The “Armenian Association of Social Workers” non-governmental organization (hereafter AASW) announces a competition for the selection of the Social Worker Evaluation Consultant (Evaluation Approach, Coordination and Reporting) assignment within the framework of the “Promoting Social Inclusion and Self-Reliant Livelihood Activities in Armenia” Project (hereinafter Project).

The main objective of this consultancy is to assess and evaluate the progress of knowledge and skills of 200 state and community social workers (associated with Project’s capacity building activities: trainings and coaching sessions) from Shirak, Lori, Ararat, Armavir and Kotayq marzes while applying case management methodology through qualitative and quantitative methods.

Scope of Work   

Under the supervision of the representative of the Project Implementing Agency (Project Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist) the Consultant will evaluate (pre- and post-evaluation) the practice and intervention efforts of social workers in all Project target regions (Ararat, Armavir, Kotayq, Lori and Shirak) and will be responsible for:

1. Development of Social Workers’ knowledge and skills Evaluation Approach and Tools.
2. Implementation of Pre-training Evaluation of Social Workers’ Knowledge and Skills in applying social case management methodology.
3. Implementation of Post-training Evaluation of Social Workers’ Knowledge and Skills in applying social case management methodology.
4. Development of Social Workers’ Evaluation Report.

The Consultant shall be responsible for the following tasks:

1. Under the “Development of Social Workers’ knowledge and skills Evaluation Approach and Tools” the consultant shall be responsible for the following tasks:
2. a) Development of 200 state and community social workers’ practice and intervention efforts evaluation approach including representative sampling (if appropriate), data gathering and analysis toolkit, etc., which will allow to assess:
   • The perception of effectiveness, relevance, and usefulness of trainings/workshops for social workers.
   • the progress of the social workers knowledge and skills in applying case management methodology, specifically in:
     • knowledge of social case management procedure,
     • knowledge of the main principles of the following concepts: activation, inclusion and child poverty
     • effective interaction with clients,
     • communication and interviewing skills with clients,
     • need and strengths assessment skills,
     • home visiting skills,
     • using appropriate interventions,
     • case filing/documenting and application of relevant working forms (SW diary, recordings, assessment sheets, case conference, referrals, family intervention and development plan, etc.),
     • networking skills.
     • application of case management methodology in regards of activation, inclusion and child poverty.
       1. The evaluation approach should at least include the following methods:
          • Pre- and post-training assessment (the forms will be developed in close collaboration with the Component 1- local consultants).
          • Group-interviewing/focus group discussions,
          • Observation,
          • Self-evaluation and peer-evaluation,
          • Document analysis.
       2. Pilot testing and review of evaluation toolkit with 15 Social Work Consultants, involved in the Project.

2. Under the “Implementation of Pre-training Evaluation of Social Workers’ Knowledge and Skills in applying social case management methodology” the consultant shall be responsible for the following tasks:
   1. Based on the evaluation approach coordinate and organize Pre-training evaluation among 200 state and community social workers in close collaboration with SW Evaluation Consultant (Data collection),
   2. Conduct group interviews with at least 25% of 200 state and community social workers,
   3. Following the evaluation approach, combine, consolidate, and analyze data collected through qualitative and quantitative methods and develop “Social Workers’ Pre-training Evaluation Report”.
3. Under the “Implementation of Post-training Evaluation of Social Workers’ Knowledge and Skills in applying social case management methodology” the consultant shall be responsible for the following tasks:
4. Based on the evaluation approach coordinate and organize post-training evaluation among 200 state and community social workers in close collaboration with SW Evaluation Consultant (Data collection),
5. Conduct group interviews with at least 25% of 200 state and community social workers,
6. Conduct document analyses of the SW assessment reports (representative sampling) from Social Work Trainers/Coachers,
7. Conduct a focus group discussion with SW trainers/coachers to gather their perception on the progress of SWs skills.
8. Following the evaluation approach, combine, consolidate, and analyze data (including from SW Evaluation Consultant (Data collection)) collected through qualitative and quantitative methods and develop “Social Workers’ Post-training Evaluation Report”.
9. Under the “Development of Social Worker’s Evaluation Report” the consultant shall be responsible for the development of the overall report indicating the progress of social workers skills and knowledge in applying case management methodology in their practice through comparative analyzes of the data in Social Workers’ Pre- and Post –training evaluation reports.

Timetable & Milestones

The working language of the documents (deliverables) is Armenian.   

4. Expected skills and qualifications of the Contractor

The Contractor shall fulfil the following qualifications:

• Higher professional education in Social Sciences (Sociology, Social Work and related fields)
• At least 5 years of relevant work experience as evaluator
• Proven experience of quality evaluations in the areas of social protection and social work and learning processes.
• Strong familiarity with RA Social Protection System
• Excellent writing and communication skills in Armenian with sufficient experience in applying all required tools and methods for conducting the evaluation including participatory appraisal techniques in data collection. Good writing and communication skills in English will be an asset.
• Willingness and ability to travel to the Project marzes, work in a team of Local Consultants

The Project

The project is expected to help increase access to social assistance benefits and services and provide self-employment support to about 11,000 vulnerable members of society in urban and rural communities in Ararat, Armavir, Kotayk, Lori and Shirak regions of Armenia. The Project grant was received under the Japan Social Development Fund (JSDF) which is financed by the Government of Japan.  

The project has been designed by the World Bank in partnership with the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of Armenia and will be implemented by the Association of Social Workers– a non-governmental, not-for-profit national professional representative body of social workers in Armenia.  The JSDF was established by the Government of Japan and the World Bank as a mechanism to provide direct assistance to the poorest and most vulnerable groups in eligible World Bank countries. The aim is to enhance their capacities, strengthen their empowerment and participation in society and economic life.

 Application

All interested candidates meeting the above-listed requirements are requested to submit their letters of interest and CVs to the e-mail address below until August 10, 2021.

Please clearly indicate the title of the position (Social Worker Evaluation Consultant (Evaluation Approach, Coordination and Reporting)) in the subject line of the e-mail. Please note that only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for the interview.

E-mail:  procurement@aasw.org

Tel:  (374 93) 514499 (for questions and clarifications)