USAID Ghana_Child Protection Activity_NOFO No.72064125RFA00001_12 19 2024.pdf

Issue Date: December 19, 2024 Deadline for Questions: January 13, 2025

Closing Date: March 3, 2025 Closing Time: 4:00pm, Accra local time

Subject: Notice of Funding Opportunity Number (NOFO): 72064125RFA00001; Initial Announcement

Program Title: Child Protection Activity Federal Assistance Listing Number: CFDA #: 98.001

Greetings, The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is seeking applications for a cooperative agreement from qualified entities to implement the Child Protection Activity program. Eligibility for this award is not restricted.

USAID intends to make an award to the applicant(s) who best meets the objectives of this funding opportunity based on the merit review criteria described in this NOFO, subject to a risk assessment. Eligible parties interested in submitting an application are encouraged to read this NOFO thoroughly to understand the type of program sought, application submission requirements, and selection process.

USAID is committed to engaging and working with local development partners to embrace their ideas on how to address sustainable development in the Country of Ghana. Local organizations / partners are strongly encouraged to submit applications in response to this

NOFO.

To be eligible for award, the applicant must provide all information as required in this NOFO and meet eligibility standards in Section B of this NOFO. This funding opportunity is posted on www.grants.gov and may be amended. It is the responsibility of the applicant to regularly check the website to ensure they have the latest information pertaining to this NOFO and to ensure that it has been downloaded from the internet in its entirety. USAID bears no responsibility for data errors resulting from transmission or conversion process. If you have difficulty registering on www.grants.gov or accessing the NOFO, please contact the Grants.gov Support Center at 1- 800-518-4726 or via email at support@grants.gov for technical assistance or if you need assistive technology and are unable to access any material on this site.

Unless an exception in 2 CFR 25.110 applies, applicants must comply with 2 CFR 25 requirements to obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and register in the System for Award Management

(SAM.gov), as applicable. See Section E, Submission Requirements and Deadlines, for more information. The registration process may take many weeks to complete. Therefore, applicants are encouraged to begin registration early.

http://www.grants.gov/ mailto:support@grants.gov

RFA Number 72064125RFA00001 USAID Ghana/Child Protection Activity

Please send any questions to the point(s) of contact identified in Section A.4. The deadline for questions is shown above. Responses to questions received prior to the deadline will be furnished to all potential applicants through an amendment to this notice posted to www.grants.gov.

English is the official language of all award documents. In the event of inconsistency between any terms of this NOFO and any translation into another language, the English language version will take precedence.

Issuance of this NOFO does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the Government nor does it commit the Government to pay for any costs incurred in preparation or submission of comments/suggestions or an application. Applications are submitted at the risk of the applicant. All preparation and submission costs are at the applicant’s expense.

Thank you for your interest in USAID programs.

Sincerely, Sheila Bumpass

Agreement Officer Regional Acquisition and Assistance Office

USAID/ West Africa Accra, Ghana

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section A – Basic Information Page 4

Section B – Eligibility Page 7

Section C – Program Description Page 8

Section D – Application Content and Format Page 39

Section E – Submission Requirements and Deadlines Page 54

Section F – Application Review Information Page 57

Section G – Award Notices Page 61

Section H – Post-Award Requirements and Administration Page 62

Section I – Other Information Page 71

Annex 1 - Summary Budget Template Page 74

Annex 2 - Standard Provisions Page 75

Annex 3 - Abbreviations and Acronyms Page 81

SECTION A: BASIC INFORMATION

This funding opportunity is authorized under the Foreign Assistance Act (FAA) of 1961, as amended. The resulting award will be subject to 2 CFR 200 – Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards, and USAID’s supplement, 2 CFR 700, as well as the additional requirements found in Section F.

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Ghana Advancing Protection and Care for Children in Adversity (APCCA) Child Protection Activity will support the government’s efforts to provide safe and nurturing care for children, including adolescents in selected areas in Ghana, in ways that promote the realization of the full potential of vulnerable children and adolescents. USAID will support implementing partners who can identify and propose evidence-based, child-centered interventions that strengthen systems, communities and families, and enhance the resilience of families to provide safe and nurturing care for their children.

The activity will support interventions that align with the U.S. Government's Advancing Protection and Care for Children in Adversity Strategy, the 2020 - 2025 USAID Ghana Country

Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS), and the Government of Ghana’s strategic plans on child protection, development, and care such as the Early Childhood Care and Development

Policy, the Child and Family Welfare Policy, the National Strategic Framework on Ending Child Marriage in Ghana, and the National Care Reform Roadmap, Ghana Accelerated Action Plan

Against Child Labor, among others. The activity will be implemented in selected areas in Northern, North-East, Savannah, Upper East, and Greater Accra regions.

