Advertisement for the selection of a Sociological Company with the purpose of carrying out a research on the safety of vulnerable children in the digital environment

TERMS OF REFERENCE

For the selection of a Sociological Company with the purpose of carrying out a research on the safety of vulnerable children in the digital environment

Contract type: Service Contract

Consultancy Duration: November 2023 - July 2024

Context:

The vulnerability of children in the digital environment is a complex subject, interconnected with various social aspects. Research conducted so far in the field of child online safety identifies children's interests online, risk behaviors, and children's response reactions to online abuse situations. However, there remains an informational gap concerning digital inclusion and the specific risks faced by vulnerable children in the digital environment in the Republic of Moldova.

The planned research aims to provide data and recommendations to improve the national response on two dimensions:

1) Digital inclusion of children and families with vulnerable children;

2) Safety of vulnerable children in the digital environment, for a better understanding of the specific risks and challenges in the digital environment, the experiences of these children, factors contributing to their online vulnerability, as well as exploring effective ways to promote the safety of vulnerable children in the online environment.

The study findings will serve as the foundation for the development of evidence-based programs, training initiatives for professionals in the domain of child protection, and other tools to promote the safety of children online more effectively, including protecting vulnerable children from any form of abuse.

In the context of the research, a broader definition of vulnerable children will be applied, which aligns with the provisions of Article 8 of Law No. 140/2013, as well as Articles 1 and 7 of Law No. 547/2003. Consequently, the category of vulnerable children will include: children from families with low or no income, children abandoned or deprived of parental care, children from incomplete families, as well as children who possess other characteristics of vulnerability such as those with special educational needs, migrant or refugee children, and children who are victims of crimes (experiencing violence, neglect, etc.).

The proposed sample will include 1000 children (aged 9-17 years), from two sub-categories, vulnerable children and non-vulnerable children, according to predetermined criteria. The sociological company may propose another sample, based on the goals and objectives of the research. 

This research will be carried out by the International Center” La Strada", with the support of Palladium within the Data for Impact Project, funded by USAID.

Specific tasks and expected results:

The research aims to support authorities in the development of evidence-based programs in the field of online child safety, implementing awareness campaigns regarding risks in the online environment, and developing training programs for child protection professionals in this area. The sociological company is set to conduct the study between November 2023 and June 2024.

The proposed objectives include:

1) Researching children's access to the Internet, the practices and skills of children online, the specific risks and the response of vulnerable children to risks in the digital environment;

2) Analyzing specific vulnerabilities and factors to protect children from online risks;

3) Formulating relevant recommendations for public authorities and professionals in the field of child protection regarding the reduction of risks in the virtual environment to which vulnerable children may be exposed;

 Responsibilities of the sociological company:

 

1. Elaboration of the research framework, including draft report content, research tools (interview guide, focus group moderation guide, questionnaires, etc.);
2. Consulting on the research methodology with the International Center "La Strada";
3. Collecting relevant data, useful for research, including by moderating focus group discussions, conducting individual interviews or applying questionnaires, according to the methodology approved by the International Center " La Strada”;
4. Analyzing the collected data, elaborating and consulting the preliminary version of the research with the International Center " La Strada”;
5. Collecting recommendations and finalizing the final version of the research;
6. Participation in an event to present research results.

 Research activities should be carried out as follows:

 

Tasks	Results	Dates & terms of implementation
Drafting the Research Protocol in line with Palladium's considerations for its coordination with the Institutional Review Board. Adapting the Protocol based on suggestions from the International Center 'La Strada' and Palladium (in English). The research protocol will include research methodology and tools (interview guide, focus group moderation guide, questionnaires, etc.), including the description of ethical considerations	Research Protocol	26 January 2024
Consultation of the research framework project with the International Center "La Strada"	Approval of the research framework by the International Center "La Strada"	30 January 2024
3. Incorporation of Palladium comments on the revision of the research protocol, translation of research tools into Russian and Romanian	Data collection tools-English, Romanian, Russian	28 February 2024
Collecting relevant data, useful for research, including by moderating focus group discussions, conducting individual interviews or applying questionnaires, according to the methodology approved by the International Center " La Strada”	Tables with data collected, final dataset in SPSS.	1 March - 30 March 2024
5. Preliminary data analysis, tables and graphs sent to La Strada	Draft Excel files with analysis, tables, graphs and other figures	15 April 2024
Analysis of the collected data, elaboration and consultation of the preliminary version of the research with the International Center " La Strada”	Preliminary report (in English and Romanian).	30 April 2024
Collecting recommendations and finalizing the final version of the research;	Final report (in English and Romanian).	30 May 2024
Participation in an event to present research results	- public event - PP presentation - List of participants - collecting recommendations from participants	June 2024

 Application for participation in the competition

 The deadline for submitting the proposal is December 1, 2023, 18.00 and will include:

- A brief of the bidding company (name, postal address, bank details, contact phone, electronic address, responsible person, relevant data from the company's activity, etc.).

- The technical proposal that will include an overview on the implementation of the consultancy and terms of implementation;

- The financial offer, presented in USD, indicating the gross amount with VAT included.

 

The applications will be sent via email: office@lastrada.md. The selected company will be the contacted to discuss the contract details