Terms of Reference for the Midterm Review of the Regional Partner Capacity Strengthening Project Phase 2 (RO02-005)
* Organisational context
ChildFund Australia is an independent international development organisation that works to reduce poverty for children in developing communities.
We partner to create community, and systems change which enables children and young people in vulnerable situations, to assert and realise their rights.
At ChildFund Australia, we want every child and young person to be able to say: “I am safe. I am educated. I contribute. I have a future.”
At ChildFund Australia we directly manage and implement programs with a range of local partners in Cambodia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, Vietnam, and other countries in the Pacific. We also manage projects delivered by partner organisations throughout Asia, Africa, and the Americas. ChildFund Australia believes that future success and effectiveness depends on expanded, authentic and reciprocal local partnerships. We aim to prioritise the voice and visibility of local partners, especially youth led organisations and networks, in our regular development programming and emergency response.
2. Background
The new phase of the Partner Capacity Strengthening Project (2024–2028) builds directly on the findings, lessons and momentum of the previous RO02‑002 project, while shifting toward a deeper, more strategic investment in locally led development. Partners from Cambodia, Myanmar, Timor‑Leste and Vietnam—through extensive validation workshops—confirmed three priority areas requiring transformational strengthening: Gender equality, disability, and social inclusion (GEDSI), Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL), and grants acquisition and management. These became the core pillars of the new phase.
Since the commencement of the previous phase, both internal and external contexts have shifted significantly, influencing the operating environment for this next stage of implementation. Internally, ChildFund Australia’s continuing commitment to transitioning toward more partner-led modalities, alongside the organisation’s exit from child sponsorship and broader resource constraints, is continuing to drive substantial changes to operating models and structures across both Australian and Country Offices. These shifts mean that assumptions embedded in the original project design may need to be revisited to ensure alignment with new organisational realities.
Externally, the global decline in Official Development Assistance (ODA)—including notable reductions from major donors such as the USAID—has had wide-ranging impacts on partner countries and local civil society organisations. These changing aid dynamics have altered the funding landscape considerably, underscoring the need to reassess implications for partners’ evolving priorities, operational pressures, and capacity-strengthening needs.
This current phase reflects not only ChildFund Australia’s strategic commitment to devolving power, strengthening civil society leadership, and embedding inclusive, evidence‑based practices, but also an adaptive response to significant internal transformation and external global aid shifts. The project’s design is deliberately collaborative, grounded in partner‑identified needs, and structured around shared ownership. During early consultations, partners committed to active engagement in co‑designing activities, implementing learning-by-doing approaches, and contributing to peer-to-peer learning—central modalities in this phase.
In Outcome 1, partners will advance organisational and programmatic GEDSI capacities using a roadmap co‑developed in 2024, with an emphasis on systematisation, transformative programming, and practical application through small grants. Outcome 2 prioritises the establishment and strengthening of organisational MEL systems so partners can lead design, monitoring and evaluation processes with confidence, autonomy and accountability. Outcome 3 focuses on building the organisational foundations required for successful grant seeking—enhancing partners’ ability to identify opportunities, articulate their value, and produce competitive proposals.
Overall, this new phase is designed to embed long‑term organisational resilience by reinforcing partners’ systems, elevating local leadership, and creating sustainable pathways for inclusive development across the region.
3. Purpose
The primary purpose of this midterm evaluation is to assess how well the project’s capacity strengthening model is working in practice—across coordination, the various methods used, level of shared ownership, and resource use; and to generate actionable recommendations for shifting sustainable management to ChildFund Australia’s Country Offices and shared decision-making to ChildFund Australia’s Country Offices (COs) and partners, strengthening partner leadership, decision-making and capacities in line with emerging partner priorities (particularly beyond training-heavy approaches), and adapting delivery and systems for the second half of the project.
