Tenders are invited for Scaling Case Study Consultancy Closing Date: 5 May 2025 Type: Consultancy Application Due: 5th of May 2025 Timeline (ideal): - Start of inception phase: May 2025 - Inception report: June 2025 - Data collection phase: July October 2025 - Final report: November 2025 Budget: 85,000 95,000 EUR (any travel to be covered within budget) 1. Overview 1.1 About the Van Leer Foundation The Van Leer Foundation is an independent Dutch organisation working globally to foster inclusive societies where all children and communities can flourish. We bring together people with different perspectives and support them to achieve large-scale impact. Our support involves a unique combination of funding, networks, executive education, technical assistance and knowledge. Founded in 1949, the Van Leer Foundation started focusing in 1965 on working worldwide to ensure that babies, toddlers and the people who care for them have a good start in life. Our mission is to improve opportunities for all young children, especially the millions of young children growing up in circumstances of social, economic and environmental disadvantage around the world. Geographically, our philanthropic investments are made in six core geographies chosen for their diversity in geographic, cultural and economic terms. These core geographies are Brazil, Jordan, India, Israel, The Netherlands, and a regional approach/presence in Africa. By working together with governments, civil society, philanthropy, academia, international organisations and increasingly business, we support scalable programmes and policies to improve childrens lives. The Foundations previous strategy cycle spanning from 2016 till 2023 focused on scaling promising policy ideas by working closely with governments at national and local levels through the Foundations two flagship programmes: Parents+: Parents+ combines early years-focused coaching activities for parents and other caregivers with at least one other service designed to meet a childs and/or her parents basic needs. In addition, we fund activities shaping policy and behaviour in support of the wellbeing of caregivers and their children. Urban95: Urban95 is a global initiative that works with leaders, planners, designers, advocates and communities to support the healthy development of young children and the wellbeing of caregivers in cities. Our goal is to encourage cities to create spaces where children can grow, learn, create, imagine and play across all neighbourhoods, reaching as many families as possible. The Foundations 2024 2028 strategy continues to aim to help leaders develop and scale effective policies and services with a focus on the period from pregnancy to age 5. The new strategy brings an increased focus on parent wellbeing, aiming that all programmes and services prioritise the needs, mental health, and wellbeing of parents and caregivers. It also emphasises the importance of tailoring programmes and services to meet the diverse needs of different population groups, including the most vulnerable, to foster more inclusive societies. 1.2 Scaling Approach After five decades of investing in early childhood development, we believe the major challenge remains the transition to scale of support for babies, toddlers and those caring for them. For strategic and operational purposes, we define an initiative working at scale as an initiative that either has a reach of more than 50,000 children or coverage of a full population within a well-defined administrative territory such as a city (or a district of a mega-city), state or province. We understand there are different ways of framing pathways to scale. We framed our scaling efforts through the following three pathways: scaling up (expanding vertically by increasing resources, capacity, or adoption at higher levels), scaling out (expanding horizontally by replicating or adapting a programme to new locations or groups), and scaling deep (by enhancing the conditions for social inclusion or improving the quality of scaling implementation). Through prior learning and documentation of challenges and opportunities, as well as insights drawn from literature, in scaling effective early childhood development programmes, we identified nine conditions for scale and sustainability. These conditions are diverse leadership, effective governance and management, robust workforce, actionable monitoring and evaluation system, anchored in policy, cost effective ideas and costing data, strong, diverse civic management, sustainable, predictable financing, and rigorous evidence-base, including behavioural science. We have previously documented Management Case Studies on Early Childhood Programmes, Advocacy, and Urban95. These case studies shared lessons on how to scale early childhood programmes through government services, shed light on the importance of advocacy for early childhood, and documented how municipalities have prioritised their youngest residents through Urban95. 2. Responsibilities 2.1 Overview To further this agenda, Van Leer seeks to commission Scaling Stories case studies in four countriespotentially Israel, India, Jordan, and Brazil. The main objective of the case studies is to document how early childhood initiatives in the selected countries have scaled and draw insights from the scaling process. These case studies will build on Van Leers previous documentation of challenges and opportunities in scaling programmes. The case studies must balance individual storytelling with the identification of broader scaling patterns and insights. Additionally, the final product should synthesise the scaling stories within the approaches and menu of policies and programmes that Van Leer implements, which include, Urban95 and scaling through cities, scaling through national programmes and services, and leadership training through Executive Education. The studies should provide practical insights and lessons for philanthropies, governments, and other relevant stakeholders. In Israel, we work closely with the Ministry of Health to integrate parenting support into national well-baby clinics and collaborate with Tel Avivs municipal leadership to expand child-friendly urban planning. In India, we support the Ministry of Health and Family Welfares Paalan 1000, a national initiative promoting positive parenting through behaviour change campaigns and a parenting app, and its scaling through states. We also support Indian cities to implement child-friendly interventions like safer public spaces and sustainable mobility. In Brazil, together with the Ministry of Citizenship and the United Nations Development Programme, we have supported the national home visiting programme Criança Feliz to maintain quality as it scales. We also support municipal leaders institutionalise child-centred urban practices, such as safe pedestrian spaces and accessible and naturalised parks. In Jordan, we collaborate with the Ministry of Health to strengthen the delivery of early childhood services through supporting parenting programmes, an accreditation programme for healthcare centres, and enhancing coordination among different stakeholders. We work with the Ministry of Social Development to scale Be There, a programme by War Child that aims to improve the caregivers psychosocial wellbeing and reduce daily stress. Examples of potential Scaling Stories include scaling Urban95 in Israel, India, and Brazil, scaling and institutionalising support for parents of young children by enhancing the capacity of nurses in the well-baby clinics in Israel and scaling the Be There programme in Jordan. The contract holder will develop a scaling framework that captures the Foundations approaches and pathways to scale, research and write the case studies, and disseminate them based on a dissemination plan that leverages the Foundations channels and its own. 2.2 Objectives Develop a comprehensive Scaling Framework that captures the progression of Van Leers approaches and pathways to scale Conduct case studies covering four countries (Israel, India, Jordan, and Brazil) to document strategies, challenges, and opportunities in scaling Early Childhood Development initiatives Synthesise the scaling stories within Van Leers approaches and programmes, including Urban95 and scaling through cities and scaling through national programmes and services Consolidate patterns of successful strategies that contribute to sustainable scaling Provide actionable recommendations for scaling future Early Childhood Development programmes Disseminate findings in an accessible and engaging format for both research-oriented and practitioner audiences. 2.3 Methodology We are looking for consultants to propose innovative and unique methodologies for conducting the case studies. The consultant should outline a methodological approach that includes the case studies structure. Additionally, the consultant will collaborate closely with our partner organisation conducting our full strategy evaluation to ensure alignment and integration of insights. We have a preference and keen interest in utilising a mixed-methods approach, including: Desk Review: Analyse existing case studies, evaluations, and reports on scaling from the Foundation and other sources. Primary Data Collection (as needed): Conduct interviews and focus group discussions (virtually or in-person) with stakeholders, including Foundation staff, partners, policymakers, and implementers. Comparative Analysis: Identify common and distinct strategies across the case studies to highlight transferable lessons. Iterative Feedback: Engage Foundation staff and key stakeholders for input at different stages. 2.4 Outputs Inception Report: Detailed methodology, work plan, and preliminary findings from the desk review. Scaling Framework: A conceptual framework capturing Van Leers Tender Link : https://reliefweb.int/job/4146885/scaling-case-study-consultancy
