Terms of Reference

ChildHope

Business Development Consultancy 

ChildHope UK
The Green House
244-254 Cambridge Heath Road
London
E2 9DA

Tel: +44 (0)20 3559 6504
Web: www.childhope.org.uk

Background                                                                                                             
ChildHope works with children and young people who are considered the ‘hardest to reach’ within Africa and Asia. This includes children who live and work on dumpsites or on the streets of major cities, who are exploited through hazardous labour, physical or sexual abuse, and who are unable to rely on the protection of the adults around them.  During the implementation of our current five-year strategy (2016-2020) we are emphasising the inclusion of children and young people with disabilities across all our work.
ChildHope has developed a successful model that draws on local expertise and is dedicated to changing children’s lives for the better. We work with partner organisations who are entrepreneurs and innovators, activists and facilitators who understand the context of the children’s lives. Together, we build initiatives that prioritise the protection, participation and education of children, allowing them to become stronger, more confident citizens. Our model is based on listening, learning and supporting the growth of expertise – of partner organisations and the children themselves.
When we find out what works, we aim to share this expertise as widely as possible. ChildHope’s reputation in the area of Child Protection and Safeguarding has become strong and widely acknowledged in the UK international development sector. Over the past two years we have facilitated seminars and delivered one-to-one consultancy and training to a number of International agencies.
2018 has been an interesting and challenging year for the International Development Sector, with the ‘safeguarding crisis’ necessitating all agencies to take a close look at the way they protect the people they work with. As an agency with a strong focus on child protection and partnerships, ChildHope has been well positioned to respond and participate in high-level discussion with DFID, Bond and others, and we have been recognised as experts in the field.

In June 2018 we embarked on a one-year project supported by Comic Relief’s Futures Lab to grow and strengthen our consultancy business in the UK and establish a strong ‘south-south’ component, working with six of our partners in Africa and Asia to provide expert, contextually relevant and practitioner-led safeguarding training and consultancy in the regions where they work. The aim is to further cement CH and our partners as experts in the safeguarding field; to improve safeguarding practice across the international development sector and beyond; and to raise vital unrestricted income for ChildHope and our partners to make our organisations and programmes more sustainable and less reliant on traditional grant funding.

Purpose of this consultancy                                                                                               

In order to achieve our ambitious aim, we are seeking a consultant(s) to work with ChildHope to undertake market research, develop a sound business plan, costing models and tools for the further commercialisation of the consultancy services offered by ChildHope and our partners.

Scope of Work

In September 2018, ChildHope began working with a group of senior Barclay’s experts through a scheme called Pilotlight. The team undertook a strategic review of ChildHope’s current position and plans and made a series of recommendations to guide the development of our consultancy business.
The strategic review has highlighted the areas in which we require additional support in order to stand the best chance of commercial success:
To consider establishing a formal commercial trading arm of ChildHope as a limited company, with a clear mandate, commercial mind-set and performance targets, allowing for separation from ChildHope’s charitable activities, both for the purpose of protecting the charity’s’ assets and in order to create a dedicated unit with a business focus
To develop a tax and legal framework to facilitate this and the relationship between ChildHope’s charitable and commercial activities
To define the target market segmentation in order to best tailor and market our offer and incorporate this into our business plan
To define the engagement model for working with our southern partners (eg. joint venture, referral, subcontracting) and necessary legal frameworks
To define our pricing model
Exploring these recommendations has now been incorporated in to our approach.

The task will also include a market research study including analysis of potential competitors and collaborators in the field, market size and growth prospects, including in the corporate sector. 

We expect the business plan and documentation produced by this piece of work to include an assessment of investment costs and implementation time frames for two different options:

ChildHope’s own UK-based direct delivery of consultancy and training, and
the delivery of services via our partner organisations, six of which we are working with to develop consultancy offer
Analysis should therefore provide an opinion about whether ChildHope provides sufficient competitive advantage in this field to make this business viable.

ChildHope has expertise of partnerships and programmes development and delivery, as well as training and consultancy expertise and strong networks in the sector. We expect the consultant to bring specialisation particularly in business development and private sector expertise, which is not an area of strength in the organisation.

Process and Outputs

The exact process will be finalised with the consultant(s). The consultant will engage in a participatory consultation and collaboration process with ChildHope staff, selected partners and other stakeholders.

The consultant(s) will undertake the following tasks:

Phase 1:Carry out a UK market research study including:
Helping us to understand who will buy into our consultancy, what they want and what they can pay
Phase 2: Undertake a feasibility review, including:
Scoping of South-South consultancy arm and other potential ChildHope ‘products’
Further defining our ‘USP’ and how we position ourselves in relation to our competitors
Phase 3: Develop operating model and financial modelling, including:
an engagement model for working with and through our southern partners
an approach to costing our services
options for raising start-up capital to launch the business, including loan options (eg. CAF, Charity Bank, other repayable finance options)
Phase 4: Produce a comprehensive business plan based on phases 1-3, addressing
Business opportunities and limitations, both for ChildHope’s UK-focused consultancy and services offered with southern partners
A financial model (including revenue, cost, profitability against time frames) for each option
Comparative analysis of the main risks and benefits of each option in the short, medium and long term – weighing level of investment against risk level and potential return on investment in each
An assessment of how to mitigate potential risks identified in each option
Impact on ChildHope’s existing operations, and organisational capability to deliver the commercialised services
Target audience and ethical considerations
Communication and marketing considerations
ChildHope is open to breaking this consultancy down in to components for multiple consultants if appropriate.

Skills and Competencies

ChildHope is looking for a consultant with a proven track record and strong knowledge and skills in business development through consultancy, preferably in the international development context, with experience of working with non-governmental organisations, private and public sectors.  Excellent communication and English writing skills and fluency in English, is essential. The following are desirable skills and attributes:
Minimum degree level qualification in a field related to Business Development
Expertise in strategic development and change management processes
Expertise in business planning and commercial enterprise
Understanding of child protection and safeguarding
Experience in working with small to medium sized non-profit organisations who are working through a process of change
Knowledge and experience of using participatory approaches, innovative and creative facilitation techniques
Strong visioning, analytical and negotiating skills
Values and Principles            

While executing this assignment, the consultant shall follow standard ethics with diligence and a high degree of professionalism, including respect for others and confidentiality of information and anonymity of responses (as relevant), as well as due regard to the code of conduct and expectations laid out in ChildHope’s Safeguarding Policy. 

Terms and Conditions           

The Consultant will agree to a standard ChildHope consultancy contract outlining agreed terms and conditions, to be agreed and finalised with the successful applicant.

Reporting and Coordination

The consultant will report to the ChildHope Executive Director and will also have significant communication with the Development Director, HR Manager and Child Safeguarding team, who will facilitate connections to relevant ChildHope staff, trustees and partners, as well as important external contacts.

Duration of Consultancy

This assignment needs to be completed by 31st March 2019

Letter of Interest

ChildHope requests interested consultants to submit a Letter of Interest including a CV by Monday 11th February. The letter should include proposed methodology and rationale, budget (including daily rates and anticipated expenses) and timetable.

Please submit by email to recruit@childhope.org.uk (mention ‘Consultant-Business Development’ in the subject line).

Job Email id: recruit(at)childhope.org.uk