Home-based: Final Evaluation of the ‘Children Know Better’ Project

October 2025 – January 2026
(Part-time estimated 20-30 working days)

Organisational Context: 

ECPAT International is a global network of organisations working together for the elimination of the sexual exploitation of children (SEC) in all its manifestations i.e., exploitation of children in prostitution, online child sexual exploitation, sale and trafficking of children for sexual purposes, sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism and some forms of child, early and forced marriage. The ECPAT Network currently consists of 142 members working at national and local levels in 115 countries.

The ECPAT International Secretariat coordinates the global work of the organisation and is based in Bangkok, Thailand. The Secretariat designs and implements global and regional level programmes, and undertakes programming, advocacy and research and facilitates a range of network initiatives.

Context of The Consultancy: 

ECPAT International in collaboration with ACD Bangladesh and CWIN Nepal are implementing the ‘Children Know Better’ project, a Participatory Action Research project with children to pilot new ways to generate knowledge and inform strategies to protect children from sexual exploitation in Bangladesh and Nepal. In each country, a group of child leaders have been supported by young adult facilitators and trained to conduct participatory research with their peers to understand the drivers and manifestations of child sexual exploitation and abuse in their contexts, analyse existing responses and propose their views and recommendations to prevent child sexual exploitation and abuse. They will also collaborate and advocate with duty bearers to ensure more sustainable engagement with children on these matters.

As the project concludes, ECPAT is commissioning a final evaluation to assess the outcomes, influence, and systems-level impact of its key interventions. The evaluation will specifically examine the value and scalability of child-led research and advocacy, ethical considerations, intergenerational collaboration, and the project’s broader contribution to child-led approaches to advocacy and research.

Consultancy Objectives: 

To evaluate the effectiveness, relevance, ethical quality, and systems-level influence of the Children Know Better project, with specific attention to:

• The quality and impact of child participation in research and advocacy
• The uptake and influence of child-led research findings and advocacy messages
• Institutional and behavioural shifts among civil society actors, policymakers, and other stakeholders
• The contribution of intergenerational models and enabling environments for participation
• Safeguarding practices and ethical tensions related to child and survivor engagement

Key Evaluation Questions: 

The evaluation will answer key questions from the project learning strategy. These are:

1. Safeguarding and Ethical Considerations in Child and Survivor Engagement: 

• What are the guiding principles and trauma-informed approaches to safely and ethically involve children and young survivors in advocacy and research?
• How can consent processes be adapted to be age-appropriate, culturally sensitive, and inclusive of marginalised groups such as boys and LGBTQI+ children?
• What additional safeguards are needed to assess risk and benefit when working with children who have experienced sexual exploitation?

2. Creating and Ensuring an Enabling and Inclusive Environment:

• How can we effectively reach and engage marginalised children in culturally sensitive and non-conventional contexts?
• What strategies best build and sustain trust with children of diverse genders, experiences, and identities?
• How do we manage group composition dynamics, drop-off rates, and age transitions to maintain meaningful engagement over time?

3. Defining and Measuring Meaningful Children’s Participation and Advocacy: 

• How do we define and operationalise meaningful child participation in policy and practice?
• What evidence exists on the impact of child-led advocacy compared to adult-led campaigns in influencing decision-makers and communities?
• How can organisations best prepare and support children’s advocates, especially when their messages challenge traditional norms or organisational approaches?
• What are the key tensions, complexities, and effective processes in participatory advocacy from the perspectives of children, families, communities, and practitioners?

4. Participatory Research Methodologies and Youth Engagement: 

• What tools and methods effectively engage children and young survivors as peer researchers in safe and meaningful ways?
• How does youth-led data collection and analysis affect the quality, relevance, and ethical standards of evidence?
• What types of support, training, and wellbeing mechanisms are needed for youth researchers involved in sensitive research?

5. Intergenerational Partnerships: 

• What approaches are effective in facilitating difficult conversations with adults, parents, and communities about child abuse, including sexual exploitation?
• How do we ensure meaningful child participation through protected and enabling environments by building the capacities of adults surrounding children (e.g. CSO workers, educators, decision-makers)?
• In what ways do participatory advocacy and research approaches empower children and challenge adult conceptions about their roles in ending SEC?

Scope of Work: 

The consultant will work closely with ECPAT’s MEL team, local partners, and child participation leads. Activities may include:

• Document Review: Analyse project documentation including baseline, midline, and endline assessments; participatory workshop outputs; learning briefs; uptake strategy; and related advocacy tools
• Key Informant Interviews (KIIs): Conduct interviews with implementing partners, young adult peer facilitators, and/or child leaders as appropriate, ECPAT staff, global learning advisors, and policy stakeholders
• Thematic and Comparative Analysis: Assess changes across time and context (Nepal and Bangladesh), focusing on participatory processes, impact, and institutional responses
• Validation Workshop: Facilitate a sense-check session (virtual) with key stakeholders to validate findings and capture final inputs
• Collaboration on Case Studies: Where relevant, identify illustrative case examples or profiles of successful engagement with children, communities, or institutions
• Integration of Learning Products: Review and draw on existing project learning outputs (being finalised concurrently) to triangulate findings
• Ethical Review: Assess how safeguarding, consent, trauma-informed practice, and inclusivity were implemented throughout the project lifecycle

Expected Deliverables: 

• Inception report with evaluation design and tools
• Final evaluation report (30–40 pages) with executive summary and annexes
• Presentation to ECPAT and the project donor
• Two-page policy summary

Consultant Profile: 

The consultant is expected to have:

• Proven experience in evaluating child rights, child protection, or participatory programming
• Demonstrated experience applying participatory and child-centred evaluation methods
• Deep understanding of safeguarding, trauma-informed practice, and inclusive methodologies
• Strong qualitative analysis skills; familiarity a range of outcome evaluation methodologies
• Excellent writing and synthesis skills, especially for policy and practitioner audiences
• Ability to work collaboratively with country teams, and adapt communication for diverse stakeholders

Additional Information: 

This is a home-based position using its own equipment. The consultants should be available for online calls including with different time zones, in particular with Nepal and Bangladesh where implementing partners are based.

The Consultant is expected to act at all times in a manner consistent with the values of ECPAT International and in compliance with the organisation’s policies and procedures including Safeguarding Policies.

Our Commitment: 

As ECPAT’s International Secretariat we recognise that our strength lies in the diversity of the people who make up our global network, staff, volunteers and consultants. We are committed to being an inclusive workplace where people of all backgrounds and cultures can strive and be themselves. This means we will challenge ourselves to do better and to continue learning, to create and maintain a working environment steeped in respect, tolerance, safety, and where all parties are valued equally.

As a child-focused organisation, ECPAT has a strong commitment to child safeguarding and rigorous procedures, and the successful candidate will be required to sign our 2 codes of conduct.

How to Apply: 

Please submit your proposal to vacancy@ecpat.org, with the subject line: [Your Name] – “Children Know Better Evaluation”. Kindly include the following documents:

• A short proposal (5–10 pages) outlining your proposed approach, methodology, and timeline
• CV(s) highlighting relevant expertise
• Financial proposal (daily rate in USD; total estimate for 20-30 days over 3–4 months)

Due to the high volume of applications, we receive, we are not able to respond to every application. If you have not heard back from us within 3 weeks from the deadline, it means that your application has not been successful.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: All proposals must be submitted by 31st August 2025.