LRPS-2023-9186372 Research to understand gender dynamics in parenting practices and socialization of young children in Thailand

UNICEF Thailand Country Office is seeking a qualified institution to conduct a research on Understanding Gender Dynamics in Parenting Practices and Socialization of young children in Thailand as per the following details;

Objectives, Purpose & Expected results

UNICEF is committed to promoting gender-responsive parenting as a strategy to support the holistic development and well-being of the young children7. UNICEF defines gender-responsive parenting as #parenting that applies key principles such as gender equality and inclusion, and that promotes positive gender norms and socialization, to transform imbalanced power structures in families (and future generations).

The overall objective of the research is to develop a knowledge base on parenting practices in Thailand, the gender dynamics implicit and explicit in framing these practices, the importance of parents and primary caregivers in the gender socialization that occurs during early childhood, and available evidence around fathers’/men’s engagement in the care and development of young children. This research is expected to provide critical and practical insights into the ecology of gender, parenting and parental support in Thailand, and role of fathers in transforming early childhood education.

The primary audiences of this research include UNICEF Thailand, along with partners from relevant agencies, including the Ministry of Public Health, Ministry of Education, Department of Local Administration, Ministry of Interior, Regional and Provincial Health Offices, and National Early Childhood Development Policy Committee. Secondary audiences include civil society institutions, academia and experts working in ECD and parent associations.

Description of the assignment Approach and Methodology:

Overall, the research is expected to be informed and guided by available research-based frameworks and guidance available globally, including the Nurturing Care Framework8, Socio-Ecological Model (SEM) model 9, Gender Transformative Pre-Primary Education10, and Engaging Men and Boys11. The objective is to engage with both content and context of existing parenting and child socialization practices alongside the role of gender and social norms as they get played out in homes, communities, and society, including the role of policies and social services which extend parenting support to better understand the complexities and nuances of parenting practices across Thailand. This approach is expected to provide valuable insights into how broader societal and environmental factors shape individual parenting behaviours and practices, ultimately helping to inform effective policies and interventions to promote positive parenting practices and improve child outcomes.

The main target of the research are the parents and extended family members who provide primary care as well as caregivers who can be teachers or social and health workers who engage with parents and families. Recognizing that not all children are raised by their biological fathers, the research will also consider male figures” in the household that contribute to the raising of children as undertaking father” roles.

Location and Duration

Duration

# All deliverables should be completed within 5 months from counter signature of contract.

# The contract duration will be from December 2023 to May 2024

Location

# The assignment will be completed at the contractor's premises.

# The contractor is expected to interact with key stakeholders regularly in Bangkok and in the selected target provinces in Thailand.

# In-country travel is required under this assignment, particularly to collect information in the target provinces.

The contractor will be responsible for acquiring resources and facilities required for their completion, including travel arrangements.

For more information, please refer to the attached Terms of Reference (TOR).

This tender will be run through the UNICEF e-submissions system (UNGM).

By clicking on the blue ‘Express Interest’ button in the UNGM tender notice, the full UNICEF e-submission system instructions to bidders document (including instructions on how to access the tender documents and submit an Offer) will be automatically emailed to the ‘contact persons’ included in your UNGM registration. Alternatively, the full UNICEF e-submission system instructions to bidders document is publicly available on the UNICEF supply internet pages here: https://www.unicef.org/supply/index_procurement_policies.html .

In the tender management site, if you navigate to the documents tab and opt in to confirm your intention to submit a Bid – you will then see the mandatory placeholders for documents that must be attached prior to submitting your Offer (you will also see if there are any mandatory questionnaires to complete). As such, you are recommended to `opt in` well before the submission deadline so you are clear exactly what documents are required to be uploaded prior to completing your submission.

Please note that in order to access the full-set of tender documents through UNICEF’s e-submissions system, vendors must: (1) be registered with UNICEF in UNGM as a company/NGO; (2) have successfully completed all mandatory information currently required by UNGM when registering.

Please ensure that any files submitted as part of your bid are not corrupt or damaged in any way. Please exercise caution when using compressed files. Any corrupt or damaged files may lead to your Bid being invalidated.

All vendors are strongly recommended to regularly log-in to the UNICEF e-submissions system to check for any deadline extensions, new clarifications, new correspondence or updated tender documents relating to this tender.

Should you have any questions against this solicitation, please submit your queries to Tongchanok Sonsawangphol at tsonsawangphol@unicef.org with CC to: thl-ml-bkksupply@unicef.org - no later than 7th November 2023 so that all queries could be clarified and circulated to all bidders before the deadline.

We look forward to receiving your proposals within the given timeline.

Best regards,

UNICEF Supply team