Education and Child Protection Assessment Consultant

Syria

Education/Training - Social Services - Humanitarian/Disasters

Not Specified

Location: Syria
Reporting to: Head of Mission
Start Date: October 2025- as soon as the contract is signed.

Note: Offers will be evaluated on a rolling basis. Early submissions are encouraged.
1. Background
Syria continues to face one of the world's most complex humanitarian crises, with widespread displacement, service gaps, and fragile recovery dynamics. Children are disproportionately affected, facing multiple barriers to accessing education and protection services. To inform an upcoming proposal to ECHO, Plan International Syria seeks to engage a consultant to design and implement a comprehensive EiE - CPHA (Education in Emergencies and Child protection in Humanitarian Action) needs assessment. This assessment will provide robust evidence on access to non-formal education, education in emergencies, barriers as well as cross cutting child protection risks, DRR, conflict sensitivity, and gender, disability inclusion, accountability to affected populations (AAP), and environmental considerations.
Plan International Syria is preparing a proposal for the upcoming ECHO funding cycle, with a focus on delivering targeted, evidence-based humanitarian assistance to vulnerable communities. To ensure the proposal is grounded in current needs and context realities, Plan International seeks to engage a Needs Assessment Consultant to lead a comprehensive multi-phase assessment in selected locations.
2. Tentative Geographical Scope:
The primary focus will be on areas experiencing the highest rates of return, according to recent UNHCR figures. These include Damascus (17.3%), Aleppo (16.1%), Idleb (13.6%), Homs (13%), and Rural Damascus (12.2%).
In addition to return trends, the analysis should account for humanitarian gaps and the presence of humanitarian actors. For instance, despite significant needs in some areas, there is a notably limited presence of EIE potentially indicating low competition for funding in that sector.
Furthermore, the assessment should consider areas that have experienced, or continue to experience, emergencies that could trigger new waves of displacement, where access to education for displaced populations is compromised and the cases of out of school children could be surging.
Based on the secondary data review, the consultant is expected to propose the specific governorates, districts, and subdistricts to be targeted by the assessment.

3. Objective of the Assignment
To assess the current educational needs, barriers and opportunities in crisis-affected areas of Syria, particularly among internally displaced persons, returnees, and host communities, prioritizing out of school children, in order to inform and improve the design, targeting, and delivery of Education in Emergencies (EIE) interventions under the HIP 2026 framework. Specifically, the assessment will identify gaps in access, quality, inclusion, protection, learning continuity, and resilience of educational services, so that future EIE programming is evidence-based, responsive to evolving needs, gender- and disability-sensitive, and aligned with ECHO's priorities for humanitarian assistance.
The consultant is further expected to conduct a solid review of the HIP 2026 upon its release, ensuring recommendations remain relevant and aligned with ECHO's evolving priorities. A strong understanding of the EIE context in Syria is required, including existing non-formal education (NFE) interventions and clear pathways to formal education. In light of the changing context, the consultant should also demonstrate good knowledge of bridging programming for returnees and strategies for NFE reintegration into formal education systems.
The consultant will design and implement a needs assessment that combines secondary data review with primary data collection. The findings will directly inform the strategic direction, geographic targeting, and sectoral priorities of Plan International's upcoming ECHO proposal. The assessment must be methodologically sound, context-sensitive, and aligned with humanitarian principles and donor expectations.
Therefore, the main objectives of the assessment are:
1. Identify Priority Zones: Determine areas (sub-districts) with high concentrations of returnees and IDPs in Aleppo, Rural Damascus, Homs, and bordering governorates' collectively referred to as the Assessment Zones. List of gateways must be at sub district level, instead of governorates including location-specific contextual data and data on OOSC and CP concerns (Primary and Secondary Data per gateway)
2. Analyze Child Protection and Education Needs: Examine the primary child protection risks and educational needs affecting children and adolescents, with attention to gender- and age-specific trends within the Assessment Zones. The focus is to gather evidence by applying a mixed approach using quantitative and qualitative methods. Qualitative data will be collected via FGD and/or KIIs with technical working groups, while quantitative data via questionnaires with primary stakeholders, e.g., children, teachers and caregivers.
3. Assess Sectoral Capacities and Gaps: Evaluate existing capacities and gaps in education services, and map international organizations planning to conduct ECHO assessments in the targeted areas.
4. Explore Localization Opportunities: Identify opportunities to apply a conflict-sensitive localization approach that strengthens community-based responses.
5. Define Strategic Priorities for PI: Recommend priority actions for PIs response in the Assessment Zones, based on identified needs and gaps.
6. Integrate Cross-Cutting Themes: Ensure the integration of gender and inclusion, DRR, conflict sensitivity, and AAP throughout the assessment and response planning.