Child protection, development, and care concerns in Ghana are varied, but often stem from similar underlying issues including poverty, harmful social norms, and gaps in inclusive services, particularly for children with disabilities. The activity will support interventions that address these root causes and strengthen child-centered and gender-responsive protection and care systems at the community, district and national levels to sustainably prevent and respond to child protection, development, and care concerns. Recommended interventions include addressing risk or underlying factors across the socio-ecological framework, including at the individual, family, community and policy levels. In working with vulnerable children and adolescents, protection issues of specific concern include: children with disabilities, violence against children (VAC), children separated from their families, and adolescent girls at risk of and affected by early pregnancy and child marriage.

2. ESTIMATE OF FUNDS AVAILABLE AND NUMBER OF AWARDS CONTEMPLATED

USAID intends to award one Cooperative Agreement pursuant to this NOFO. Subject to funding availability and at the discretion of the Agency, USAID intends to provide $9,999,862 in total USAID funding over a {five years} year period.

https://www.childreninadversity.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/apcca-strategy-final-web.pdf https://2017-2020.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/CDCS-Ghana-August-2025.pdf https://2017-2020.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/CDCS-Ghana-August-2025.pdf https://bettercarenetwork.org/sites/default/files/Early%20Childhood%20Care%20and%20Development%20Policy%20Ghana369.pdf https://bettercarenetwork.org/sites/default/files/Early%20Childhood%20Care%20and%20Development%20Policy%20Ghana369.pdf https://www.unicef.org/ghana/media/846/file/UN938171.pdf https://www.unicef.org/ghana/media/1001/file/National%20Strategic%20Framework%20on%20Ending%20Child%20Marriage.pdf https://www.unicef.org/ghana/media/1001/file/National%20Strategic%20Framework%20on%20Ending%20Child%20Marriage.pdf https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Osk2hXfsOVwsjXXroPQToG_DrVUVj9J2AClu9OLtk38/edit#heading=h.gjdgxs

3. START DATE AND PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE FOR FEDERAL AWARDS

USAID intends to award one (1) Cooperative Agreement pursuant to this Notice of Funding Opportunity subject to funding availability and at the discretion of the Agency, USAID intends to provide $9,999,862 in total USAID funding over a five (5) year period. The estimated start date is June 2025.

4. AGENCY POINTS OF CONTACT

The Primary Points of Contact for this NOFO are:

Ms. Sheila Bumpass Regional Agreement Officer

Regional Acquisition & Assistance Office (RAAO) USAID/West Africa sbumpass@usaid.gov

Ms. Vida Assimeng-Kwakye Acquisition and Assistance Specialist

Regional Acquisition & Assistance Office (RAAO) USAID/West Africa USAID/West Africa vassimengkwakye@usaid.gov

Ms. Lucrece Boko Acquisition and Assistance Specialist Regional Acquisition & Assistance Office (RAAO)

USAID/West Africa USAID/West Africa lboko@usaid.gov

Questions and Answers Questions regarding this NOFO should be submitted by January 13, 2025, to vassimengkwakye@usaid.gov and lboko@usaid.gov

5. A&A OMBUDSMAN

The A&A Ombudsman helps ensure equitable treatment of all parties who participate in USAID’s acquisition and assistance process. The A&A Ombudsman serves as a resource for all organizations who are doing or wish to do business with USAID. Please visit this page for additional information: https://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/acquisition-assistance-ombudsman.

The A&A Ombudsman may be contacted via: Ombudsman@usaid.gov

6. AUTHORIZED GEOGRAPHIC CODE

The geographic code for the procurement of commodities and services under this program is 937 (The United States, the recipient country, and developing countries other than advanced mailto:sbumpass@usaid.gov mailto:vassimengkwakye@usaid.gov mailto:lboko@usaid.gov mailto:vassimengkwakye@usaid.gov mailto:lboko@usaid.gov https://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/acquisition-assistance-ombudsman https://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/acquisition-assistance-ombudsman developing countries but excluding any county that is a prohibited source). Except as may be specifically approved in advance by the Agreement Officer, all commodities and services that will be reimbursed by USAID under this award must be from the authorized geographic code specified in this NOFO and must meet the source and nationality requirements set forth in 22 CFR 228. See ADS 310, more specifically ADS 310.3.1.1, for additional information on authorized USAID Geographic Codes, and source and nationality requirements for the procurement of commodities and services.

END OF SECTION A

THE REMAINDER OF THIS PAGE LEFT BLANK INTENTIONALLY

SECTION B: ELIGIBILITY

1. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

Eligibility for this NOFO is not restricted. It is open to all entities that can meet the requirements to receive USAID assistance. Organizations eligible to apply under this NOFO include, but are not necessarily limited to, U.S. and non-US non-profit or for profit non-governmental organizations (NGOs), private voluntary organizations, foundations, colleges and universities, civic groups, community institutions, philanthropic organizations, advocacy groups and faith-based organizations. All listed categories of organizations including faith-based entities are eligible to apply for federal financial assistance on the same basis as any other organization and are subject to the protections and requirements of Federal law.

