Evaluation Portfolio
2024 : [ The Salvation Army Singapore ] : Evaluation of Befrienders for Families Programme
Child Frontiers is conducting a 4-year evaluation of the implementation of the Befrienders for Families Programme for the Salvation Army Singapore, a UBS Optimus Foundation grantee supporting families who have recently experienced reunification with their children following a period of institutional care. Child Frontiers will design and propose a highly participatory evaluation approach using the Dynamic Adaptation Process model, along with an implementation plan that aims to achieve several outcomes, including testing the initial logic that the Befrienders for Families model is appropriate for the Singapore context and applicable to the target group.
2023 : [ NRC ] : Case Management Initiative Project Evaluation
Child Frontiers is conducting an evaluation and check-in for the Norwegian Refugee Council for its Global Protection Case Management Initiative. The objective of the evaluation will be to understand the extent to which, as a result of this project, the humanitarian protection sector gained the knowledge, tools, guidance and experience needed to develop and scale up a more standardized, coordinated, and quality, general protection case management. To strengthen the initiative going into Year 2 of the project, a ‘check-in’ to review of Year 1 will be conducted to document progress and make recommendations for Year 2 of the project. This is expected to take place in a 2-day workshop in September 2023 in Amman, Jordan. The project will close in August 2024 and an evaluation is required with a dedicated focus on the extent to which this case management system is dedicated to and has provided services to people who experience life threatening protection concerns.
2023 : [ UNICEF Ethiopia ] : Evaluation of UNICEF’s L3 Response in Northern Ethiopia
Child Frontiers, is contributing its child protection in emergencies (CPiE) knowhow, in partnership with Valid Evaluations Limited, to evaluate UNICEF’s Corporate Emergency Level 3 Scale-up Procedure (CEAP) for Northern Ethiopia, covering the regions of Tigray, Amhara and Afar. The overarching objective of this evaluation is to provide a comprehensive assessment of UNICEF’s overall response in Northern Ethiopia since the L3 activation in May 2021, measured against its own mandate, corporate commitments, stated objectives and standard evaluation criteria including: relevance/appropriateness, effectiveness, connectedness, coverage and coordination. The UNICEF L3 CEAP complements the UNICEF Core Commitments for Children (CCCs) and highlights ‘specific simplifications that supersede global policies and procedures that would otherwise apply in non-emergency contexts.’
2022 : [ UNICEF HQ ] : After Action Review of the UASC Intervention in Afghanistan
Child Frontiers is conducting a structured debriefing and learning exercise, or After-Action Review (AAR), of UNICEF’s family tracing and reunification response for unaccompanied and separated Afghan children (UASC) evacuated from Kabul by the United States in August 2021. The AAR aims to accurately and comprehensively document what happened, how it happened, and why - with the ultimate aim of identifying learning and actions that may inform program and policy preparedness and response procedures, tools, and ways of working. The AAR provides a valuable opportunity for UNICEF to reflect, learn, and gain a stronger understanding of how UNICEF responds and collaborates, internally and externally, to a complex and acute emergency, involving atypical events and multiple and diverse stakeholders. In addition to meaningful discussion and learning, the exercise aims to identify concrete actions and recommendations that UNICEF can undertake to inform and strengthen its response capacity in the future.
2022 : [ UBS Optimus Foundation ] : Evaluation of Safe Families in Hong Kong SAR
Child Frontiers is conducting a 36-month evaluation of the Safe Families model, that is being piloted by Mother’s Choice, a Hong Kong-based grantee of UBS Optimus Foundation supporting children without families and pregnant teenagers. Safe Families aims to surround families in need with a caring and compassionate community, creating extended family-like support for struggling families through a community of skilled volunteers. The program has been implemented in more than 150 locations in the US, UK and Canada, but not yet in a country of Chinese heritage such as Hong Kong. This Safe Families project will be the first in Asia, and Mother’s Choice have a vision to scale the model across the region. This evaluation will, at the outset, test the initial logic that the Safe Families is transferable to a Hong Kong setting; during the course of project, monitor the success and quality of the program; at the end of the program, conclude whether Safe Families provides Mother’s Choice with a viable framework to enable the scaling of the program to support more socially isolated mothers.
