Hiring a Consultant/Consulting Firm to Develop parenting package for the children aged 0-8 years – Gender Transformative ‘Early Childhood Development (GeTECD)

About of Plan International

We strive to advance children’s rights and equality for girls all over the world. As an independent development and humanitarian organization, we work alongside children, young people, our supporters and partners to tackle the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood and enable children to prepare for and respond to crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge. For over 80 years we have been building powerful partnerships for children, and we are active in over 75 countries.

Plan International Bangladesh started its operation in Bangladesh in 1994. Currently as determined in country strategy IV, implementing projects under six thematic areas i.e. health, education, WASH, child protection, youth employment and engagement and disaster risk management and climate change adaptation. In recent years, as part of its country strategy, Plan International Bangladesh has emphasized more to establish an inclusive and effective community based child protection mechanism at local and national level.

Project description:

Early childhood is the most critical period of development in a child’s life. Parents/ caregivers are the most important actors in children’s lives from before they are born. Young children’s development and happiness depends on the nurturing care they are provide by mothers, fathers or other caregivers. During these first years, parents/caregivers already begin treating girls and boys differently based on their ideas about the value, potential and expected behaviors of each gender. In addition, in low income communities where son preference exists, families may opt to provide girls with poorer quality care than boys.

Plan’s ECD programme aims to ensure that young girls and boys equally receive the care and supports they need to thrive, free from limiting gender norms. Gender-Transformative parenting has been identified as the priority for delivering on this ambition, including promoting male engagement in parenting and early childhood development We need to learn how to integrate reflection on gender norms and socialization into existing parenting programmes in ways that are effective and make sense for parents, other caregivers and parenting group facilitators (many of whom are community members themselves).

Under ECD programme of Plan, GeTECD project will be implemented in Barguna Sadar in Barguna district and Urban slums in Dhaks city (please see the areas in footnote). The project will work effectively with parents, other caregivers, and parenting group facilitators to sensitively challenge gender-norms and son-preference so that we can ensure that girls have equal opportunities to thrive and develop free from gendered expectations that are limiting and discriminatory. It is a three-year project funded by DFAT and Australia National Office of Plan is supporting by proving technical assistance and coordination with the donor. This is an innovative project because this is an aspect of work that few other organizations in the sector are approaching and that affords a thought leadership opportunity; and this is an area that has also not been explored very much in research yet.

Key target Beneficiaries of the project are Children aged 0-8 years (5000), parents of the children (7,000), Community leaders and policy makers.

As the project will start its parenting program at field level in next FY it’s urgent to develop all technical tools for parents, grand parents and specially for fathers.

Brief of parenting program under GeTECD:

Under the GeTECD project parenting program has considered for children age 0-8 years splitting it in sub groups such as 0-3 years, 3-5 years and 5-8 years and  every age group will be addressed through different intervention as like-

3-5 years: This age group is targeted for early learning centres and their parents will be reached out through group sessions along with some joyful events. Some home-based interventions could be addressed if situation required.

5-8 years: This age group is targeted as primary school learners and their parents will be reached out through PTA. Some social events could be arranged for the parents also.

Both group session and home-based family discussion modality will be followed for connecting parents and other family members. Specific session will be arranged for the grandparents.  Based on age and need child development, gender and C-19 issues will mostly be discussed in the home based and group sessions.

Broader goal of this project is-

All children under eight years - especially girls - develop to their full potential, free from discriminatory and limiting attitudes, practices and expectations based on gender, ability and other identities.

The Long-term Outcomes

To contribute to the broader goal, the project has identified three long-term outcomes, which are the main objectives of the project that will ensure the development of a demonstrative model of Gender Transformative Early Childhood Development (GeTECD) Project. These are;

Long-term outcome -1: Parents/primary caregivers (and other family members) –female and male - share decision-making, care work and childrearing responsibilities within the household and provide nurturing care equally to girls and boys.
Long-term Outcome 2: Community leaders, parents, local authorities and teachers ensure that children have access to quality gender-responsive and inclusive learning opportunities, from SBK through to the early grades of primary. 
Long-term outcome 3: Policy and decision makers have improved understanding of why investing in gender-transformative ECD policy, programmes and services is important, and of what are effective, scalable gender-transformative interventions.

Cross Cutting Outcome:

3.1 Community leaders and members promote changes in gender norms that influence negative parenting and childcare behaviours and practices, in order to create a gender-responsive enabling environment

Objectives of developing parenting package (sessions  for group sessions, home based sessions with necessary materials )

The purposes of developing the parenting package are-

  • To select all potential contents/issues that need to address following nurturing care framework (WHO suggested), gender transformation approach and C-19 for the parents of 0-8 Years both for group sessions and home based  family sessions so that they can nurture their children with quality
  • Design creative and innovative sessions differently for father, mother, parents and grandparents based on age group to meet the project goal effectively
  • Develop necessary materials for the sessions where requires for best implementation
  • Develop a monitoring tool of the parenting sessions (considering gender transformation ad nurturing care framework) to monitor the quality of the sessions

Intended users of package and key stakeholders involved

This parenting package will be mainly used at community level and for the for the parents who have children aged 0-8 years. So that parents can ensure a gender responsive environment at family levels and children can holistically developed in a discrimination free environment both is family and school. The parenting sessions will be conducted at courtyard or at home in a group and one to one also based on need, type of content and the target group and sessions will be facilitated mostly by the SBK facilitators who are S.S.C passed.
Other hand this package could be used by sponsorship programs areas, other organizations, Govt and the countries where Plan works.

Scope of work

The scope of work will preferably include, but not limited to:

The consultant firm/individual will provide the following issues – the consultant firm/individual will provide the following issues –

  • Conduct workshop with Plan’s ECD personnel, partner staff, SBK facilitators to know about he current practices in communities to find out the necessity of parents and children. 
  • Document review such as govt documents, other organizations who have same types of interventions, global documents and Plan’s documents.
  • Organize / conduct FGDs, interview and observation to find out the real practices of  parents/family members practice at family  for nurturing their children and the social and gender norms are  followed 
  • Mapping out the contents that will be addressed in group sessions and home based family discussion based on age, need and target people(parents, mother, father, grandparents)
  • Conduct a validation workshop in presence of Govt officials, other experts on the designed sessions they have developed
  • Develop necessary materials for the session if requires
  • Field test of the sessions
  • Finalize complete parenting package considering the necessity of mother, father, parents and grandparents (extended family members) of different ages.
  • Develop a monitoring tool for measuring the process of session and effectiveness
  • Write a brief of the package (1/2 pagers) both in Bangla and English

Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment can be downloaded from this link.

Submission of Proposal

The technical and financial proposals should be submitted electronically to the email address:

Planbd.consultant.hiring@plan-international.org with subject line“ Consultant hiring for Develop parenting package for the children aged 0-8 years – Gender Transformative Early Childhood Development (GeTECD)” as subject. Two different folders i.e. technical and financial should be submitted into one zip folder with a covering letter. The proposals should be submitted in pdf format.

Proposal submitted to any other email account except this and in hard copy will be treated as disqualified.

Submissions deadline 01  May 2021 at 3:00 pm Both technical and financial proposal should be submitted PDF format into one zip folder with a covering letter addressing to Mr. Enamul Haque, Supply & Procurement Specialist, Plan International Bangladesh.