Additionally, USAID welcomes applications from organizations that have not previously received financial assistance from USAID.

For profit applicants should note that USAID policy prohibits the payment of fee/profit to the prime recipient under grants and cooperative agreements.

Applicants must have established financial management, monitoring and evaluation processes, internal control systems, and policies and procedures that comply with established U.S. Government Standards, laws, and regulations. USAID will perform a risk assessment in accordance with 2 CFR 200.205 to determine the responsibility of Applicants considered for award.

Interested and eligible organizations and entities may submit no more than one (1) application[s] under this NOFO.

2. COST SHARING OR MATCHING

USAID has established a mandatory minimum recipient cost share of ten (10%) percent of projected award amount. Such funds may be provided directly by the recipient, other multilateral, bilateral, and foundation donors; host governments; and local organizations, communities and private businesses that contribute financially and in-kind to implementation of activities at the country level. This may include contribution of staff level of effort, office space or other facilities or equipment which may be used for the program, provided by the recipient. For guidance on cost sharing in grants and cooperative agreements see 2 CFR 200.306. Applicants may refer to Section D, Application Content and

Format, regarding requirements for the submission of letters or other documentation to verify commitments to meet cost-sharing requirements.

END OF SECTION B

SECTION C: PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

This funding opportunity is authorized under the Foreign Assistance Act (FAA) of 1961, as amended. The resulting award will be subject to 2 CFR 200 – Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards, and USAID’s supplement, 2 CFR 700, as well as the additional requirements found in Section H.

1. ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION

1.1 Background and Problem Analysis: The Government of Ghana (GOG) has prioritized the development, care and protection of children as reflected in a wide range of laws, policies and strategic plans. However, implementation and service delivery are not optimal. Gaps exist in ensuring the rights of children are respected, early childhood care and development is supported, and safe and nurturing family care is promoted to protect, prevent and respond to children at risk of or experiencing all forms of violence, abuse, exploitation, neglect and family separation. Despite the government's efforts, children continue to face multiple child protection, development, and care issues which inhibit their ability to realize their full potential.

Children who experience adversities such as violence, stigma against children with disabilities and living outside of family care have an increased risk of negative developmental, health, and mental health outcomes. These include learning problems, depression, anxiety, conduct disorder, aggression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Child protection, development, and care concerns in Ghana are summarized below.

1.2 Early Childhood Development: Achieving optimal Early Childhood Development (ECD) requires that children grow in a stimulating and nurturing environment characterized by interactions with responsive caregivers, adequate nutrition, access to opportunities for early learning particularly through interactions with their caregivers and in their environments, and safety and security. Threats to optimal ECD include child poverty, inadequate care and learning opportunities, and exposure to violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation. The Early Childhood Development Index (ECDI) measures the developmental status of children between 3 to 4 years in four domains: literacy-numeracy, physical, socio-emotional, and learning. Overall, 68% of children ages 3-4 years are developmentally on track in Ghana, but in the Northern regions, only half of children are developmentally on-track. Only 34% of caregivers of children aged 2-4 years engage in four or more activities to support young children’s learning, indicating a need to provide better support to families to support these essential interactions.

1.3 Child, Early and Forced Marriage and Unions (CEFMU): In Ghana, there are over two million child brides. One in five young women were married, or in a union before they turned 18.

Factors that influence CEFMU in Ghana include teenage pregnancy, discriminatory gender and social norms, low educational levels, and poverty. Women who marry young or enter informal unions are denied their childhood. They are often socially isolated, with limited opportunities for education and employment.

1.4 Child Labor: About 27.9% of children aged 5-17 are engaged in child labor. One in five children (20.7%) are also engaged in child labor in its worst forms. Children from poorer families and households (33%) are more likely to be involved in hazardous work than those from wealthier households (5%). Children in rural areas (28%) are more likely to be involved in hazardous work than those in urban areas (11%). Almost 8 in 10 (79.2%) working children aged 5-14 years are engaged in agriculture; 15.8% of child workers aged 5-14 are also engaged in the services sector, in activities such as domestic work, transporting heavy loads as “kayayei,” street work (including begging), and working in the transportation sector. Emerging evidence seems to indicate the negative impact of unpaid care and domestic work on girls, manifesting in limited time for learning, personal development, and growth, consequently depriving them of opportunities to thrive.

