This sample proposal is designed to safeguard children from exploitation, neglect, and sexual and physical abuse. It offers professional psycho-social support through individual and group counseling provided by clinical psychologists. The aim of the project is to improve the emotional and psycho-social capacity of childcare professionals for their own benefit and so that they may better serve orphaned and vulnerable children and their families.
This sample proposal focuses on Capacity building, Advocacy, Networking and Awareness Raising of children. The project will work with children below the age of 18 years, to prevent them from becoming delinquents. We hoped through this sample proposal more children will receive protection and healthy interventions that are necessary for their development, because we believe that every child and youth count, therefore the need for quality interventions in their live.
Background
xxxxxxx is Association of Child Care professionals whose aim is to promote Child Welfare through quality service provision in Zambia. The association was founded in 2005, inspired by the Minimum Standards of Care initiated by the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services through the Child Care Upgrading Program (CCUP). The formation of the Association was premised on the understanding that the implementation of the Minimum Standards can only be fully realized by providing appropriate skills to child care-givers in Zambia.
The formation of the Association was premised on the understanding that the implementation of the Minimum Standards can only be fully realized by providing appropriate skills to child care-givers in Zambia. As a reflection of our commitment to the vision and considering the fact that children are often vulnerable to abuse and exploitation, XXXXXXX places highest importance to protection and safety of children in all its dealings. Protection is a right of every child in every given society or community.
XXXXXXX is working with over 2,000 Child and Youth Cares workers (CYCWs) who have been trained country-wide and have in return established chapters in five provinces of Lusaka, Eastern, Southern, Copperbelt, North-Western and Central provinces of Zambia. It has a Board that regulates its operations and a Secretariat that does the day-to-day running of programs.
Vision
A well-coordinated professional body promoting standard child care services in Zambia.
Our Mission
We are a child and youth care professional body coordinating and promoting standards in child and youth care, through capacity building and advocacy.
Core Values
XXXXXXX operates according to the following core values:
Child-Centeredness: All programming will be child centered to maximize the benefit to the children. This will ensure that quality of care to children remain the main purpose for the existence of XXXXXXX.
Professionalism and Excellence: XXXXXXX is committed to the promotion of quality childcare service provision through the introduction and exercise of professionalism in the child care sector. Professionalism, pursued together with excellence result in an organization that consistently delivers superior performance, achieves impact and retains the confidence of all its stakeholders.
Commitments
XXXXXXX commits to comply with the standards for child protection, designed to safeguarding children from exploitation, neglect, sexual and physical abuse. XXXXXXX will continually examine the need to reduce the risk of children being exploited in its settings. It further commits itself to the upholding the children’s rights enshrined in the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child, (UNCRC).
Thematic Areas of Focus
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- Capacity building
- Advocacy
- Networking
- Organizational Strengthening, Monitoring & Evaluation
- Awareness Raising
The XXXXXXX herewith requests support for the implementation of training the Child and Youth Care Workers, support towards the ‘Strengthening the Care and Courage for Child Protection project’. The project aims to involve all its trained CYCWs in the various six chapters (provinces of Zambia) that are working to mitigate the impact of marginalisation of communities and families. The Activities will be implemented at three different levels of Executive, Chapter (community) and Secretariat.
The budget includes the XXXXXXX fully involved in all the programmes identified in order to transfer technical skills to CYCWs who are directly working with children and their families.
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- Evaluation and planning workshop
- An orientation of the Care for Caregivers programme (C4C) in the six chapters
- In-Service Training of CYCWs in the six chapters
- Consultative Supervision trainings in the six chapters
- Monthly Mentorship support to CYCWs in the six chapters
- Revision and simplification of M&E documentation -including the Best Interest Assessment (BIA) forms
Target Groups
The target group is CYCWs working with:
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- Children and Youths without appropriate care
- Children with disabilities
- Children lacking proper nutrition and healthcare
- Children and Youths in conflict with the law
The project will work with children below the age of 18 years, who are described as above, to prevent them from becoming delinquents. Some of these children are in facilities where child and youth care workers are trained and will be trained; some will be reached through outreach programs by member organisations while others will be reached through street outreach.
Proposed Activities
Caring for Caregivers (C4C)
This programme described below will be used to orientate the health workers identified about the Isibindi Care for Caregivers programme.
The Caring for Caregivers programme offers professional psychosocial support through individual and group counseling provided by clinical psychologists. The Caring for Caregivers aims to improve the emotional and psychosocial capacity of CYCWs for their own benefit and so that they may better serve orphaned and vulnerable children and their families. It strives to enhance team dynamics among CYCWs, prevent burn-out, promote stress reduction, and help workers resolve their own personal crises.
Local Chapter Professional Meetings
The Local Chapter Professional meeting package will be based on the feedback from the implementing team and chapters leaders in the field of CYC. It will include various short in-service training to meet the practical implementation expectations of the CYCWs as well as sharing of experiences. This package could include any of the following:
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- Redesigning and reviewing of materials
- Refining the CYCWs skills in undertaking basic individual and family assessments and implementing individual family plans.
- Building capacity to run family meetings/conferences.
- Supporting advanced activity programming.
- Practical tips on managing behaviour.
- CYCW practice (translating theory into practice).
Mentorship Provision to CYCWs
Mentorship includes building the capacity of the CYCWs working with children and their families in the specific areas of operations in the six chapters, those mediating training knowledge in the practical reality, providing emotional support in high stress situations, planning for training for those not yet trained, supervising project managers, demonstrating good CYCW practice with orphaned and vulnerable children and families, and monitoring the quality of services provided to orphaned and vulnerable children through hands-on supervision.
In addition, mentorship support will lead itself to case management support whereby mentors provide direct support to CYCWs in the management of often complex and difficult cases including child sexual abuse, children living with multiple disabilities and households with caregiver substance abuse. Mentors advocate for services on behalf of children and their families and visit households with CYCWs to model appropriate CYC practice. This mentorship support will be provided in all the six chapters to CYCWs, to be done in two ways: monthly visits to families and children by CYCWs as well as quarterly meetings with CYCWs by mentors/trainers for continued capacity building.
Sustainability
The increased knowledge base that the CYCWs will gain through this project will enhance the members’ capacities to continue carry out the activities and advocate on behalf of the organisation. Sustainability will be based on the involvement of members at all levels and will be able to own the organisation and program. The support to local chapter meetings, mentorship, supervision and other trainings will promote member participation in the affairs of the organisation. Once the members participate fully, they will be able to continue with activities in the various chapters once the project comes to an end. The institutional capacity will have been strengthened in order to implement designed XXXXXXX programs effectively and efficiently.
Monitoring and Evaluation
Throughout the program cycle, monitoring is carried out through various activities outlined in the proposal. The program identifies a sustainable way of monitoring the implementation of activities through field visits, mentorships activities, local professional and strategic management meetings to ensure that effective and efficiency of service delivery. Where the program plan faces some challenges, adjustments shall be made accordingly.
Conclusion
It is hoped that with this program, more children will receive protection and healthy interventions that are necessary for their development, because we believe that every child and youth count, therefore the need for quality interventions in their live
