International/national institutional consultancy to conduct research on knowledge, attitudes and practices in relation to early childhood development in Montenegro.

The quantitative survey should provide detailed information on the knowledge, attitudes and practices of the general public in general, and parents in particular, in relation to different aspects of ECD and the use of ECD services. The survey questionnaire should be comparable to the baseline survey to measure progress, and can include additional questions that are not to be compared with the previous survey, but rather, serve to set new baselines for future assessments, reflecting the latest developments in the field (in consultation with UNICEF). The length of one interview should 20 minutes hence the size of the questionnaire should be conceptualised accordingly. The KAP survey should be conducted on a nationally representative sample of mothers/primary caregivers of children younger than 6 years. The findings of the research should enable disaggregation, at minimum, by mother/other caregiver, urban/rural areas, north/centre/south of Montenegro, etc. and should be discussed further with UNICEF.

The complementary deep dive should relate to the update of the Bebbo app by conducting two focus groups:

• Caregivers who have downloaded and are using the app,
• Caregivers who have heard about the app but have not downloaded the app, or downloaded but then deleted the app/are not using the app.

The Consultancy Agency will ensure that the research process is in line with the UNICEF Procedure for Ethical Standards in Research, Evaluation, and Data Collection and Analysis. Special measures should be put in place to ensure that the assessment process is ethical and that participants in the survey process can freely express their opinion. The sources of information will be protected and known only to the contracted Consultancy Agency. The Consultancy Agency has to ensure that it is clear to all subjects that their participation in the assessment is voluntary. All participants should be informed or advised of the context and purpose of the assessment, as well as the privacy and confidentiality of discussions.

Consultants are required to clearly identify any potential ethical issue, as well as the processes for ethical review and oversight of the research/data collection process in their proposal. To ensure quality and accountability in the evidence generation process, especially when it involves children, UNICEF Country Office in Montenegro established an independent Ethical Review Committee in 2016, which reviews and approves research methodologies and final research reports, before their publication. The committee is multidisciplinary and multi-sectoral in composition. UNICEF Montenegro will submit the detailed research methodology as well as the research results (slide decks/research reports) to the aforementioned Ethical Review Committee for clearance.

The quantitative survey should provide detailed information on the knowledge, attitudes and practices of the general public in general, and parents in particular, in relation to different aspects of ECD and the use of ECD services. The survey questionnaire should be comparable to the baseline survey to measure progress, and can include additional questions that are not to be compared with the previous survey, but rather, serve to set new baselines for future assessments, reflecting the latest developments in the field (in consultation with UNICEF). The length of one interview should 20 minutes hence the size of the questionnaire should be conceptualised accordingly. The KAP survey should be conducted on a nationally representative sample of mothers/primary caregivers of children younger than 6 years. The findings of the research should enable disaggregation, at minimum, by mother/other caregiver, urban/rural areas, north/centre/south of Montenegro, etc. and should be discussed further with UNICEF.

The complementary deep dive should relate to the update of the Bebbo app by conducting two focus groups:

• Caregivers who have downloaded and are using the app,
• Caregivers who have heard about the app but have not downloaded the app, or downloaded but then deleted the app/are not using the app.

The Consultancy Agency will ensure that the research process is in line with the UNICEF Procedure for Ethical Standards in Research, Evaluation, and Data Collection and Analysis. Special measures should be put in place to ensure that the assessment process is ethical and that participants in the survey process can freely express their opinion. The sources of information will be protected and known only to the contracted Consultancy Agency. The Consultancy Agency has to ensure that it is clear to all subjects that their participation in the assessment is voluntary. All participants should be informed or advised of the context and purpose of the assessment, as well as the privacy and confidentiality of discussions.

Consultants are required to clearly identify any potential ethical issue, as well as the processes for ethical review and oversight of the research/data collection process in their proposal. To ensure quality and accountability in the evidence generation process, especially when it involves children, UNICEF Country Office in Montenegro established an independent Ethical Review Committee in 2016, which reviews and approves research methodologies and final research reports, before their publication. The committee is multidisciplinary and multi-sectoral in composition. UNICEF Montenegro will submit the detailed research methodology as well as the research results (slide decks/research reports) to the aforementioned Ethical Review Committee for clearance.