1.5 Child Trafficking: According to the 2018 to 2022 Trafficking-in-Persons reports on Ghana, the majority of rescued trafficking victims are children. Although the proportion of children reduced from 84% in 2020 to 63% in 2022, at least six in ten children are rescued from trafficking.

According to the 2020 GLOTiP Report, risk factors that increase children’s vulnerability to trafficking globally include economic need (51%), children deprived of parental care, and intimate partners doubling as traffickers. Documented interactions with community stakeholders during the assessment of Ghana’s National Plan of Action for the Elimination of Human Trafficking (2017–2021) also revealed that some families commodify their children as a negative coping mechanism for poor households.

1.6 Child-Family Separation and Alternative Care: Child-family separation results from a variety of adversities, such as extreme poverty; inadequate access to education, health, and basic social services; migration, including the migration of parents and children separately; violence in the home; sexual, physical, or psychological exploitation and abuse; family death or illness; gender inequality; discrimination, social exclusion, and stigma; and lack of accessible and inclusive services for children with disabilities and their families. Too often the response to these challenges is to place children in residential care whether these are residential homes for children (RHCs), shelters or rehabilitation centers. Despite a 36% reduction in the number of children living in residential care between 2015 and 2016, the number increased by 18% from 2,900 in 2016 to 3,530 in 2021, and then remained relatively stable between 2021 and 2023.

However, these figures do not include children in other shelters such as domestic violence, rehabilitation centers or informal RHCs.

Reforming the child protection and care system to promote and support family care instead of residential care has had mixed results. Despite a solid legal framework, there is a lack of national-led family strengthening interventions to prevent family separation and support family reintegration or other family-based care. The residential institutions inspection system is being implemented but doesn’t include all forms of residential care such as shelters and rehabilitation centers and a monitoring system for tracking care reform progress also needs to be strengthened. Informal children’s homes continue to emerge across the country, and gatekeeping mechanisms need to be further institutionalized across the country. Children in residential care have, on average, been living there for nearly 10 years despite around two in three children having at least one living biological parent who could potentially take care of them if they were provided with appropriate, holistic support. The alternative family-based care https://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/tip/2021/GLOTiP_2020_15jan_web.pdf system needs to be strengthened to provide family-based care options for children who cannot be reintegrated with their families. Areas that need strengthening include increased efforts to match prospective foster parents with children who cannot be reunited with their families, support for alternative family-based care caregivers, and monitoring alternative family-based care placements to ensure there are no harmful effects of placement, such as forced labor, trafficking and domestic servitude. In addition, further focus on permanency planning for all children in alternative family-based care is needed whether it is through family reintegration or domestic adoption.

1.7 Children with Disabilities: Children with disabilities are less likely to be in school or to access medical services. They face a higher risk of violence and abuse and are also at higher risk of being separated from their families and placed in residential care. Functional difficulties have been identified in 11% of children between ages 2 to 4 and 21% of children between the ages of 5 and 17 years. Four regions (i.e., Western, Volta, Eastern, and Upper West) have an above-national percentage (19%) of children aged 2 to 17 years with functional difficulties.

Additionally, children with developmental disabilities appear to lack appropriate services due to limited knowledge (of health care and social service providers as well as parents) to identify early and respond to developmental disabilities, limited existence of services, and limited access to available services. Challenges also exist in cross-sector coordination to provide the required holistic support/services to children with disabilities and their families. Globally, children with disabilities are at heightened risk of being separated from their families and placed in residential care. Children with disabilities and their families suffer from social, economic and political exclusion due to stigma. In addition to improving government policy and increasing funding for disability inclusive services, there is a critical need to better understand the roots of culturally based disability stigma. This understanding will inform behavior change efforts and the design of culturally appropriate disability inclusive interventions.

1.8 Exposure to Abuse, Violence and Exploitation: Violence against Children may be physical, sexual, and/or emotional. Perpetrators are often people living in the same home or neighborhood, such as family members, teachers, and neighbors. According to the 2015 Ghana

Family Life and Health Survey in the 2016 Domestic Violence Ghana Report, male heads of households are more likely to perpetrate physical violence against their children than female heads of household. Community structures also appear to prioritize family harmony and reconciliation when a child experiences abuse at home, as opposed to reporting it to authorities.

The 2017/18 MICS Report shows that for each of the regions, over 90% of interviewed children experienced some form of violent discipline. There were no apparent differences based on sex, wealth, or rural/urban residence when it comes to child discipline.

