TOR – REVIEW OF CARE POLICY SCORECARD AND CARE IS ESSENTIAL INFRASTRUCTURE STUDIES IN KENYA (INT10501)

ABOUT OXFAM

Oxfam is an international confederation of 21 organizations working in over 60 countries worldwide seeking to find lasting solutions to poverty and injustice around the world. Oxfam is determined to change that world by mobilizing the power of people against poverty. Around the world, Oxfam works to find practical, innovative ways for people to lift themselves out of poverty and thrive. We save lives and help rebuild livelihoods when crisis strikes. And we campaign so that the voices of the poor influence the local and global decisions that affect them. In all we do, Oxfam works with partners, public and private sector institutions alongside vulnerable women and men to end the injustices that cause poverty. Read more about Oxfam from https://kenya.oxfam.org/  

ABOUT CARE PROGRAMMING.

Unpaid Care and domestic work (UCDW) sustains communities and economies, provides essential care, including, healthcare for children, sick and elderly people and those living with disabilities, and keeps households running and families fed. Yet this work is not recognised as productive work, is underinvested in by governments and falls disproportionately on women and girls, contributing to their time and poverty by limiting their opportunities to participate in decent paid employment, education, and political life, and time for rest and leisure. These challenges are heightened by COVID-19, climate change, the global cost-of-living crises, and the failure of states to invest in socially progressive policies. The Women’s Economic Empowerment and Care (WE-Care) program is an Oxfam flagship programme that seeks to address UCDW, as a key factor in achieving gender equality and economic development.

Care Policy Scorecard

As part of its global efforts to deepen policy influencing, Oxfam, together with  Partners

developed the Care Policy Scorecard: A tool for assessing country progress towards an enabling policy environment on care. The Care Policy Scorecard seeks to measure government performance and progress on policies relating to UCDW, paid care work and cross-sectoral policy areas. It is a practical tool enables care advocates to monitor and track progress and hold governments to account for their commitments, which are critically needed as countries rebuild their economies, address the fallouts from the COVID-19 pandemic and deliver towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Care Policy Scorecard looks at the extent to which government policies at the extent to which government policies related to care are formulated, enacted, and budgeted for and implemented, and the extent to which they have a transformative and, systematic adopted, budgeted for and implemented, and the extent to which they have a transformative effect on care. It can be used at the national or sub-national level. The Scorecard is intended to be used by civil society, government and academia alike.

Care is Essential Infrastructure.

In the wake of the pandemic, the demand for a more care-centred economy and society is more urgent than before. Oxfam’s report ‘Care in the Time of Coronavirus’, encompassing 5 countries in 2020, indicated that households experienced increased of care and domestic responsibilities. Oxfam.2021. “The Inequality Virus: Bringing together a world torn apart by coronavirus through a fair, just and sustainable economy.”

Research has proven that faster economic growth alone does not achieve gender equality, and fiscal policy measures commonly used to stimulate economic growth can at once increase growth14 while increasing gender inequality and inequity.15 Evidence shows that cuts to social services in response to economic crises have been absorbed by women and girls through increased care work.

When women lose out on targeted social protection measures, their unpaid, paid and underpaid care responsibilities increase. As such, care centred approaches, prioritizing investments in care infrastructure can help to ensure that economic recovery or restructuring is grounded in a more equitable redistribution, recognition, rewarding, representation, and reduction of care work.

Oxfam’s ongoing advocacy and research on unpaid and paid domestic and care work put forward definitions of best practices for care supporting policies, which provide a basis for defining investments in care infrastructure. This research draws on three main Oxfam research and policy documents to broadly define care infrastructure. The first, the Care Principles and Barometer notes that care policies are “public policies that allocate resources to recognize, reduce and redistribute unpaid care work in terms of money, services and time or level of effort invested.” Second, the Care Policy Scorecard puts forth categories of care policies that provide a basis from which to define what constitutes investments in care infrastructure (related to and beyond physical infrastructure). The policy categories put forward in the Care Policy scorecard for unpaid and paid care work include, 1) care-supporting physical infrastructure (e.g., piped water, public transport etc.,); 2) care services (public healthcare, early childhood care and education, elderly care etc.,); 3)Social protection benefits related care (e.g. pensions, cash transfers etc.,); 4) care-supporting workplaces (e.g. paid sick leave, onsite childcare etc.,); 5) labor protections for paid care workers;6) workplace environment regulations; 7) migrant care workers’ protections; and 8) right to organize. Third, the OUS policy brief, “Increasing Investments in the IDA20 replenishment process,” defines care-supporting policies as investments in 1) care-supporting physical infrastructure; 2) care-supporting services; 3) social protection benefits; 4) gender-responsive budgeting; 5) data production and analysis related to care work.

These broad categories from Oxfam’s previous work provide a basis for defining care infrastructure in a manner that goes beyond physical infrastructure to include policies and social initiatives that recognize, reduce, equitably reward, and redistribute care work and represent caregivers. However, within and between country contexts there is much debate about how to define and conceptualize care infrastructure. There remain significant debates between government, civil society, and private sector actors in different country contexts of what specific policies and initiatives would constitute care infrastructure.