2021 : [ IOD Parc ] : Evaluation of UNHCR’s Child Protection Programming
Child Frontiers contributed child protection and quality assurance expertise to efforts by IOD Parc, as lead contractor, in the evaluation of UNHCR’s child protection programming. The purpose of the evaluation is to review UNHCR’s child protection leadership role, strategies and program performance to inform UNHCR’s child protection strategy and the implementation of UNHCR child protection programming. The findings and recommendations generated by the evaluation will be used to influence strategic direction, to inform theory and practice of child protection in UNHCR, inform UNHCR resourcing for child protection programming and to strengthen partnerships. The evidence, to be generated via consultations across UNHCR operations in various global locations, will highlight the centrality of the child protection agenda within broader work on forced displacement by UNHCR, authorities and partners. The final evaluation report can be accessed here.
2020: [ IOD Parc ] : UNICEF ECARO Evaluation Quality Reviews
Child Frontiers is part of a consortium of organizations led by IOD Parc, that has been awarded a contract to undertake country program evaluations and country thematic evaluations for UNICEF ECARO (Europe and Central Asia). Child Frontiers’ contribution will be of quality reviews, and will be joined in the consortium by IOD Parc, evaluation specialists IMC USA, Turkey-based social and economic policy research specialists Development Analytics, and Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan based research specialists M-Vector.
2020 : [ IOD Parc ] : UNHCR Evaluation Quality Assurance
Child Frontiers is partnering with IOD Parc to provide quality assurance input on child protection issues on Evaluation reports produced by UNICEF and United Nations Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
2020 : [ UNICEF Croatia ] : Evaluation of the Family and Community-Based Care
Child Frontiers is conducting a formative evaluation of the family and community-based services for prevention and response to violence, abuse, exploitation and exclusion of the most vulnerable children in Croatia. This evaluation will assess the extent to which the interventions conducted with UNICEF’s support in the period 2017-2021 are successful in terms of relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability, and also how gender and equity issues have been addressed. It will provide recommendations to support further improvements in provision of family and community-based services, and scaling up by the Government in centers for social welfare, family centers and other potential organizations within the social welfare system. The project will guide UNICEF’s contribution and role in the area and inform future UNICEF policy dialogue, strategic programming and child-focused policy advocacy in developing and expanding family and community-based services for the most vulnerable children and families.
2019 : [ IOD Parc ] : Evaluation of UNICEF Country Program in Uzbekistan
Child Frontiers is contributing to the efforts by IOD Parc to conduct a Formative Country Programme Evaluation to assess the performance of the UNICEF programme in Uzbekistan for 2016-2020 within the context of a changing political and economic environment in Uzbekistan. The evaluation will maximise opportunities for learning, particularly in relation to informing future strategic decision-making with regard to UNICEF’s co-operation in Uzbekistan. The evaluation team comprises of a multifaceted cadre of experts, and Child Frontiers will contribute expertise on child protection, particularly in relation to juvenile justice and alternative care.
2019 : [ UNICEF Tanzania ] : Assessment of the Social Service Workforce to Inform Future Investment in Human Resources
Child Frontiers is conducting a comprehensive assessment of the social service workforce in mainland Tanzania. Although it is recognised that there are not enough frontline service providers to meet the growing needs of women and children affected by violence, poverty or vulnerability, there is no real understanding of the type of investment that should be made in the social service workforce. The Government of Tanzania, with support from UNICEF, has initiated this assessment to address the gaps between the status of the social service workforce relative to the requirements to achieve the national vision, policies, strategies and programmes. This assessment will inform efforts to improve the adequacy, coherence, effectiveness and efficiency of Tanzania’s social workforce cadre, enabling effective delivery of programmes and services in child protection as well as social protection. Primary and secondary data from 26 regions in the country and local government authorities will be collected and analysed as part of this groundbreaking exercise.