1.9 Nexus between Poverty and Child Protection, Development and Care: As already indicated, poverty has been identified as the main driver for most child protection, development, and care concerns. In Ghana, 23.4% of people are defined as poor according to the Ghana Living

Standards Survey (GLSS) 7 report, and the proportion of Ghanaians who are multidimensionally poor is 45.6%, with poverty levels in the five Northern regions above the national average

(between 65.5% to 80.8%). The five Northern regions in Ghana, which are heavily impacted with https://www2.statsghana.gov.gh/docfiles/publications/DV_Ghana_Report_FINAL.pdf https://statsghana.gov.gh/gssmain/fileUpload/pressrelease/MICS%20SFR%20final_compressed.pdf child protection, development, and care issues (particularly child labor, CEFMU, and early childhood development) are also the highest in terms of poverty and multidimensional poverty.

Almost three in four children in Ghana (73.4%) are multidimensionally poor, with children aged 0-4 years poorer (82.9%) than other age-groups.

2.0 TARGET POPULATION

The activity will target marginalized children under 18, as defined by Ghana’s Children's Act, 1998 (Act 560), and their caregivers/families. Specifically, the activity’s interventions will target the following adversities and vulnerabilities that children and their families face:

• Marginalized Children o Children at risk of family separation or separated from their families, with a focus on children living in residential care and children with disabilities;

o Children at risk of or exposed to violence, abuse and exploitation, especially girls and children with disabilities;

o Children with disabilities;

o Adolescent girls (aged 10 to 19 years) at risk of and affected by CEFMU and adolescent pregnancy;

o Vulnerable children aged 0 to 8 who need tailored early childhood development interventions, with a focus on children with disabilities.

• Families of vulnerable children, including adolescent caregivers.

• Young people who live in/or are leaving residential care.

3.0 GEOGRAPHIC FOCUS

The activity will be implemented in selected areas in Northern, North-East, Savannah, Upper East, and Greater Accra regions. The geographic focus was determined by concerns related to

VAC; children with disabilities whose needs are often unmet; gaps in ECD; high CEFMU and adolescent pregnancy rates; high numbers of children in residential care in Greater Accra; and multidimensional child poverty in these regions. This geographic focus will provide an opportunity to build on previous USAID/Ghana investments in ECD, Care Reform, and CEFMU, as well as investments to combat Child Labor and Child Trafficking from both the US Department of

Labor and Department of State. Also under consideration was the potential to leverage existing and planned activities such as Accelerating Social and Behavior Change (ASBC), the Integrated

Health Program, Feed the Future Resilience in Northern Ghana Systems Strengthening, and the Ghana Youth Activity.

4.0 PURPOSE AND EXPECTED RESULTS

4.1 Primary Activity Purpose

The primary purpose of the Child Protection, Care and Development Activity is to empower children and families to provide a safe and nurturing care environment for the holistic development of children, especially in vulnerable households. This will be achieved through interventions that: improve knowledge, skills, and livelihoods; develop positive social norms; and https://www.refworld.org/legal/legislation/natlegbod/1998/en/20922 https://www.refworld.org/legal/legislation/natlegbod/1998/en/20922 strengthen systems for the provision of effective, integrated and inclusive services and support for vulnerable children and their families.

4.2 Development Hypothesis

The Child Protection, Development and Care Activity is premised on the following hypothesis:

• IF children and adolescents are empowered with key knowledge, skills, resources and opportunities; and

• IF families are strengthened through improved knowledge, behavior, skills, livelihoods and access to services; and

• IF key stakeholders, leaders and community members support gender equality, promote positive norms and protective behaviors that support the full development of children and adolescents; and

• IF national and sub-national governments operationalize policies, enforce child protection legislation and strengthen formal and informal child protection/care systems, including coordination, workforce, service delivery, financing, M&E, information systems, and data use to increase support to children and adolescents and their families;

• THEN marginalized children and adolescents will thrive in safe and nurturing families and communities where they are protected from neglect, violence, exploitation, abuse and family separation to reach their full potential - especially children at risk of violence, abuse and exploitation; adolescent girls at risk of and affected by CEFMU and pregnancy;

children with disabilities; and children separated from their families.

Activity Results Framework

Outcome 1.4: Children and young people empowered to be agents of change, including children with lived experience.

Families are empowered to provide a safe and nurturing care environment for the holistic development of children

IR 1: Strengthened child, family and community capacity for child protection, development, and care.

IR 2: Strengthened Systems for Child

Protection, Development, and Care

Outcome 2.1: Delivery of integrated social services strengthened at district and community level.

Outcome 1.1: Positive social norms and behaviors for child protection, development, and care adopted by families and communities.

Outcome 1.2: Parenting knowledge and skills in safe and nurturing care that enable children and adolescents to achieve optimal development improved.

Outcome 1.3: Access to livelihood opportunities and social protection schemes for families increased.

Outcome 2.2: District and community level social service workforce strengthened.

Outcome 2.3: National, regional, district, and community level coordination and financing of child protection, development, and care strengthened.

Outcome 2.4: Implementation and management of the care reform policy framework fortified.

