Terms of Reference for 2 Trainers to conduct trainings on the subject of Early warning system and protection of children VoTs

Project “From Harm to Safety: Improving the Protection of Victims of Trafficking (VoTs) in Serbia“ is carried out by NGO Atina and International Rescue Committee (IRC) with the support of the Government of the United States

Targeted Municipalities: Vranje, Subotica, Novi Sad, Nis, Sremska Mitrovica, Kragujevac, and Kraljevo.

Published on January 15^th, 2019

INTRODUCTION

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Atina – Citizens Association for combating trafficking in human beings and all forms of gender-based violence proposed a 30-month project “From Harm to Safety: Improving the Protection of Victims of Trafficking (VoTs) in Serbia “to combat modern slavery in a context where trafficking networks target not only traditional VoTs, but also especially vulnerable individuals within the population of refugees and migrants. Project got its approval and funding by the Government of the United States. 

The IRC and Atina are, through a two-pronged approach, to protect and support both conventional and refugee VoTs to recover from the consequences of violence and exploitation. The project is bringing the IRC’s expertise working with refugees and migrants, and Atina’s role as a Serbian NGO working with survivors of human trafficking. This is building upon the IRC's and Atina’s ongoing partnership and collaborations with the Government of Serbia (GoS), local authorities, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and existing relationships with the Center for Human Trafficking Victims Protection and Centers for Social Work. In partnership with Atina, the GoS, and other relevant stakeholders, the IRC seeks to achieve the following strategic objectives: 1) VoTs receive effective, client-centered care through proactive victim identification and direct support; 2) local authorities and NGOs provide specialized assistance to child VoTs, including unaccompanied and separated children (UASC); and 3) the GoS develops national SOPs for first responders and takes concrete steps to revise the national anti-trafficking strategy and action plan.

RATIONALE

From 1992–2004, the IRC provided support to refugees in Serbia after the breakup of the former Yugoslavia. In response to the massive influx of refugees in Europe in 2015, the IRC returned to the region and has since worked in partnership with local NGOs and civil society organizations to prevent and respond to violence against women, children, and other vulnerable groups. The IRC and Atina jointly implement a DFID-funded project to identify unaccompanied refugee children and provide them with access to protection services, including accommodation, legal guardianship, psychological care, legal aid, and referrals to other urgent care. Since July 2016, the IRC’s program has embraced a regional approach, expanding beyond Serbia to strengthen coordination and service provision across countries along the Balkan corridor. Globally, the IRC received J/TIP funding in 2012 to complement the Government of Haiti’s efforts to combat child trafficking and provide protection to children in institutional care and situations of domestic servitude. In this project, the IRC successfully supported 3,746 children at risk of trafficking, including successfully completing family reunifications for 174 separated children, of whom 43 were child victims of trafficking and domestic servitude. The project further supported the closure of nine residential care centers due to unsafe conditions, abuse, and/or suspected trafficking. The IRC has extensive experience in trafficking prevention and protection services through U.S. programs in Miami, Phoenix, and Seattle.

Since 2004, Atina has been the anti-trafficking NGO in Serbia providing shelter, psychosocial support, legal, medical services, and employment opportunities to survivors, with the goal of facilitating sustainable systems for the survivor’s social inclusion and reintegration. Atina is a strategic member of the Women against Violence Network and coordinates closely with stakeholders and service providers involved in anti-trafficking measures. Atina has established mobile teams throughout Serbia, providing specialized assistance for the most vulnerable refugees and migrants seven days a week, at the borders of Macedonia, Hungary and Croatia, as well as in Belgrade. Atina participated in the development of national anti-trafficking guidelines, including the official identification and assessment tool, the human trafficking referral pathway, and the national anti-trafficking strategy and action plan, which has yet to be adopted. Atina works with the media, authorities, and other NGOs to improve legislation and services available for survivors of human trafficking. To help advance the response to the needs of women and girls, Atina has trained more than 1,000 professionals in Serbia on the provision of adequate support to VoTs.

