Disability-based connected facilities and programmes for prevention of violence against women and children
(101049690- DIS-CONNECTED)
Call for Expressions of Interest

Background

Validity is an international non-governmental human rights organisation that uses legal strategies to promote, protect and defend the human rights of people with mental disabilities worldwide. We strive for a world of equality, where emotional, mental and learning differences are valued equally; where the inherent autonomy and dignity of each person is fully respected; and where human rights are realised for all people without discrimination.

“Disability-based connected facilities and programmes for prevention of violence against women and children” (DIS-CONNECTED) is an EU co-funded project focused on the prevention, early identification, and protection from violence against women and children with disabilities in 5 EU countries – Bulgaria, Hungary, Lithuania, Slovakia and Portugal.

The Disability-based Connected Facilities and Programmes for Prevention of Violence against Women and Children (DIS-CONNECTED) project focuses on women and children with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities who are victims of violence in facilities and programmes designed to serve them. The project will create a multi-disciplinary cooperation and response protocol with law enforcement, service providers and victim support workers to enable prevention, early identification, and protection against violence that women and children with psychosocial and/or intellectual disabilities face.

Drawing from recommendations from persons with disabilities, the literature, and criminal justice professionals, the project has set the following objectives:

• Improve reporting of violence through enhancing the knowledge base and improving monitoring relating to violence against women and children with mental disabilities in facilities and programmes that serve them;
• Build the capacity of independent professionals to prevent, detect and facilitate reporting of and redress for violence against women and children with mental disabilities;
• Enhance on-going cross-disciplinary reporting and response mechanisms through practical protocols;
• Improve access to services through the development of practical protocols and accessible online geo-location maps to signpost where victims should go to obtain the support they need.

This will be achieved through the combined implementation of the following activities:

• Developing and implementing tools for identifying and preventing exploitation, violence and abuse. This includes developing a monitoring methodology and tools, creating a training Handbook, and training multi-disciplinary monitoring teams to conduct monitoring of services and programmes. These tools will be piloted and later trained monitors will use them to monitor services or programmes in each country;
• Developing cross-disciplinary protocols on reporting and responding to allegations of violence, exploitation and abuse which will be created by national working groups of relevant stakeholders and will promote a coordinated practical approach to enhanced access to support, reporting and redress for victims;
• Promoting access to support services, resources and research findings through publishing a national report in each country that maps existing legal and policy measures on violence against women, violence against children, and on mental disability, together with an online map of accessible resources and referrals for women and children with mental disabilities who have experienced violence and abuse;
• The project will also produce an international synthesis report and convene an international conference to further disseminate the tools and recommendations internationally;

The role

Validity is looking for an experienced consultant/consultancy to evaluate the DIS-CONNECTED project through its progression. The audience for the evaluation report is Validity senior management, Validity Board of Trustees, and the European Commission grant and policy officers within the relevant Directorate-General Justice and Consumers. The work will include:

• Developing a monitoring and evaluation framework and tools together with clearly articulated methods of investigation, principles and approaches, using both qualitative and quantitative indicators to assess the effectiveness of the project in meeting its specific objectives;
• Drawing out lessons from the project of broader relevance to: disability rights advocates, professionals working on gender-based violence and victim support, NGOs and others across the EU; EU grant-giving policies and grant management practices;
• Writing a 20-page evaluation report to be submitted to Validity’s Executive Director by February 2025. The report will then be sent to the European Commission in accordance with DIS-CONNECTED project’s Grant Agreement timeline.

The evaluator will not evaluate how the project links to Validity’s other areas of work, goals and objectives. The evaluation will be focused on the DIS-CONNECTED project.

Timeline

1 August 2024	Deadline for applications
15 August 2024	Review applications
30 August 2024	Interview of shortlisted candidates
5 September 2024	Appoint evaluator
10 September 2024	Brief and contract evaluator
until December 2024	Data collection
early November 2024	Present the draft outline of the evaluation report
early January 2025	Present the first draft of the evaluation report
mid-February 2025	Present the final evaluation report

Budget

There is a total budget of €5,000 available. This is inclusive of all costs for carrying out the evaluation, including any incidental expenses and taxes.

Person specification

Essential

• Knowledge of disability rights/human rights;
• Masters level education or equivalent;
• Five or more years of professional work experience in evaluation of projects on law and/or social sciences;
  • Demonstrable experience evaluating European Commission co-funded projects;
  • Excellent written and spoken English.

Desired

• Knowledge of the disability- and gender-based violence and victims’ rights, especially in Central and Eastern Europe;
• Experience in evaluating projects implemented by small non-profit organisations;
• Knowledge of EU law and/or policy structures and processes.

Application procedure

Interested candidates should send a CV, a letter of interest and a sample of a previous evaluation to Validity by 1 August 2024. The letter of interest should set out the following:

1. Your motivation for being engaged in the evaluation of the project for Validity;
2. How you are suited to this position, with reference to the person specification;
3. Your estimated lump sum fee based on an estimate of the number of days of work within the period specified above;
4. Names, positions, email addresses and telephone numbers of two referees who can comment on your suitability for this consultancy position. We will ask your permission before contacting the referees.

Completed applications should be emailed to zsofia@validity.ngo before the closing date, with the subject line “Application for Evaluator: DIS-CONNECTED”.

Interested candidates, before submitting their applications, can also email the DIS-CONNECTED project leader for additional information about the assignment at zsofia@validity.ngo. Please send your queries by 22 July 2024, 18.00 CET.

More information about Validity and the Disability-based Connected Facilities and Programmes for Prevention of Violence against Women and Children project is available here.

Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.