Cross Cutting Outcome: Services and support to children, adolescents and families are gender responsive, age-appropriate, and support participation and inclusion of children and caregivers with disabilities.

4.3 Expected Results

This activity will address the root causes of child protection, development, and care concerns, and strengthen families to provide a safe and nurturing environment for the development of children. This project will result in improved families’ resilience, positive parenting practices, and children’s sense of well-being; improved protective social and gender norms for children, particularly for children with disabilities, and a decrease in the number of children living outside of family care, as well as families at risk of CEFMU and adolescent pregnancy. Government delivery of integrated social services will be strengthened and the social service workforce capacity enhanced. Coordination and financing of child protection will be increased at both central and decentralized levels.

4.3.1 Objective 1

I.R. 1. Strengthened child, family and community capacity for child protection, development, and care.

Family strengthening interventions are essential to building the capacity of households for the holistic development of children. The activity will strengthen family capacities in two key areas in order to make homes a safe and nurturing environment for children: improving parenting knowledge and skills, and through inclusive economic growth. Further, the activity will bolster protective social norms and mitigate harmful practices, while empowering children and adolescents to be agents of change, particularly those with lived experience. Expected outcomes from this objective are outlined below.

The applicant should demonstrate a good understanding of UNICEF’s work in this space. The work under this IR must complement UNICEF’s work.

Outcome 1.1. Positive social norms and behaviors for child protection, development, and care adopted by families and communities.

The activity will support the implementation of social and behavior change (SBC) interventions at the community level, engaging families and communities on social and gender norms that uphold the rights of children, bolster protection and mitigate harmful behaviors among families and communities.

The proposed program description is expected to highlight the different child protection, care and development issues and their underlying causes and drivers across the different target regions, as these can vary from one geographical area to another. The proposed program description is expected to indicate specific community level stakeholders to influence through

SBC interventions, and the approach to be used in community engagement which, based on evidence-based practices, will yield the expected outcomes. If evidence is lacking, applicants should consider conducting formative research to inform the design and implementation of SBC efforts and indicate how they will take in account the intersection of GBV and violence against children.

The proposed program description is expected to articulate how the SBC activities will mitigate the identified harmful social norms as well as strengthen positive practices and their collective impact on child protection, care and development, particularly as they relate to family separation, children with disabilities, and adolescent girls’ risk of child marriage and pregnancy.

The proposed program description is expected to ensure that people with lived experience such as organizations of people with disabilities, associations of young people with lived experience of the child protection and care system as well as networks of parents and families - are engaged and supported to inform the design and implementation of all SBC activities.

The proposed program description is expected to describe evidence-based SBC implementation approaches, including the targeted population based on formative research or existing evidence, the existing structures, activities, and stakeholders to be consulted or leveraged for implementation, and how this will be implemented. The focus should be on an approach to SBC to demonstrate results in improved protective and nurturing behaviors and practices, rather than counting the number of beneficiaries reached. Where appropriate, activities should be intentionally inclusive of marginalized groups, such as Fulbe.

This activity requires a close coordination with and align any SBC activity with ASBC, USAID’s flagship SBC activity, ensuring no duplication and complementarity.

Outcome 1.2. Parenting knowledge and skills in safe and nurturing care that enable children and adolescents to achieve optimal development improved Ghana currently does not have a national parenting program. This activity will support the implementation of a parenting program that empowers caregivers to identify strengths within themselves and their families, as well as enabling factors in the community to leverage in providing age-appropriate care for their children. It will also help caregivers to identify personal, family and community-level issues that need to be addressed. The proposed program description should provide insight on what is culturally appropriate to strengthen families and prevent broken households. Parenting programs will equip caregivers with the needed knowledge, skills, and practices to improve their parenting practices that support right child-rearing approaches.

Applicants will work with government counterparts to propose a sustainable evidence-based parenting program that is based on the socio-ecological model and tailored to address vulnerabilities that families face, including addressing gender equity, families caring for children with disabilities and at high risk of unnecessary family separation. Knowledge, attitude, and practice surveys are recommended to track the realization of expected parenting program outcomes. The parenting program must also align with global best practices in the development of positive parenting curricula, such as the Parenting for Lifelong Health. Implementation of the parenting program should consider life course approaches that not only strengthen gender equality, but also address the intersection of GBV and VAC. Gains from successful past USAID-funded interventions such as the Responsive Care and Early Learning (RCEL) Addendum could be leveraged in the implementation of the parenting program.

https://www.who.int/teams/social-determinants-of-health/parenting-for-lifelong-health

Applicants must develop the parenting program with government counterparts, and design implementation in a sustainable manner, with delivery through existing structures, to ensure sustainability beyond the life of the program. The program should be innovative and efficient, leveraging existing systems and available human resources. This could include identifying existing community workforce and platforms for targeted program implementation, such as village savings and loans associations (VSLAs) and other cooperatives for group parenting sessions. Where appropriate, activities should be intentionally inclusive of marginalized groups, such as Fulbe.