3. Approach and Methodology

The assessment will combine desk research with field-based evidence to build a clear picture of education needs and children’s protection concerns in the assessment zones. It will use a mix of household surveys, focus group discussions with children, caregivers, and teachers, as well as interviews with key stakeholders and service providers. The process will be participatory and inclusive, ensuring that gender, age, disability, and displacement factors are fully captured. Safeguarding and “Do No Harm” principles will guide all interactions with children and communities.

The consultant will lead the design and analysis, while working closely with Plan International’s technical teams to draw on their global Education in Emergencies expertise. This collaborative approach ensures that the assessment is not only rigorous and evidence-based but also enriched by Plan International's international experience, resulting in practical recommendations to inform an ECHO proposal and wider humanitarian programming.
The Consultant should adhere to PI's guidance on ECHO CPIE assessment and ECHO’s relevant standards.
Once the sample size / size of the HH to be reached with the needs assessment, and the locations are identified, a harmonized survey tool will be developed. The survey tool takes into consideration the characteristics of the beneficiaries and technical areas of interventions.
The harmonized survey tool includes both household and individual level data. On household level it generates information on household level vulnerabilities, demographic information, legal status, safety and security. The individual level data assesses individual vulnerabilities, aligned with the Child Protection and Education sectors (educational status, access to education, barriers to education, child protection, employment status and child labour) to identify the target beneficiaries for the proposed interventions. Informed consent is sought from the households, before the start of the interview, and for the case of minors, written consent is sought from caregivers. The data collection will be facilitated via the potential consortium members through a tool generated by the consultant and following a training delivered by the service provider and the analysis will be undertaken by the consultant.
Key Informants Interviews (KIIs) and/or Focus Group Discussions will be developed to target:
- Education and Child Protection sectors working groups (national and subnational level),
- Ministries of Education and Social affairs,
- Local authorities in the areas to potentially targeted, (municipalities)
- Community Based Organizations.
- Local partners.
- Teachers and other school staff

4. Scope of Work and Timeline (# of days to be proposed by the consultant)

a. Secondary Data Review: Review existing data sources provided by Plan International and other stakeholders. Identify priority locations based on evidence.
b. Develop inception report for Primary Data Collection Draft a detailed inception report including objectives, methodology, analytical framework, and feedback integration. (Needs assessment TOR)
c. Design Data Collection Tools Develop or adapt tools and sampling strategies. Circulate internally and revise based on feedback.
d. Train Data Collectors: Deliver training sessions and provide clear instructions and ethical guidance.
e. Oversee Data Collection: Monitor fieldwork, ensure data quality, troubleshoot issues, and hold regular meetings with data collectors.
f. Data Analysis & Final Report Analyze collected data and produce a comprehensive report with evidence-based recommendations.
g. Provision of inputs on NA in single form: LoE in terms of days will be dedicated to the inclusion of inputs pertaining to the NA in the single form upon grant application

5. Deliverables
- Inception report including: Secondary data review summary and location prioritization.
- Needs assessment ToR for primary data collection.
- Finalized data collection tools and sampling strategy.
- Training materials and attendance records.
- Field monitoring notes and data quality assurance documentation.
- Final assessment report with programmatic recommendations.
- Raw data and analysis files.

6. Ethical Considerations
The consultant must adhere to Plan International’s safeguarding policies, data protection standards, and ethical research practices. Informed consent and confidentiality must be ensured throughout the assessment process.
7. Payment Terms
Payment will be made in, subject to satisfactory completion of tasks.
- 20% upon submission of the Inception Report, including methodology, tools, and sampling framework.
- 20% upon completion of training, field data collection.
- 20% upon submission of the Draft Assessment Report and Cleaned Datasets.
- 40% upon submission of the Final Report.

Salary and benefits will be determined based on the financial proposal submitted by the consultant

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Nov 01, 2025

English