TERMS OF REFERENCE (ToR)
Position: Social And Behaviour Change (SBC) Associate- Capacity Development of Panchayat Leaders on Child Protection–1Position
Duty Station: State Institute of Rural Development (SIRD), Bhubaneswar under CoE CH&N, Capital Hospital, Bhubaneswar
Employer: Director, Capital Hospital, Bhubaneswar
Reporting to: Director, Capital Hospital (Administrative) & SBC Specialist, UNICEF (Technical)
1. BACKGROUND/RATIONALE:
In Odisha, most of the child protection issues such as child marriage, child sexual abuse, gender-based violence, trafficking and migration, etc., are deeply rooted in the traditional belief systems and social norms. These practices often continue at the family and community level. Therefore, for an effective child protection intervention at the grassroot level (through community institutions – Panchayats), it is essential to integrate them with the social and behaviour change approaches and pathways.
The panchayati raj institutions are the nearest governance system for families at the community level. Therefore, they can play a critical role prevention and response mechanism. The panchayat leaders can play specific roles such as, mobilize village level child protection committees as safety net in the communities, support the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) by linking families to welfare schemes, integrate child protection programmes into Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDP), monitor vulnerable households where migration or dropouts or early marriage risks prevails, allocate resources for campaigns and safe spaces for children, support regular information to the Childline, police, or child welfare committees, lead dialogue and debate against the harmful social norms and traditional practices, mobilize parents, adolescents and young people to shun harmful gender norms and promote child friendly panchayats.
The approaches to social and behaviour change would strengthen the knowledge base of the panchayat leaders on child protection issues, build their leadership skills to act against the harmful practices and improve community engagement skills. The focus can be on women panchayat leaders, who can play critical role in mobilizing communities against the social evils such as child marriage and gender-based violence.
Therefore, for the engagement with the panchayat leaders, it is being proposed to hire one SBC Associate who would support in capacity development and mobilization of panchayat leaders. The SBC Associate would be based in the State Institute of Rural Development (SIRD), where the panchayat leaders can be oriented.
2. OBJECTIVE(S)
The primary objective of the consultancy is to support in preparation of a comprehensive SBC strategy for capacity development and mobilization of the panchayat leaders to create a safety net and safe spaces to protect and promote children’s rights.
The secondary objective is to focus on systems strengthening of local governance structure and collaborating with the panchayat leaders and influencers, who can mobilize their communities, to actively act against the harmful social norms and practices and encourage community to participate in the child protection initiatives aimed at improving the status of their children, adolescents and young people.
3. MAJOR TASKS TO BE ACCOMPLISHED
a) Based on the vulnerability mapping study conducted in 5 highly vulnerable districts, support in designing a training package for the panchayat leaders under the child friendly gram panchayat
b) Support State Institute of Rural Development (SIRD) to plan training sessions on child protection issues for the capacity development of panchayat leaders at the state and district level
c) Follow up and coordinate with the districts for the capacity development of the panchayat ward members and Village Level Child Protection Committee members
d) Support in the inclusion of child protection issues in the Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP)
e) Visit districts allocated by SIRD for the capacity development, monitoring, and follow up on the implementation of GPDP
f) Measure the effectiveness of the training programmes through pre and post analysis and during the field visits
g) Support documentation of training programmes, document success stories and share for learning with cross sectoral units
h) Work in convergence with the WASH team at SIRD and support in the training programmes.
i) Support in designing SBC communication packages on child protection issues for the panchayat leaders
j) Take up any other responsibilities assigned by SIRD and Director Capital Hospital.
4. DUTY STATION
Duty station will be at State Institute of Rural Development (SIRD), Bhubaneswar.
5. OFFICIAL TRAVEL INVOLVED (ITINERARY AND DURATION)
The estimated duration during the contract period would be for 27 days (Maximum 3 Days in a month).
6. DURATION OF CONTRACT
The initial contract is valid until December 31, 2026, with the possibility of extension based on performance and funding availability
7. ESTIMATED COST OF CONSULTANCY
• Monthly remuneration @ Rs 50,000/- per month (April to Dec 2026)
• Travel: In-state travel up to 3 days per month as per program requirements.
8. QUALIFICATIONS /SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE/EXPERIENCE/ COMPETENCIES (CORE/TECHNICAL/FUNCTIONAL)/ LANGUAGE SKILLS REQUIRED FOR THE ASSIGNMENT (Please use as applicable)
• Advance University Degree in Social Science, Social Work, Psychology, Sociology, Public health, or other related social science field is required.
• Experience: A minimum of 2-5 years of professional experience in areas of advocacy, social mobilization, communication, capacity development preferably in child protection, health and WASH sector at the UN organization/international and/or large civil society organization. Experience of working with WCD, PR Department, health and family welfare or any government agencies is preferable.
• Working proficiency in English and Odia.
• Demonstrated ability to balance priorities and interests to meet deadlines.
• Ability to work in teams and meet tight deadlines.
• Should have own computer to share the word/pdf files of the revised communication materials systematically and timely manner.
Last Date for Application: 22nd March, 2026
How to Apply: Complete the Google Form using the following link: https://forms.gle/VSTngg5EVdKEoeXy8
Note: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview.