Study on Community Engagement & Collective Agency: Consultant Scope of Work

Period of Engagement

We anticipate the consultancy will take approximately 60 days between July 1, 2024, and September 30, 2024.

Project Description/Background

This consultancy will support Save the Children, the Center on Gender Equity and Health at the University of California San Diego (GEH/UCSD), and Makerere University to implement up to three distinct activities as part of Agency for All, a five-year USAID-funded project that generates evidence on the role of agency in effective social and behavior change (SBC) programming to improve health and well-being for individuals and communities.

Save the Children seeks one or multiple consultant(s) to lead the Activities outlined in this scope of work. See the Application section below for more information about how to apply for individual Activities.

Activity 1: Literature review on collective agency

This Activity will be undertaken as part of the formative research for Study 6, one of six core studies under Agency for All that investigates whether collective agency is a pathway through which community engagement leads to positive health outcomes. Existing literature does not provide a clear or agreed definition of collective agency in relation to SBC programs or broader development work, nor its role in catalyzing processes of change. As such, Study 6 will begin with a literature review aimed at better understanding how collective agency is conceptualized in theory and practice. Given that the concept is not well defined and often used together or synonymously with related concepts such as collective efficacy, the literature review will encompass sub-components or facilitators that are related to, contribute to, or constrain collective agency (e.g., collective efficacy, collective action or resistance, community resilience, social capital, community mobilization, etc.), and how collective agency overlaps or not with these concepts. The results of the literature review will be used to develop a preliminary theory of change demonstrating the pathways between community engagement, collective agency, and social/behavior change. The theory of change will then be examined and refined by key stakeholders through a series of local, regional, and global consultations.

Activity 2: SBC & agency scoping review

This Activity will intersect with and build on Activity 1. The scoping review will investigate and document how agency – both individual agency and collective agency – is conceptualized and applied in the SBC field, with a focus on global health SBC programming. Specifically, it will focus on how agency is presented within predominant SBC conceptual models, within organizational approaches to SBC, and at project and/or intervention levels. We will prioritize SBC programs focusing on gender-transformative SBC programming and examine existing evidence related to the linkage between agency and effectiveness of SBC programs, across the life course. Outputs of the scoping review will be vetted and validated by expert stakeholders via a series of key informant interviews and consultations with the Social Norms and Agency Learning Collaboratives (SNALCs) before being documented via several practice-oriented products that summarize Agency for All’s view on the role that agency does, can, and should play in SBC programming, and provide practical guidance on applying the concept to SBC interventions.

Activity 3: Expert consultations and development of selection criteria for the SBC post-intervention evaluation

This Activity will be undertaken as part of the preparatory work for Study 5, one of six core studies under Agency for All that investigates what kind of SBC interventions are most likely to lead to lasting effects beyond project closure. Considerable resources and effort are devoted to designing, planning, implementing, and evaluating SBC programs. Increasingly, there is also emphasis on the importance of local ownership and participation throughout the program’s life. Despite the efforts and resources invested in these activities, there are seldom resources dedicated to understanding if and how activities or services introduced in the program have evolved, been adapted, or been carried forward by local actors after the closure of formal project cycles and funding. Even less is known about if, when, how, and under what conditions social or behavioral changes identified in evaluations are sustained beyond the life of the program. Activity 3 will support a series of consultations with SBC and evaluation experts to develop criteria to guide the selection of SBC projects well suited to participate in post-project evaluations. These evaluations aim to determine if intervention activities, behaviors, and/or norms change promoted by the project have been sustained after external funding ended, and to identify characteristics of the projects that enable or hinder continuation. Expert consultations will also gather information on recently ended SBC projects to produce a shortlist of potential research sites.

See the Application section below for more information about how to apply for individual Activities.

Description of Services

Activity 1: Literature review on collective agency

This activity will consist of the following steps, which the consultant will lead with technical and operational support from Save the Children, GEH/UCSD, and Makerere University:

1. Develop a literature review protocol, including search terms, inclusion and exclusion criteria, timeframes, and a plan for review and data extraction.
2. Develop and submit a list of all publications that meet the criteria for inclusion in the literature review of peer-reviewed and gray literature using scientific databases and the USAID Development Experience Clearinghouse, or other sources as identified.
3. Review identified publications and document key findings in a matrix. (Matrix will be developed and approved in collaboration with Save the Children.)
4. Develop a brief (3-5 page) Key Findings Summary highlighting the most salient findings from the full literature review.
5. Develop and submit a full literature review report including sections on process/methodology and results.
6. Develop an annex to the literature review report that proposes key elements to be included in the theory of change (i.e., key attributes of community engagement related to collective agency, pathways of change from community engagement to collective agency, articulation of how collective agency influences behavior change at individual and collective levels, etc.).
7. Manage review of the Key Findings Summary, draft literature review report, and theory of change annex, and produce the final version of these deliverables that integrates Save the Children input.
8. Develop a draft agenda and materials for virtual consultation(s) to review and interpret findings together with activity leaders at Save the Children and Palladium (local partner), Agency for All consortium members, and local and global stakeholders.
9. Co-design, co-facilitate, and document outputs of consultation(s) to vet initial findings with Save the Children and GEH/UCSD.*

Activity 2: SBC & agency scoping review

This activity will consist of the following steps, which the consultant will lead with technical and operational support from Save the Children and GEH/UCSD:

1. Review documentation on up to 12 SBC theories and frameworks (to be determined in collaboration with Save the Children) to identify how the concept of “agency” and related constructs is described in those theories. This will entail reading at least 1-3 sources per theory and capturing elements of that data in a coding sheet. Consultant will also be expected to identify additional relevant sources through Google search and/or reviewing citations in key sources as needed to complete the coding sheet.
2. Develop a PowerPoint slide deck with results of the scoping review.
3. Develop a stakeholder/technical expert consultation plan and materials (agenda, list of potential key informants, interview guides, etc.) for consultations held in Agency for All regions: West and Central Africa, East Africa, South and Southeast Asia. Consultations are expected to include either a set of 10 key informant interviews and/or 3-4 online virtual consultations held between July and September 2024.
4. Co-facilitate and document outputs of stakeholder and expert consultation activities with Save the Children and GEH/UCSD.*

Activity 3: Expert consultations for the SBC post-intervention evaluation

This activity will consist of the following steps, which the consultant will lead with technical and operational support from Save the Children:

1. Identify 10-15 SBC and/or evaluation experts with highly relevant experience to participate in a consultation aiming to design key elements of a study on assessing long-term outcomes of SBC programs after program closure.
2. Develop an expert consultation plan and materials (agenda, list of potential experts, event invitations, questionnaires, etc.) for consultations. These are expected to include either brief key informant interviews and/or 1-2 online virtual consultations held between July and September 2024.
3. Prepare and facilitate all virtual interviews and/or consultations.
4. Summarize key outcomes of the consultations in a brief (3-5 page) report.

*Activity 1 and Activity 2 virtual consultations may be combined and held at the same time if progress and timelines allow.

Deliverables and Timeline

Note: Estimated number of days are for planning purposes only and should not be considered final. Candidates are asked to submit a cost quote with their application confirming the number of days they anticipate spending on each Activity. Cost quotes will be considered as part of the overall quality and competitiveness of applications received.

Estimated # days

Activity 1

• Literature review protocol, including search terms, inclusion and exclusion criteria, timeframes, and plan for data extraction and review by Save the Children and GEH/UCSD (3 days)
• Final list of publications for the literature review of peer-reviewed and gray literature (3 days)
• Complete literature review matrix & Key findings summary (12 days)
• Draft agenda and materials for virtual consultation(s) with the Social Norms and Agency Learning Collaboratives (3 days)
• Draft literature review report & Theory of change annex (10 days)
• Final literature review report (3 days)
• Outputs of virtual consultation(s) (5 days)

Total – Activity 1 estimated # of days: 39

Activity 2

• Completed coding sheet with data on agency in SBC theories and programs (8 days)
• PowerPoint slide deck with scoping review results (2 days)
• Stakeholder consultation plan (1 day)
• Documentation (brief report) of stakeholder consultation findings (3 days)

Total – Activity 2 estimated # of days: 14

Activity 3

• List of 10-15 SBC and/or evaluation experts(1 day)
• Expert consultation plan and materials (2 days)
• Consultation Key Outcomes brief (4 days)

Total – Activity 3 estimated # of days: 7

Total Days – Activities 1, 2 and 3: 60

Consultant Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience designing, implementing, and/or evaluating international SBC, health and nutrition, and/or gender research and interventions, global priorities, and strategies;
• Experience conducting literature, landscape, and/or scoping reviews of evidence;
• Experience facilitating participatory research or engaging stakeholders in research processes through workshops or other formats;
• Strong professional networks and/or awareness of key global actors and voices in SBC, health and nutrition, gender, or other related development fields;
• Demonstrated track record of producing well-written, synthesized, and thoughtful technical reports and briefs.