Research Consultant

Role Overview

Challenging Heights is seeking a research consultant to lead a baseline study focused on the effects of limited or absent parental care on children in coastal and southern districts of Ghana. The assignment is intended to generate current evidence that can guide program design, strengthen monitoring of an ongoing child support initiative, and support advocacy efforts.

Background

The organization works to reduce child labour and trafficking while improving school participation and learning outcomes. This study is needed because reliable, up-to-date information is required to understand why children become involved in work, how lack of parental care contributes to that risk, and which interventions are most effective in protecting vulnerable children.

The research will cover children without parental care or those at risk of losing it in six districts and will also examine the situation of 40 children currently supported by the project.

Study Scope and Approach

The study is expected to be designed jointly by the consultant and Challenging Heights staff. It will likely combine quantitative and qualitative methods, including questionnaires, in-depth interviews, surveys with parents, and possibly discussions with government officials from the education, social welfare, police, and human rights sectors. Observation and focus group discussions may also be used.

The quantitative component is expected to include about 60 children in each of the six locations, split equally between girls and boys. From these, 10 girls and 10 boys per district may take part in qualitative interviews. The 40 current project beneficiaries will also be surveyed, and 20 of them may be included in the qualitative portion. In the district where the project is already active, 40 children from the sample may be randomly chosen as a comparison group.

The study locations include Awutu Senya, Effutu Municipal, Agona West, Mfantseman, Kasoa District Assemblies, and the Kaneshie area in Greater Accra Region.

Key Research Areas

• Child and household demographics, including age, gender, parental status, marital status, education levels, family size, place of origin, religion, and health conditions
• Children living arrangements, such as staying with grandparents or other relatives, child-headed homes, and households headed by mothers
• Family income sources and livelihoods
• The number of children in each district who are living without parental care or are at risk of losing it
• What these children are doing, whether they are in school, involved in labour, trafficked, where they live, what difficulties they face, and how much they are paid, if applicable
• Differences in experiences between girls and boys, as well as across age groups
• How much time children have for play each day
• Risks, protective strategies, support services, and safe places children know about
• Children’s ideas of a safe and loving home and whether their own family situation reflects that ideal
• The effects of losing parental care and the reasons children are in these situations
• Factors that increase the likelihood of losing parental care
• Possible remedies and community responses for children without parental care or at risk of losing it
• Existing pro-poor interventions in the target districts and possible outcomes of LEEP for poor families and children
• Adult caregivers’ understanding of children’s rights, trafficking risks, and past reporting of trafficking cases to authorities
• How conflict is handled within households, from both children’s and adults’ perspectives

Consultant Responsibilities

• Develop the baseline survey framework in collaboration with Challenging Heights staff, including methods, tools, and questionnaires
• Assemble a research team with balanced representation of genders
• Build appropriate ethical safeguards into the study design
• Carry out the baseline survey
• Process and analyze the data collected
• Prepare the final research report
• Share findings with participating communities alongside Challenging Heights staff

Deliverables

• Final report
• Summary report covering the project beneficiaries and the control group
• Raw data gathered during the research

Qualifications and Experience

• At least a master’s degree in social science, child psychology, or a closely related field
• Willingness to undergo police clearance as part of suitability checks for work with children
• Prior experience conducting comparable research in Ghana
• Strong ability to analyze data and draw evidence-based conclusions

Remuneration and Budget Notes

Payment will be negotiated based on the consultant’s qualifications, the proposed research plan, and the available project budget.

The consultant is expected to supply their own laptop or computer and to build all project-related expenses into the budget proposal. Any costs claimed later must be backed by receipts or payment vouchers.

Support from Challenging Heights

• Workspace for the analysis stage, if needed
• Important community contacts
• Access to project beneficiaries

Application Instructions

Applicants should send their CV with two professional references, a one-page draft methodology proposal with a budget covering all research costs and the consultant fee, and an example of previous work such as an evaluation or analysis paper. Applications should be submitted by email before the stated closing date.

Closing Date

Applications close on 01 October, 2012.