STATEMENT OF WORK

Background

The five-year USAID Positive Pathways Activity in Jamaica, implemented by Democracy International, seeks to prevent community violence through an evidence-based, collaborative problem-solving, positive youth development approach that strengthens youth, parents, caregiver, and community resilience in target communities for greater impact and sustainability. The Activity utilizes cross-cutting tools and approaches such as social and behavioral science, positive youth development, sport-for-development, positive deviance, and other strategies that focus on impact at the individual, community, and systems levels.

Positive Pathways works with partner organizations to ensure that Jamaican youth and families in the target communities have the resilience, resources, and opportunities they need to build more peaceful, supportive families and community. Violence is not only an individual or family problem, but a structural problem with far reaching socio-economic and cultural causes that requires a comprehensive response. Research from the World Health Organization and American Psychological Association linked low socioeconomic status (SES) with risk of engaging in or becoming a victim of violence, and the United States Surgeon General has identified low SES as a risk factor for violence. Although there is no direct causal link between SES and violence, improved SES has indirect positive effects, creating more supportive family environments and opportunities for youth in the long run.

To build resilient communities and reduce crime and violence in Jamaica, Positive Pathways seeks to strengthen one of the foundational building blocks of community: families and caregivers. Family dynamics, evidence shows, are a major predictor of youth crime and violence since many at-risk youth first learn destructive coping mechanisms at home.

Objectives

USAID Positive Pathways Activity is seeking to engage the services of a suitably qualified firm or group to implement parenting skills trainings to 200 eligible parents including parents/caregivers of at-risk youth and youth parents. Of those 200 parents, at least 160 participants should complete at least 80% of the training sessions.

The specific objective of the parenting skills training is to engage parents and caregivers to improve their parenting/co-parenting skills, father-child relationships, target perceptions of masculinity and domestic roles, provide access to the resources necessary to build more peaceful, and supportive families to create better, more positive interpersonal environments for at-risk youth. The firm should have relevant technical expertise in developing and implementing positive parenting training programs, preferably in volatile and vulnerable communities.

Required Services

The firm will be required to perform the following tasks to fulfil the objectives of the contract:

• Meet Positive Pathways’ program staff to receive orientation on current and past activities, approaches being used, and vital partners needed for and during training, and to develop an activity plan that incorporates these approaches within the training, for example: the use of nudges to encourage training attendance and promotes participation in parenting activities.

• Design and implement innovative parenting engagement workshops that incorporate parenting best practices and tools and address social inclusivity issues impacting parents and caregivers regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, and disabilities.

• Collaborate with schools, CBOs, and faith-based organizations to mobilize and enroll eligible families into parenting trainings and provide insights into community dynamics.

• Implement activities geared towards strengthening father-child relationships.

• Support and implement monitoring, evaluation and learning for activities and manage participants’ register for each session.

• Submit reports highlighting achievements, challenges, mitigation strategies, and recommendations.

Duration of Contract

The contract will run for 60 days.

Deliverables

The firm will deliver at least three in-person parenting engagements of no less than two hours in duration in each of the targeted communities using an interactive curriculum, using proven methodologies. The curriculum should be provided by the firm but approved by the Positive Pathways team.

Age Cohorts

Parent and caregiver activities under this activity should primarily focus on the parents and caregivers of youth in the cohorts below, with a focus on young parents. However, Positive Pathways recognizes that in some cases, it is important to allow other parents/caregivers in the community to participate due to their roles supporting at-risk youth or as influencers of those parents in the primary target group.

Cohort 1 – Boys and girls ages 10-13 who are demonstrating conduct issues in schools

Cohort 2 – Boys and girls ages 14-17 who show signs of maladaptive behavior and have conduct order

Cohort 3 – Males, females, and other ages 17-24 For this cohort, implementers may work with either of the following two subset cohorts:

• Subset A: unattached youth who may be primary or secondary prevention levels

• Subset B: Secondary and tertiary youth who are ex-gang members or have been in conflict with the law or living in high-risk situations

Geographic Area of Coverage

St. James - Flanker, Norwood, Salt Spring

Gender Inclusivity

Activities proposed must include a gender sensitive approach. The recruitment for training, management, and implementation of these activities must consider gender roles; the availability of boys, girls, women or men; and other factors. Activities are not required to have a 50-50 male-female balance (for example, activities focused on fathers), but when there is an intentional effort to recruit persons of one sex over another, the activity must provide a justification for that approach. Otherwise, activities should provide equal opportunity for boys and girls, males, females, and others. Activities must explore and challenge gender norms and how these contribute to cyclical violence.

Desired Qualifications and Experience of the Lead Consultant(s) assigned to the project:

• A Masters’ degree in Family Counseling, Psychology, Social Work or Sociology.

• At least 10 years of relevant professional experience in developing, coordinating, and implementing programs in the areas of parenting support and gender-based violence within volatile and vulnerable communities.

• Demonstrated expertise on parenting practices and approaches to effectively support pro-social behavior and mitigate antisocial behavior.

• Demonstrated experience as a training facilitator and ability to prepare high quality reports and training materials.

• Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills.

• Strong organizational and leadership skills.

How to Apply

Interested firm should download the Statement of Work by clicking here or by accessing the download button in the top right corner of this page and submit a 3-5 page training plan, including an overview of the curriculum, plus the CV of lead Consultant(s) via email to infojamaica@democracyinternational.com by 5:00 p.m, on July 29, 2022. We appreciate all interest in this contract, but only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.