2019 : [ UNICEF Indonesia ] : Review of the Child Protection Response to Central Sulawesi Disaster
Child Frontiers is conducting a technical review of UNICEF’s Child Protection response following the 7.4 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami in central Sulawesi in September 2018. The tsunami is estimated to have affected approximately 1.5 million people, including an estimated 525,000 children. The purpose of the review is to strengthen child protection programming in the context of emergencies in Indonesia, drawing lessons and recommendations that will influence ongoing and future programmes. The review is intended to inform UNICEF's and the Government of Indonesia's preparedness, planning and response to child protection in disaster settings, including the policy framework, capacity development strategy and provision of technical guidance. The review will also complement the ongoing evaluation of the integrated child welfare services model (PKSAI) with MOSA, currently being conducted by Child Frontiers.
2019: [ UNICEF Kenya ] : Evaluation of Child Protection Centres
Child Frontiers is conducting a formative evaluation of Child Protection Centres (CPC) to prevention of and response to violence, abuse and exploitation of children in Kenya. A CPC is a community resource centre that offers comprehensive child prevention and response services for children and their families who are in need of care and protection at the county level. This evaluation will cover one-stop service points piloted in four counties (Malindi, Garissa, Mombasa and Nairobi); and aims at identifying the strengths and weaknesses as well as gaps of the model including its community outreach component when it comes to preventing and responding to violence against children. The evaluation will be based on standard DAC criteria, which is being done to inform the UNICEF implementation of the new Country Program Document (CPD); and it will feed into the 2019 mid-year review and the 2020 CPD mid-term review. It is expected that the evaluation outcome will be a set of forward-looking conclusions and actionable recommendations for strengthening the government-led child protection service provision as well as the community-based outreach of the CPCs as an integral part of child protection systems in Kenya.
2018 : [ IOD Parc ] : Evaluation of the Community-based Child Protection Services in Response to the Syria Refugee Crisis in Turkey
Child Frontiers is partnering with IOD Parc and Turkey-based research specialists INGEV in an evaluation that will assess the community-based child protection (CBCP) services program that UNICEF has been implementing in partnership with various NGOs in response to the Syria refugee crisis in Turkey, which is home to the world’s largest refugee population. The program is outlined in a theory of change and other programmatic documents developed by UNICEF in Turkey. The Psycho-Social Support component of the program is also aligned with the UNICEF’s Community-based PSS Theory of Change4. The main purpose of the CBCP program is to strengthen the care and protective environment for refugee children and families by facilitating their access to a range of child protection services delivered through a network of partner NGOs. The partnership proposes a highly participatory theory-based evaluation using context-sensitive methodology.
2018 : [ UNICEF Indonesia ] : Evaluation of the Integrated Child Welfare Program
Child Frontiers, in partnership with IOD Parc and Migunani (an Indonesian research institute), is conducting a formative evaluation of Government of Indonesia’s Ministry of Social Affairs’ Integrated Child Welfare Program (Program Kesejahteraan Sosial Anak Integratif, PKSAI). The PKSAI model strives to address complex challenges related to policy implementation, service delivery and decentralization. As such, learning generated from this assessment will be valuable for child protection actors in the region and globally. Its results and recommendations will inform the Government of Indonesia, particularly MOSA, about the achievements and challenges experienced during the piloting of the service model since its 2015 initiation and guide the strategy for scaling up from 5 to 100 districts/cities in 2018 and to an additional 100 districts/cities in 2019. This rapid expansion of a service reform model is yet to be evaluated in the Indonesian context and merits immediate and comprehensive analysis. The evaluation will capture learning and identify necessary adjustments to ensure that the considerable resource investment renders optimal welfare and protection outcomes for children across the country. Data collection for this evaluation will take place in Jakarta, East Java and Sulawesi.