SCOPE OF WORK

For the purpose of the project, it is necessary to choose two trainers to conduct a particularly important indicator of the project 2.1: Capacity Building which consists of:

• 7 trainings delivered regarding the identification and referral of child VoT

• 160 stakeholders and service providers (disaggregated by gender and type) are trained in identification and referral of child VoTs

• 90% of stakeholders participating in trainings demonstrate a minimum of 15% improvement in knowledge in pre-/post-training test scores (disaggregated by gender)

Two chosen trainers will have the responsibility to provide 7 trainings in targeted municipalities: Vranje, Subotica, Novi Sad, Nis, Sremska Mitrovica, Kragujevac, and Kraljevo for the relevant local authorities and NGOs to know how to deliver age- and gender-appropriate support to victims of trafficking. In particular, local authorities and NGOs will know how to provide specialized assistance to child victims, including unaccompanied children, through early identification, child-centered responses, and support to child victims placed in alternative care. Trainers will train stakeholders, service providers, and authorities to recognize signs, mitigate risks, and provide child-centered support to victims of trafficking at the national level, as well as in seven municipalities where Atina has developed local anti-trafficking networks, as well as in Belgrade.[1] Predominantly, the trainings will be made for representatives of Local teams for combating human trafficking in the respective municipalities. Trainings will be provided directly  to representatives of government and non-government institutions in order to highlight the unique needs of children in alternative care and enhance their capacity to screen for potential cases of child VoTs, including in children’s shelters and Asylum centers housing unaccompanied refugee children.

As a result of these trainings, it is expected that capacities and expertise of local authorities and NGOs to identify and support child VoTs are increased, through enhanced identification and mitigation of trafficking risks for child VoTs, particularly unaccompanied refugee and migrant children.

Obligations and responsibilities of the trainers:

A.        Get to know the project

B.         Get to know all developed documents of the project;

C.         To participate in regular project team meetings;

D.        To develop program for the training and implement 8 trainings in different local communities;

E.         To develop comprehensive report on implemented activities.

Specific responsibilities of the Trainers are:

1. To prepare and assess for the specific task (it is necessary to get to know more ab out the local context of the municipalities in which trainings will be provided

2. To create a methodology as well as pre- a well as creation of pre-and post- knowledge tests and plan of implementation

3. To implement 7 trainings in municipalities

4. to report of training implementation and its accomplishments

Implementation of the trainings should last from 12^th of February until 1^st of August, 2019. .

BUDGET:

NGO Atina will negotiate number of days of engagement with the selected consultant on the basis of the financial offer (gross amount) that will classify the following:

*Add columns as needed depending on the number of activities needed to perform the assignment

            Subtotal                                               USD__________

            Other costs (specify)                           USD__________

            TOTAL                                               USD__________

The total cost should cover all preparatory work regarding the job description, communication costs between Project team, consultants and organizations (e-mail, telephone, fax, mail).

BIDDING PROCEDURE

Interested consultant should develop and submit the bidding proposal in English language to respond to above mentioned specific tasks no later than 29^th January, 2019. The bidding proposal should include:

1. Description and contact details of the trainers applying;

2. A detailed Budget Proposal (in the required form);

3. CV of trainers involved emphasizing only relevant experience;

4. Past performance in similar areas of a trainers applying, with reference of previous contracting agencies.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Project team will make a decision on the selection of the most successful bidder, subject to the available budget, on the following four criteria:

• University degree in the relevant field;

• A minimum of 5 years of relevant experience;

• Experience of the candidate in performing similar projects or programs;

• An example of previous work as a reference of previous experience is desirable.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF BID

All bids need to be submitted no later than 29^TH January 2019 at 5PM in electronic version, to the email marija.pantelic@atina.org.rs. A selection will be made no later than 4^th February 2019 and the selected consultant will be contracted no later than 11^th February, 2019.

Only the selected candidate will be informed.