Outcome 1.3. Access to livelihood opportunities and social protection schemes for families increased Poverty and lack of livelihood increases risks and incidence of child protection, development, and care adversities. This activity will strengthen the economic resilience and livelihood of families by improving access to new and existing economic empowerment opportunities and social protection, or social safety nets schemes.

While this project will not provide direct cash assistance, successful applicants will facilitate increased access to existing government and non-government livelihood and social protection interventions, including collaboration with stakeholders to promote enrollment in free basic education. Applicants must consider forthcoming findings from the piloted reassessment of Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) in ten districts which will inform the government’s priorities for LEAP. The activity will collaborate closely with key stakeholders to improve the inclusivity of LEAP’s eligibility criteria and explore a pilot for a more comprehensive integration of social protection and child protection, care and development related interventions (Cash+Care). For non-governmental livelihood programs, applicants can consider USAID and other donor-supported activities, particularly those that have been successful in reducing family vulnerabilities (such as VSLAs and technical/vocational schemes).

Sustainable livelihood interventions also include programs that leverage the usage of community-level resources (for example, for agro-processing), as well as identifying and addressing the challenge of market access. Reducing expenditure of families can a lso be done through training and support for gardening and other subsistence forms of agriculture which provide alternatives for purchased food commodities, thereby reducing family expenditure, increasing disposable income, enhancing ability to meet other family needs, thereby reducing multidimensional poverty.

Implementation of such programs should also prioritize caregivers of children with disabilities and the unique childcare and other needs of adolescent parents who may be participating in these programs. Where appropriate, activities should be intentionally inclusive of marginalized groups, such as Fulbe.

Outcome 1.4. Children and young people are empowered to be agents of change including children with lived experiences Strengthening the agency of children and young people is an essential component to all child protection, development, and care programming. This activity will support children and young people to become active agents for change and advocate for safe and nurturing families and communities. Empowered children and young people can raise awareness and drive change in families, schools, and communities. It is critical for this activity to create safe spaces for children’s views to be shared, amplify their voices and ensure their views are taken into account to inform key decision making at all levels. The activity will empower children and young people through knowledge acquisition and providing safe and age-appropriate fora for children and youth to share their experiences and advocate for change.

The proposed program description is expected to consider how the activity can identify, support and engage children with lived experiences of child protection, development, and care concerns such as children with disabilities, survivors of CEFMU and VAC, and children with lived experiences of the residential care system. The activity will provide peer support as well as identify and support opportunities for children and young people with lived experience to serve as champions for improved policies and practices. The engagement of disabled-persons organizations/organizations for persons with disabilities will be critical to improve the understanding of the challenges children with disabilities and their families face and advocate for improved disability inclusive policies and services.

4.3.2 Objective 2

I.R. 2. Strengthened systems for child protection, development, and care.

The activity will contribute to strengthening the child protection, care, and development systems to provide support services to vulnerable households, with a strong focus on children with disabilities and their families, children at risk of family separation or living outside of family care, children at risk of or exposed to violence and adolescent girls at risk of or in child, early and forced marriage and unions and teen pregnancy. The activity will focus on the following four key areas in close collaboration with the Government of Ghana and UNICEF: 1. strengthening the delivery of integrated social services; 2. strengthening district and community social service workforce; 3. strengthening the coordination and financing of child protection, development, and care services; and 4. fortifying the implementation of the national care reform policy framework.

Outcome 2.1. Delivery of integrated social services at district and community level strengthened Since 2020, USAID via UNICEF has supported seven government Ministries, Departments, and

Agencies to deliver integrated social services (ISS) through a stronger collaboration among social welfare, social protection and health actors at the national and decentralized levels. This includes multi-sector case management and referral systems and community dialogues and engagement on child protection, care and development issues. Implementation of ISS started in https://www.mogcsp.gov.gh/iss/ https://www.unicef.org/ghana/reports/protecting-children-violence-abuse-exploitation-and-neglect https://www.unicef.org/ghana/reports/protecting-children-violence-abuse-exploitation-and-neglect

60 districts and has been scaled up to 180 districts. A mid-term assessment is underway to identify strengths and areas for improvement of the current implementation arrangement.

This activity is expected to strengthen the implementation of the ISS program, taking into consideration recommendations from the mid-term assessment. This could include conducting community-level service mapping of formal and informal support and services available, including disability inclusive services for children with disabilities and their families, as well as further strengthening intersectoral case management and referral systems that facilitate referral completion and the timely and effective provision of integrated social services. The project is expected to strengthen case management practices and the effective use of the social welfare case management information management system (SWIMS) in close collaboration with the district government workforce and ISS project. This should also include improved regulations and their implementation for all forms of residential care including shelters, rehabilitation centers or RHCs (both government and NGO-run) and ensure they are aligned with best practices.