2018 : [ UNICEF Bosnia and Herzegovina ] : Evaluation of the Child Care Reform Program
Child Frontiers evaluated UNICEF’s “Transformation of care institutions and prevention of family separation program” which strives to ensure that children grow-up within safe and loving families in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It achieved this goal through reducing the use of institutional care, promoting the expansion of foster care, and preventing unnecessary separation from families. A reduction in the use of institutional care is an important criterion for EU accession and this evaluation has the potential to promote broader social and political changes for the country. Program objectives reflect both government priorities and global guidance on children’s care. As such, the program contributed important learning at the national, regional and global levels. This evaluation was an opportunity to contribute to the analysis and understanding of an important initiative to improve the care and protection of vulnerable children and families. The Final Report on the Evaluation can be accessed here.
2018 : [ World Vision East Asia ] : EVAC Program Monitoring and Evaluation
Child Frontiers reviewed WV East Asia’s four-year program End Violence Against Children in East Asia’s (EVAC EA) Monitoring and Evaluation approach and using the baseline data from EVAC countries (Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Mongolia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam) as a basis to develop specific analysis and regional review, highlighting trends and status of violence against children within the region. This regional report with country level data provided a standardized baseline and a reference point for ongoing monitoring, reporting and endline evaluation. This study also provided a basic framework to monitor and assess the progress and effectiveness during implementation. EVAC EA is the latest iteration of WV’s ongoing regional program in South East Asia that began with the Mekong Delta Regional Trafficking Strategy (MDRTS) (2007-2010), which was then followed by End Trafficking in Persons (ETIP) (2011-2016). The Final Report for the study can be accessed here.
2016 : [ Plan Cambodia ] : Child Protection System Strengthening Project Evaluation
Child Frontiers conducted an evaluation of Plan Cambodia's “Promoting Child-Friendly Communities through the Development of a National Child Protection System in Cambodia” project implemented in partnership with three local NGOs with funding support from the European Union (EU) and Plan UK from 2014 – 2016. The overall objective of the project is to contribute to the development of a National Child Protection System in Cambodia to ensure that all children enjoy their right to protection from all forms of violence in all settings. Data was collected from 6 districts of Siem Reap and Tboung Khmum provinces. The Final Report can be accessed here.
2015 : [ Universalia ] : Evaluation of Partnerships in Children and Youth Protection Programming
Child Frontiers collaborated with Universalia on a case study evaluation of five DFATD child protection projects. Child Frontiers provided child protection expertise throughout the evaluation and led the Thailand and Colombia case studies. In Thailand, the project Child Protection Partnership was to protect children from sexual exploitation by the growing use of ICT. In Colombia, the Building National Child Rights and Protection Capacity project focused on early childhood to strengthen the rights, protection and well-being of poor and marginalized children and youth. Both projects were implemented by the International Institute for Child Rights and Development (IICRD). The Final Report can be accessed here.
2015 : [ UBS Optimus Foundation ] : Evaluation of Child Protection Projects in Russia and Belarus
Child Frontiers was commissioned for the second time (the first in 2011) by the Optimus Foundation of the UBS banking group, to conduct an external evaluation of two projects focused on measuring and reducing child sexual abuse and neglect. UBS Optimus Foundation has been supporting the two projects (one in Russia at a resource centre in Nizhniy Novgorod, and the other in Belarus) for more than 5 years.
2015 : [ UNICEF Philippines ] : Child Friendly Spaces in the Aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda)
Child Frontiers conducted an evaluation of child friendly spaces, typically used as transitional structures for the care of children in emergencies, bridging early recovery and long-term support. In the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda), UNICEF supported over 140 CFS across the region. This evaluation analysed the relevance, protective and restorative effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability of UNICEF-supported CFS, drawing on lessons learned. The report can be accessed here: REPORT
2014 : [ Save the Children Australia ] : Interventions in Cambodia, Solomon Islands & Lao PDR
In this evaluation, Child Frontiers explored how Save the Children Australia-supported programming is influencing the strengthening of child protection systems at various levels in the three target countries, from community to sub-national and national levels. The findings will inform SC Australia’s program management decision-making regarding ongoing and future child protection programming interventions. The Final Report can be accessed here.
