Job Announcement

Participatory Facilitator

Hierarchical and organizational links:

Project: Child Labour-Action-Research-Innovation in South and South-Eastern Asia (CLARISSA)

Background:
CLARISSA is a consortium partnership programme led by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) and implemented in partnership with Terre des hommes, Child Hope UK, and Consortium for Street Children to generate a strong evidence base on, and innovative solutions to, the worst forms of child labour (WFCL) in Bangladesh and Nepal. The programme focuses on surfacing key drivers of the worst forms of child labour and developing interventions to counteract them. The primary beneficiaries of the programme are children in the worst forms of child labour and those who are vulnerable to being drawn into it. The families of these children will benefit from greater resilience to shocks, better options for their children’s safe and healthy future, and less intra-family stress and conflict.

PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH including CHILDREN’S RESEARCH GROUPS will form a core programme approach. The action research process will generate evidence-based activities and innovations and pilots aimed at changing the realities and agency of child labourers and the development and scale up of child focused strategies.  

A Child Centred Programme: 
Children’s agency is at the centre of this programme: The programme supports children to collect child-focused evidence and will generate child-focused and child-identified solutions. It undertakes a Child Rights approach with a strong emphasis on safeguarding. All programme actions takes into account and respects the right of the child, as set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. 

Action Research:
The core driver of innovation in this programme is Participatory and Systemic Action Research. 

Action research is a programming modality which combines evidence gathering and learning from action. It is designed to enable diverse groups to meet over a period of time to consider evidence and generate theories of change about interventions; plan and programme innovative solutions; test the solutions in real time, and then evaluate them. In this way action research groups act as engines of new innovation. These cycles of action and reflection continue until a robust model of action is developed, trialled and can be scaled. The programme will link multiple and parallel action research groups to form a sophisticated architecture for adaptive learning and management (systemic action research) and will ensure that children are central to this process. Activities of action research groups will typically be oriented towards self-help and mutual aid activities but will also contribute to the development of local institutional solutions (including those of local NGO’s/ employers etc.).

A typical action research process involves multiple meetings over a period of between a year and eighteen months. It is necessary to go through the following phases in building action research groups:

• Contextual research to identify the drivers of child labour and consequently the different foci of action research groups;
• A series of trust building meetings (which can be accompanied by visits to households, street sites and or work sites); 
• Local evidence gathering around the specific issues being explored; 
• Generation of Theories of Change and Actions, and potential indicators of success;
• Implementation of actions and monitoring and assessment of intervention outcomes;
• Refining actions and developing new actions based on the assessment of the early phase actions;
• Bringing significant successes into cross action research learning groups with a view to scaling.

Overall purpose of the role:
The participatory facilitator is responsible for facilitating Action Research Groups and other participatory processes that form a critical part of the implementation of the CLARISSA programme in Bangladesh. This role includes the coordination and quality control over the documentation of the participatory research such that it meets programmatic needs.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Process design and facilitation of Action Research groups and other participatory processes
• Designing participatory methods for different stakeholder groups within the broadly defined Action Research process of this programme - in consultation with the senior participatory action researcher and the consortium thematic leads
• Working with the safeguarding focal person to assess risks and local mitigation (e.g. referral resources) relating to participatory processes
• Assess support needs (language, support for people with disabilities etc.) in relation to participatory processes) with the line manager
• Defining documentation protocols and ensuring quality in relation to the documentation of all participatory meetings
• Regular reporting on the action research and participatory processes in line with the programme’s MEL framework – in collaboration with the MEL focal point
• Coordinate, communicate and integrate with other components and partners of the project
• Where appropriate support Country Coordinators and other team members in carrying out interviews and or surveys. Take note of, and report, any ethical or safeguarding concerns that arise from the work
• Undertake other duties that may be determined by his/her supervisor

Education and training: Master’s in anthropology/social sciences/development studies or similar field

Experience and skills:

• Minimum 3 years’ experience in research
• Strong participatory facilitation skills
• Proven experience of facilitating participatory discussions
• Proven experience of working with marginalized and disadvantaged communities, preferably in low-resource urban neighbourhoods
• Experience of working with children in groups
• Familiarity with a range of participatory tools and approaches with marginalized and disadvantaged communities including children
• Experience and knowledge of safeguarding and risk assessment with vulnerable and marginal groups
• Fluency in spoken and written Bangla and English

Knowledge:

• Good understanding of the realities faced by children in the worst forms of child labour and those who are vulnerable to being drawn into it
• Strong competence in using MS Office

Personal attributes:

• Passion for the programmed approach e.g., participatory approach, child centeredness
• Passion for participatory research with vulnerable children and community living in marginalised context
• Interest in working with children in urban slum context in Dhaka
• Self-motivated, goal-oriented, flexible and adaptive manners, enthusiastic, and entrepreneurial attitude
• Commitment to team and collaborative working
• Understanding of the value and importance of supervision and ability to accept supervision.
• Comfortable facilitating emergent processes, allowing outcomes to emerge through dialogue and action over time

Others:

• Willingness to accept new responsibilities as and when those are assigned by the line supervisor.

The post holder is polite, respectful, honest, punctual (and respects deadlines), creative, pacifist, proactive, committed and – during office hours – non-political. S/he is in constant exchange with colleagues and supervisors, communicates problems and enriches discussions. S/he treats people of different religion, age, sex, and economic status appropriate and equally and actively ensures their wellbeing and raises his/her voice when required. S/he is willing to improve own capacities and is open for all topics Tdh is working on to actively contribute to a comprehensive programme implementation.

S/he uses Tdh equipment, vehicles and premises, internet and electricity economically and responsibly. S/he positively represents Tdh to beneficiaries, stake holders and the general public.  

Application process and deadline:
Application should include curriculum vitae and motivational letter addressed to the Country Representative, Terre des hommes Foundation with “PARTICIPATORY FACILITATOR” in the subject field.

A motivational letter with an updated CV should include current salary (if in employment) or last salary drawn, and expected salary, names of two former supervisors to serve as references with phone and email contact info, and earliest date of availability.

Only properly complete applications will be considered for short-listing. Short-listed applications will subsequently be called for written and interviews.

Candidates should apply only through   bgd.dhaka.recruitment@tdh.ch. The deadline is 31 May 2022 by 5.00 pm.

Women are highly encouraged to apply for this position. Tdh is an equal opportunity organization and recruitment procedure follows the Terre des hommes Child Protection Policy.