The activity is expected to have a strong focus on identifying how to strengthen the accessibility and availability of disability inclusive services and support systems. The activity should also determine how to ensure case management approaches and referral mechanisms take in account the needs of children with disabilities and their families.

This activity will build into its activities a strong culture of data use for decision making. Likewise, the activity will support the government to strengthen the culture of data use by government and non-governmental social service workforce to inform effective case management practice and planning. The activity will contribute to nationally agreed child protection, development, and care-related indicators, to inform policy and programming. This should include data on children with disabilities.

The activity is expected to have a special focus and attention on how integrated social services are provided and how approaches to deliver these services are effectively strengthening families, preventing family separation, supporting family reintegration or placement in alternative family-based care, addressing the specific needs of children with disabilities and their families as well as mitigating and responding to violence against children and early and forced marriages and unions. The activity should take an intentional approach to ensure that marginalized populations, such as Fulbe, have access to ISS, and are not discriminated against.

Outcome 2.2. District and community level social service workforce strengthened

Strengthening the district and community level workforce is an important aspect of the integrated social service program. This project should contribute to and be informed by assessments such as the 2020 social welfare service workforce capacity assessment in building the capacity of the social service workforce to effectively deliver inclusive social services, including through the effective implementation of case management and referral mechanisms based on the Intersectoral Standard Operating Procedures for Child Protection and Family

Welfare.

https://www.unicef.org/ghana/media/3321/file/Inter-Sectoral%20SOPs%20for%20Child%20Protection.pdf https://www.mogcsp.gov.gh/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Picture12.png https://www.unicef.org/ghana/media/3286/file/Inter-Sectoral%20SOPs%20for%20Child%20Protection%20and%20Family%20Welfare.pdf https://www.unicef.org/ghana/media/3286/file/Inter-Sectoral%20SOPs%20for%20Child%20Protection%20and%20Family%20Welfare.pdf

The activity is expected to have a strong focus on strengthening the social service workforce at the community level and how the community level cadre can effectively contribute to strengthening families, preventing family separation, supporting family reintegration or placement in alternative family-based care, addressing the specific needs of children with disabilities and their families as well as mitigating and responding to violence against children and child, early and forced marriages and unions. This should include increasing understanding and identifying approaches to: strengthen the community workforce’s functionality and role in relation to child protection, development, and care; its capacity; how it interfaces and coordinates with district level and statutory social service and allied workforce; and its sustainability.

In close collaboration with the Government-led and UNICEF-supported Integrated Social Services program, the activity will identify existing or required pre or in-service training as well as supportive supervision approaches to further strengthen the community cadre and potential pathways for their development. Based on identified capacity needs, the activity could support interventions such as the preparation of community-level social service workforce capacity development plans, development and implementation of effective supportive supervision systems, and the development and rolling out of relevant guidance, job aids and capacity building programs in close collaboration with the district level government workforce and the ISS program. This should also build the capacity of the community workforce in identifying, engaging and supporting children with disabilities and their families. Training and supportive supervision should include sensitization to the needs and ways to reach marginalized populations, such as the Fulbe.

Outcome 2.3. National, regional, district, and community level coordination and financing of child protection, development, and care strengthened.

The activity will support effective coordination of stakeholder efforts in delivering integrated social services related to child protection, development, and care. In close collaboration with the ISS project, the activity will strengthen community level coordination and monitoring mechanisms, including effective linkages with the district coordination structures such as the district child protection committees, and the MMDAs’ intersectoral coordinating committees.

The activity will have a strong focus on strengthening holistic and multisectoral coordination of stakeholders required for meeting the specific needs of children with disabilities and their families as well as for early childhood development and to mitigate and respond to CEFMU, adolescent pregnancy, family separation, and violence against children. Successful applicants will ensure that a wide variety of civil society organizations and NGOs actively engage with existing government-led coordination mechanisms, that government oversight systems - including through ISS and SWIMS - are effectively coordinating their work (regulation, monitoring, quality assurance); and demonstrate how a more holistic and government coordinated “network” of services for vulnerable children and families can be accomplished in Ghana.

In close collaboration with the Government of Ghana and UNICEF, the activity will also identify how community level efforts and data from these efforts can inform regional and national coordination structures such as the National Stakeholders Forums on Child Marriage and Early Childhood Development. The activity will also identify, in close collaboration with the Government of Ghana and UNICEF, how community level services and support provided by community cadres can be integrated, scaled and supported through increased public budget allocation.

Outcome 2.4. Implementation and…