2014 : [ Save the Children Norway ] : Evaluation of Programs to Strengthen National Child Protection Systems
Child Frontiers reviewed Save the Children Norway's programming to strengthen national child protection systems in Cambodia, Ethiopia, Lao PDR, Mozambique, Nepal, Nicaragua, Uganda and Zimbabwe. The review assessed to what degree programmes have contributed to stronger systems for the protection of children and to what extent and how children have benefited from these systems. The review largely focused on the results achieved and the effectiveness of Save the Children’s programme planning, with the reporting and monitoring processes additionally assessed. The report can be accessed here: REPORT
2014 : [ IODParc ] : Evaluation of UNICEF's Child Protection Systems Building Approach
In 2014, Child Frontiers supported IOD PARC to conduct an independent formative evaluation of UNICEF and partner efforts to build a national child protection system in Indonesia. This evaluation assessed the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability of the systems-building approach, especially for Indonesia’s most vulnerable children. Its findings, recommendations and lessons are designed to guide UNICEF’s forthcoming programme plan (2015-19) and Government strategic planning processes. The Final Report can be accessed here.
2013 : [ UNICEF Thailand ] : Evaluation of the Child Protection Monitoring and Response System
In partnership with Universalia, a Canadian management consulting firm, Child Frontiers conducted an evaluation commissioned by UNICEF aimed at informing the Royal Thai Government on the effectiveness and efficiency of the Child Protection Monitoring and Response System. This involved developing an evaluation methodology, leading and managing data collection in several sites in Thailand in partnership with a research team from Thammasat University, as well as data analysis and report development. The evaluation findings are being used by the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security as evidence to inform the national child protection policy development process supported by UNICEF Thailand. The Final Report can be accessed here.
2013 : [ Save the Children UK ] : Impact Evaluation of Dadaab Child Protection Program
Child Frontiers conducted an impact evaluation of Save the Children UK's child protection related activities (5 year programme) in refugee camps in Dadaab, Kenya by developing the evaluation methodology, designing and field testing the data collection instruments, training local researchers, collecting and analysing data and presenting findings to the Country Office and other stakeholders for review and action planning based on recommendations (which informed the new 5 year strategy). The Final Report can be accessed here.
2012 : [ Save the Children UK ] : Evaluation of the Mekong Cross Border Program
Child Frontiers conducted a final external evaluation of Save the Children UK's "Sustainable multi-actor solutions to migration-related child poverty in the greater Mekong sub-region" programme in Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar. The evaluation assessed programme effectiveness and efficiency and contributed to global learning across SC UK's child protection portfolio. The final report is featured in Save the Children International’s internal online database as an example of a high quality evaluation for future evaluators to use as a reference. Final Report can be accessed here: Thailand and Cambodia, and Myanmar.
2011 : [ UBS Optimus Foundation ] : Evaluation of Child Protection Projects in Russia and Belarus
Child Frontiers was commissioned by the Optimus Foundation, of the UBS banking group, to evaluate two child protection projects that aimed to measure and reduce child sexual abuse and neglect. The UBS Optimus Foundation had been supporting the two projects (one in Russia, a resource centre in Nizhniy Novgorod, and one in Belarus) for over two years.
2011 : [ Oxfam ] : Community-Based Civilian Protection Program in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Child Frontiers evaluated Oxfam's civilian protection program in two provinces of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, North and South Kivu. The programme, implemented by Oxfam in 2009, brought civilian protection committees together with local authorities (traditional chiefs, administrative authorities, police, intelligence agency representatives, and army commanders) to find mutually agreeable solutions to locally identified protection concerns. The Final Report can be accessed here.
2011 : [ Child Welfare Scheme Nepal ] : Evaluation of the Consortium for Working Children
Child Frontiers conducted an external evaluation of a 5-year project, the Consortium for Working Children Kaski, and made recommendations for its future development. The project, implemented in Kaski district of Nepal, was funded through a grant from Comic Relief under its Street and Working Children and Young People Program. The Final Report can be accessed here.
2009 : [ Plan International ] : Review and Evaluation of the Emergency Child Protection Response in Timor-Leste
Drawing on the experience of child protection programming during Plan International's emergency response to the crisis in Timor-Leste in 2006, Child Frontiers shared knowledge and built preparedness within Plan and externally on integrating child protection into emergency response.