Consultancy to develop an Advocacy Strategy and Implementation plan

Background

RED NOSES Clowndoctors International (RNI) is an Austrian Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) that brings together artistic and scientific expertise in the interface of performing arts, healthcare, social inclusion. The vision and impact goal of all RED NOSES work is that people in need of joy are better able to reconnect to themselves, each other, and the beauty of all human emotions. The professionally trained RED NOSES clown artist engage with vulnerable groups (a.o. children in hospitals, children in crisis situation, elderly people in care facilities and children with disabilities) in interactive artistic performances, which contribute to their wellbeing and social inclusion. As a headquarter, RNI currently coordinates activities of the RED NOSES group, consisting of 11 organizations in Europe and the Middle East. RNI encourages the development of artistic formats and stimulates the exchange of approaches and know-how in the artistic field of healthcare clowning. It helps build capacity of national healthcare clown organisations by providing practical support in training, quality management, PR and fundraising. A great emphasis is placed on providing high quality artistic training to healthcare clown artists through the implementation of international workshops at its main training platform – the International School of Humour (ISH).

With its activities, the RED NOSES group contributes to the implementation of the following rights of vulnerable people:

• Right to physical, mental and social well-being.[1]

• Right to participation and access to culture.[2]

• Children’s rights – health, play and access to culture.[3]

• Rights of Persons with Disabilities – health and access to culture.[4]

www.rednoses.eu

https://www.rednoses.eu/who-we-are/our-theory-of-change/

Scope of the strategy development process

RNI is looking for a qualified consultant to support our process to develop an advocacy strategy, as well as a three year implementation plan. The strategy should be linked to RNI’s strategy 2025 and our framework of change.

What are we expecting:

• Improved understanding of what advocacy means in the context of RNI’s work and mission

• Clarification of our organizational goals in relation to international and national advocacy and policy engagement

• Development of an advocacy strategy and 3-year implementation plan

Objectives of the strategy development process

The Consultant will work in close coordination with the assigned project officer, the different departments as well as the executive management and CEO of RED NOSES International in the development of the Advocacy Strategy that will ideally include the following:

a) Assessment of RED NOSES Current Status in Advocacy and Policy Engagements

The consultant will review RNIs (headquarter and partner organisations) current advocacy initiatives and identify potential areas of focus. The idea is to gather an overview of the progress made, but also assess the untapped potential, especially in relation to the use of the healthcare clowning and artistic activities to improve the wellbeing, inclusion and access to arts and culture of vulnerable groups. The consultant shall include in his/her analysis a separate assessment of the potential of the RNI headquarters office and the RN local partner organisations when it comes to Advocacy & Policy Engagements. The use of communication and PR activities to accompany and facilitate advocacy driven activities shall equally be taken into account.

b) Training of Staff on Policy & Advocacy Engagement

The Consultant will tailor and deliver a capacity building training on Advocacy and Policy Engagement for selected RNI staff. The expected outcome of the training will be to contribute to a better understanding among RNI staff of what advocacy is and the potential of advocacy and policy engagement to support the achievement of RNI’s vision and mission in the context of RNIs organisational goals. The training shall be designed in a participatory manner and help to create an individual approach to advocacy engagement tailored to the needs and of RNI.

c) Participatory development of an Advocacy Strategy and implementation plan

The consultant will work together with key RNI stakeholders to draft an Advocacy Strategy for RNI and its network, which will guide effective engagements for (1) an improved policy framework that enables the delivery of the daily work of RED NOSES partner organisations, (2) improved people-centred care that takes into account the emotional wellbeing and improved access to artistic and cultural activities for RNIs beneficiaries.

The developed strategy and action plan shall include the following:

An advocacy strategy indicating:

• Clear objectives and outputs

• Realistic and measurable goals

• A mapping of stakeholders, collaboration networks, potential allies and partnerships

A 3-year implementation plan for RNI headquarter’s departments and Partner organisations indicating:

• Simple and clear key messages

• Target activities

• Effective approaches, actions and tools

• SMART success indicators

• Role of the RNI headquarter and local partner organisations in influencing policies at the International, European and National level

• Resources needed to implement the proposed activities

• Use of communication channels and campaign tools

The strategy and implementation plan will need to take into consideration local policy frameworks and local activities of our RED NOSES partner organisations.

Timeline

The consultancy is planned to start on February 8, 2021 and to be completed within three months, so by the beginning of May 2021.

Deliverables

By the end of the consultancy period the following deliverables are expected:

a) Inception report

The report should indicate a clear understanding of the terms of reference, budget, and description of the methodology, including data requirements, data sources and methods of collection, and a clear work plan with a proposed time frame for start and end of the assignment.

b) Facilitation and report of a staff training/workshop

The training shall be conducted online or in person, depending on the location of the consultant and prevailing safety regulations. The workshop shall be held in a participatory manner and lead to a common understanding of what advocacy means in the context of RNI’s goals. A short report (max 5 pages) shall document the outcomes of the training.

c) 1st Draft of the Advocacy Strategy and implementation plan )

The first draft advocacy strategy and implementation plan shall be submitted after conducting a comprehensive desk review and gathering of data by engaging with RNI team members and other stakeholders.

d) Submission of the final RNI advocacy strategy and implementation plan

A final proof-read and clean copy of the advocacy strategy and implementation plan in English.

e) Conduct presentation

The final advocacy strategy and implementation plan shall be presented (online or face to face) to selected RNI staff members to kick-start the implementation period.

Budget

The maximum amount available for this consultancy is 5,000 Euros. This budget includes fees for team members, translation costs, and any other incidental costs that may arise during any phase of the evaluation.

In the current context of the Covid-19 no travel will be expected. The assignment should be completed using virtual meetings and online workshops (in case the consultant should be based in Vienna and the safety regulations allow for it, some of the meetings and workshops could be held face to face in the office of RNI.

Requirements

• Relevant academic background (post graduate qualification as a minimum) in international relations and/or any other relevant social sciences degree.
• At least 5 – 10 years of experience in strategy and/or organisational development, policy research, advocacy and communication
• Experience in conducting trainings /facilitation of workshops
• Good understanding of the advocacy and policy making environment in one or ideally more of the following areas: health, development, social inclusion, arts and culture
• Must possess strong skills in analysis, communication/presentation, research methods, facilitation methods
• Demonstrate experience of having undertaken similar assignments
• Strong abilities to write in a clear and accessible manner
• Excellent spoken and written English. Other languages spoken in the target countries are an asset
• Ability to work efficiently and deliver on the key deliverables within agreed timelines and deadlines

Please refer to the full terms of reference under this link: https://www.rednoses.eu/fileadmin/global/Working_for_RED_NOSES/Advocacy_Consultant_ToRs_final.pdf