Save the Children Opens Consultancy on Evaluation of Accountability to Children Processes – Closing 14 August 2026

Humanitarian responses increasingly recognize that children are not just passive recipients of aid but active rights-holders whose voices must shape decisions that affect their lives. A new global evaluation led by Save the Children Norway builds on this principle by examining how children’s feedback and participation are integrated into humanitarian decision-making—and whether those inputs lead to real change.

This initiative represents a significant shift from traditional accountability models toward a more dynamic, child-centered system that tracks not only consultation, but influence, feedback loops, and tangible outcomes.

Why This Evaluation Matters

Over recent years, organizations such as Save the Children, Plan International, and the Norwegian Refugee Council have made strong commitments to accountability to affected populations (AAP). However, evidence shows a persistent gap between policy and practice.

Children are often consulted in humanitarian programming, but:

• Their input is not consistently analyzed or prioritized
• Feedback rarely influences program design or funding decisions
• Communication back to children is often limited or unclear

This evaluation responds directly to these challenges by asking a critical question: Are children’s voices actually shaping humanitarian action, or are they simply being collected?

A Shift Toward Real-Time Learning and Change

Unlike traditional one-off assessments, this evaluation adopts a longitudinal approach. It tracks how accountability practices evolve over time within humanitarian responses, focusing on both baseline conditions and subsequent improvements.

The study will:

• Document current participation and feedback systems at the start
• Monitor changes in practice over time
• Assess whether recommendations lead to meaningful implementation

This approach transforms accountability from a static measurement into a continuous learning process embedded within humanitarian operations.

Core Focus Areas of the Evaluation

The evaluation is designed to assess five key dimensions of children’s participation in humanitarian contexts:

1. Safe and Inclusive Participation

It will examine whether children can safely express their views regardless of age, gender, disability, or displacement status.

2. Listening and Recognition

It will assess whether humanitarian actors genuinely listen to children and treat their feedback as valid evidence.

3. Analysis and Interpretation

The study will explore how children’s inputs are processed within organizational systems and whether they are systematically analyzed.

4. Decision-Making Influence

A central focus is whether children’s feedback leads to:

• Program adjustments
• Resource allocation changes
• Strategic shifts in response planning

5. Feedback Loops

The evaluation will measure whether organizations “close the loop” by informing children about how their input was used.

Methodology and Country Coverage

The consultancy will use a mixed-methods design combining qualitative and quantitative approaches. Fieldwork will be conducted in 2–3 humanitarian contexts, potentially including countries such as Colombia and Syria.

Key methods include:

• Child-friendly interviews and focus group discussions
• Stakeholder interviews with humanitarian staff and partners
• Policy and document analysis
• Feedback system mapping and process tracking

A strong emphasis will be placed on ethical research practices, safeguarding, and age-appropriate engagement techniques to ensure children’s safety and dignity throughout the process.

What the Evaluation Will Deliver

The selected consultant or team will produce a range of outputs designed to support learning and accountability across the humanitarian system. These include:

• An inception report outlining methodology and evaluation design
• Baseline findings on current accountability practices
• Country-level and global analytical reports
• Actionable recommendations for system improvement
• Learning workshops with humanitarian stakeholders
• Child-friendly dissemination materials to share findings back with participants

These deliverables are intended not only to evaluate but also to actively improve accountability mechanisms in real time.

Expected Impact on Humanitarian Practice

This initiative is expected to influence how humanitarian organizations design and implement participation systems. Key anticipated outcomes include:

• Stronger integration of children’s feedback into decision-making
• Improved transparency in how humanitarian choices are made
• Enhanced trust between children and aid providers
• More consistent application of Accountability to Affected People (AAP) standards

By focusing on real-world application, the evaluation aims to bridge the gap between commitment and implementation.

Required Expertise for Implementation

The consultancy requires a team with strong experience in:

• Humanitarian evaluation and child rights programming
• Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) frameworks
• Ethical field research involving children
• Mixed-methods data collection and analysis
• Multi-country coordination and stakeholder engagement

Language skills, particularly in English, Arabic, and Spanish, are also highly valuable given the global scope of the work.

A Step Toward Child-Centered Humanitarian Systems

At its core, this evaluation reflects a broader transformation in humanitarian thinking. It moves beyond treating children as beneficiaries and instead positions them as active contributors to shaping humanitarian responses.

By rigorously assessing how children’s voices are heard, interpreted, and acted upon, the initiative seeks to ensure that accountability becomes more than a principle—it becomes a lived reality in crisis-affected communities.

If successful, this model could redefine participation standards across the humanitarian sector, making child-centered accountability a measurable and enforceable practice rather than an aspirational goal.

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