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INVITATION TO TENDER FROM THE CHILDREN'S RIGHTS ALLIANCE FOR ENGLAND

Independent evaluation of

End violence against children in custody project

February 2011 1. Introduction to organisation The Children’s Rights Alliance for England (CRAE) is an influential coalition of voluntary and statutory organisations committed to the full implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). Our members include all of the major children's and youth charities. CRAE protects the human rights of children by lobbying government and others who hold power, by bringing or supporting test cases and by using regional and international human rights mechanisms. We provide free legal information and advice, raise awareness of children’s human rights, and undertake research about children’s access to their rights. We mobilise others, including children and young people, to take action to promote and protect children's human rights. Each year we publish a review of the state of children’s rights in England. 2. End violence against children in custody project We have secured funding from the European Commission to run a two-year project on ending violence against children in custody. The project started on 1 February 2011. Our partners are:

• The International Juvenile Justice Observatory (Belgium) • DCI-the Netherlands • The Commissioner for Children’s Rights in Cyprus • The Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights (Austria) and • Save the Children Romania.

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‘Children’ means under 18 year-olds, in accordance with Article 1 of the CRC. ‘Violence’ includes physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse, in accordance with Article 19 of the CRC. ‘Custody’ refers to locked institutions where children are held after being charged, convicted or sentenced of a criminal offence. A key part of this innovative project will be an interactive website, to be launched in April 2011 but evolving over the life of the project. The project will be in three phases. The first phase will bring together standard information about each of the participating countries in relation to violence against children in custody – for example, number of deaths in custody; statistics on attempted suicide and self-harm; restraint and use of force data; bullying statistics (peers and staff); and the existence (or not) of independent complaints procedures. The template for bringing together this standard information will be drawn from international and European law, including the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UN Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty and European Rules for juvenile offenders subject to sanctions or measures. The second phase will focus on recruiting and supporting children and young people with experience of custody in five different countries (Austria, Cyprus, England, the Netherlands and Romania) to conduct focus groups with other under 18 year-olds that are, or have been, in custody. 25 children and young people in each of the five countries will participate in the focus groups. Once the focus groups are completed, there will be an Investigation Report for each country and a consolidated report showing all of the findings and recommendations. The third phase will be recruiting and supporting children and young people in each participating country to establish and run effective campaigns to end violence against children in custody. There will be a Campaign Report from each country and a consolidated report, covering activities, achievements, learning and recommended next steps.

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3. What we need We are looking for an individual or organisation to evaluate the impact of the project on law, policy and practice in the partner countries; as well as the benefits it brings to the child participants. This will culminate in an evaluation report which can be used by CRAE and its partners to promote the project, its learning and impact to policy makers, children’s rights advocates and human rights bodies. In addition, we require a much shorter summary report that can be distributed among children and young people that participated in the project, and disseminated via the project website.

Applicants must:

• Have an excellent understanding of the requirements of international and European law in relation to the protection of children’s rights in custody

• Have a track record of seeking positive changes in child custody • Be experienced in evaluating campaign-based projects, particularly those

involving children and young people • Be able to engage children and young people in devising outcome

measures (this communication is likely to be indirect via project partners) • Have excellent communication skills and, in particular, be able to write for a

wide range of audiences, including children and young people.

4. Time frame We are seeking permission from the European Commission to conclude the evaluation 3-6 months after the end of the project in February 2013. However, the evaluation may need to be concluded by end January 2013. 5. Budget The total available budget is £8,500 inclusive of VAT. Travel and subsistence expenses will be available for up to five meetings with CRAE and one visit to each project partner throughout the life of the project, in addition to attendance at a 3-day all-country campaign meeting in Brussels in February 2012.

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6. Your application Please supply a CV of the person or persons who would be conducting this evaluation and an additional statement (no more than 4 pages A4) describing how you would approach this evaluation; how you meet each of the essential requirements in Section 3 above; and how you anticipate the evaluation report might itself help to end violence against children in custody. Your application must arrive at CRAE (contact details below) no later than 31 March 2011, 3pm. We will notify shortlisted individuals / organisations by 14 April 2011 and expect to hold interviews on 20 April 2011. CONTACT: Carolyne Willow National co-ordinator Children's Rights Alliance for England 94 White Lion Street, London N1 9PF cwillow@crae.org.uk 17 February 2011