarity with cross-cutting issues ( for example, gender equality, equity and human rights, including children’s rights ) and how they relate to health outcomes and the equity agenda;
- Experience with ethics in generating evidence; experience in collecting data with vulnerable groups; familiarity with ethical safeguards;
- Good capacity and experience in planning and organizing evaluation logistics;
- Excellent oral and written communication skills ( in English and Portuguese )
For every Child, you demonstrate…
UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability ( CRITAS ).
UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race / ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.
UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants / individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.
UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential ( s ) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.
Remarks:
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.
Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “ staff members ” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein ( such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage ). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and / or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.
The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa ( applicable ) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 ( Covid-19 ) with a World Health Organization ( WHO ) -endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, program delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.
Warnised: Jun 13 2023 South Africa Standard Time
Application close: Jul 01 2023 South Africa Standard Time
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- Closes Jul 01 2023Individual Consultancy: Midterm evaluation of the Action Plan for Each Newborn ( PACRN ) 2019-2023 in Mozambique in Mozambique
Assist the relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency and coordination of the PACRN after two years of implementation. This exercise will closely analyze the extent to which the results of the PACRN have been achieved to date and will examine its implementation to reinforce the implementation of the Plan or improve neonatal health policies and childish in Mozambique.