As such, Oxfam Kenya commissioned a study aimed at examining the: a) the definitions, debates, demands, and conceptualizations of what care infrastructure . This includes examining the differences in how care infrastructure is conceptualized or defined. That is how do different actors define care infrastructure, and what do they argue are the policies, initiatives, or investments that constitute care infrastructure? Depending on the country context, this could include how local governments, national governments, private sector, communities, women’s right organizations, and other members of civil society define and conceptualize care infrastructure. This expands the focus from public policies to consider community, civil society, and private sector initiatives. b) The paper also seeks to contextualize what care infrastructure investments entail in relation to broader economic, social, and political policies and initiatives since the onset of the pandemic. This can include demands around anti-austerity, welfare benefits, the detrimental health and social costs of extractive industries, informal employment, migration as well as potentially understanding the linkages between care infrastructure and social norms or political infrastructure.

This paper will complement the ongoing research being conducted for Oxfam’s Care Policy Scorecard which focuses on existing government policies, by providing an analysis of the ongoing debates around what should constitute care work and by including civil society demands, initiatives and movements around care infrastructure.

About the consultancy

Oxfam in Kenya commissioned two key studies last year namely 1. Care Policy Scorecard and 2. Care is an Essential Infrastructure. These studies will deepen Oxfam’s ongoing advocacy and Influencing work around Care Programming. Upon finalization of the two studies, it emerged that  there is a need to further update the contents of the report, re-align and re-structure the report to the objectives of the TOR and succinctly present the findings in an easy to interpret format by all audiences. In that regard, the consultant will be expected to deliver on the following objectives:

Objectives

1. Review and reframe the Care is Essential Infrastructure report and provide additional inputs to the draft report.
2. Review the Care Policy Scorecard report and provide additional inputs to the draft report. This will include collection of additional data useful for the finalization of the report.
3. Copy editing , proof reading of the reports to ensure all objectives are addressed sufficiently.
4. Communicate the findings of the reports succinctly and in an easy to read and digest format.

With this in mind, the assignment will employ qualitative data approaches for data collection and analysis.

Oxfam expects the consultant(s) leading the assignment to use a gender lens. In its work, Oxfam seeks to apply a Feminist Approach to Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (FMEAL)..

METHODOLOGY

The selected consultant will be expected to conduct a qualitative research  method comprising of extensive literature/desk review of the different studies, Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with stakeholders whose names will be shared upon contracting.

Ethical considerations

The consultant will put in place measures to ensure data collection adheres to all necessary ethics and guidelines provided by local laws on data protection and ‘Do no Harm’ standards, Oxfam safe programming and feminist principles.

KEY ACTIVITIES AND DELIVERABLES

The assignment will start upon signing of the contract between Oxfam and the successful consultant(s) or an otherwise agreed upon date. The exact due dates for all deliverables will be finalized with Oxfam prior to submitting the inception report, so long as the dates continue to fall within the broad start and finish dates of the consultancy. The assignment is expected to be complete on or before 31^st March 2024.

Oxfam envisions the review as a collaborative undertaking between itself, partner staff in Kenya and the successful consultant(s). We expect that the selected consultant(s) will engage with and provide feedback on a continual basis. On our part, we commit to collaborating with the selected individual/team and to providing sufficient time for a back-and-forth approach.

Timeline

We anticipate  this assignment to take 10 days ,starting 15^th July 2024.

PROFILE OF THE REVIEW TEAM

The consultancy can include different team members. Key competencies of the team include:

• Good understanding of policies and frameworks regulating Care work.
• Advanced degree (Masters) in a relevant field such as Public Policy, Social Sciences, Gender and Development, Monitoring and Evaluation, Development Studies, or a related discipline.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in global policy analysis, particularly in the subject of Care policies and gender-based analysis and research, is required.
• Strong research and analytical skills, including proficiency in quantitative and qualitative research approaches, including verified experience of using scorecards as a tracking and accountability tool.
• Strong understanding and demonstrated experience in using feminist approaches to research.
• Excellent research/technical writing and editing skills.
• Proper articulation of the methodology is an added advantage.

TAX AND VAT ARRANGEMENTS

Oxfam will deduct withholding tax from the professional fees which will be in conformity with the prevailing government rates and submit the same to the Government of Kenya.

BID REQUIREMENTS

Consultant(s) who meet the above requirements should submit bids, which at minimum include the following:

• Suitability statement, including commitment to availability for the entire assignment.
• Brief statement of the proposed study methodology including a detailed work plan.
• Detailed financial proposal, including daily costs.
• Information on the team composition and level of effort of each team member – include updated curriculum vitae that clearly spell out qualifications and experience.
• Contacts of three organizations that have recently contracted the consultant to carry out relevant study.
• Samples of similar and/or related work done previously

Budget financial proposal must indicate all-inclusive costs for conducting the assignment.

N/B: The entire bid should be a MAXIMUM OF fifteen (15) PAGES inclusive of CVs and Budgets. Bids not meeting this requirement will not be considered.

REPORTING LINES

The consultant shall work under the supervision of the Oxfam’s Gender Justice and Women Rights technical team.

How to apply:

Oxfam Kenya invites individuals who meet the criteria to submit Expression of Interest that clearly articulates the consultant(s) understanding of the terms of reference, methodology for executing the work including key deliverables and tentative budget should and clearly indicated “Review and finalization of the  care policy scorecard and care is essential infrastructure studies in Kenya.”

Expression of Interests shall be sent to [email protected] , no later than close of business on 10th July, 2024 . Only applicants who qualify will be contacted.