4. Scope of Evaluation
The evaluation will take place from March to May 2026 with a view to completing the report by 15 June 2026. Additionally, the CSO partners participating in both the MEL and GEDSI Grants in FY2026 will be revisited in March and April 2026 to assess the impact of investments on the organisations. The findings from this will be annexed to the final report. The evaluation will assess the project achievements (outputs and outcomes) as at midterm, challenges, lessons learned, sustainability, and early signs of impact over the life of the project. The midterm review shall:
* Include the review of processes and outcomes directly linked to capacity strengthening in MEL, GEDSI, grants;
* Include the review of small grants as a mechanism for capacity strengthening application and institutionalisation;
* Include the review of internal ChildFund systems and processes impacting delivery and adaptiveness;
* Exclude a full effectiveness evaluation of downstream project outcomes beyond capacity strengthening outcomes; and
* Exclude a deep financial audit beyond efficiency judgments and VfM signals.
To support the above, the midterm review will focus on responding to the below key evaluation questions:
* How effective is the project’s capacity strengthening model—across methods, coordination, and resourcing—in building and sustaining MEL, GEDSI, and grants capabilities among partners, and whether these remain to be their key priorities? (covers internal coordination between SO and CO, methods that are working and those that are not, evidence of sustained partner capacities and ability to cascade, staff capability strengthening, efficiency of resource use, including small grants)
* To what extent do ChildFund’s internal systems, processes, and emerging role in locally led development enable effective, adaptive, and partner-led capacity strengthening? (covers CO readiness and processes for leading capacity strengthening, adaptiveness and responsiveness to partner needs and priorities, viability of the model when CFA or partners lack dedicated technical staff, and alignment with locally led development approaches)
* In light of significant organisational changes, what adjustments are needed to shift sustainable management to country offices and shared decision-making of the project to country offices and partners, and strengthen the sustainability and impact of capacity strengthening throughout the second half of the project? (requirement for a clear transition to CO-led steering and management, systems, staffing, and skills gaps, improvements to methods, processes, and the small grant mechanism)
5. Methodology
The mid-term review will be led by an external consultant and managed by the Learning and Effectiveness Lead, with technical input from the GEDSI Adviser and the Grants Adviser. The review will apply a mixed-methods approach, including a desk review, Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), group interviews, and reflection workshops with Sydney-based staff, partners, regional teams, and Country Offices, conducted primarily through remote modalities.
The consultant will provide technical leadership in refining the evaluation framework, including the evaluation questions and data-collection tools, and will conduct selected Key Informant Interviews. Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and other in-person data-collection activities will be supported and/or undertaken by internal project and Country Office teams, requiring no in-country travel for the consultancy.
6. Deliverables and Indicative Timetable
Note that this is subject to negotiation with the Consultant
Indicative dates
Outputs and Activities
Number of Days
2 Mar 2026
· Consultancy commencement, introductions, and planning
5
· Desk review
2
16 Mar 2026
· Inception report
1
Mar-Apr
· Sydney staff interviews (relevant staff)
· CSO Partner interviews (representatives)
· Country Director interviews
· Heads of Program interviews
· MEL and GEDSI interviews
2
13 May 2026
· First draft
2
22 May 2026
· Review
1
10 Jun 2026
· Validation workshop, presentation of findings and recommendations
5
15 Jun 2026
· Final report
2
Total number of days
- 11 days
7. Management and Reporting Arrangement
The Consultant will report to Ronnie Alonzo, ChildFund Learning and Effectiveness Lead.All reports must be written in English and provided in an electronic format (Microsoft Word).
8. Confidentiality
All discussions and documents relating to this ToR will be treated as confidential by the parties.
9. Child Safeguarding
The Consultant will undertake the Services to a high standard; use its best endeavors to promote the best interests of ChildFund; protect the reputation of ChildFund and work in a manner consistent with the mission, vision and policies of ChildFund (see Child Safeguarding Policy/Child Safeguarding Code of Conduct PSEAH policy and Employee Code of Conduct). ChildFund Australia has a zero-tolerance policy to abuse, exploitation and harassment in all its forms.
10. Counter-Terrorism and Anti-Money Laundering
ChildFund Australia acknowledges its obligation under the Australian laws relating to counter-terrorism and anti-money laundering. In order to meet its obligation, the consultant is obligated to provide information required for ChildFund to undertake counter terrorism screening before engagement. The consultant’s name, date & place of birth and ID number will be checked against Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) consolidated list, National Security Australia list, World Banks listing and the Asian Development