We seek a knowledge mobilisation expert to advise a project evaluating the impact of Barnahus– a child-friendly, multidisciplinary and interagency response for children who are or may be victims of violence.
Background
Barnahus (translates to “children house” in English) is a child-friendly, interdisciplinary, and multi-agency centre for children for whom there is suspicion or evidence that they have been victims of violence or abuse. These centres aim to provide coordinated child-appropriate assessments and responses by child protection, social services, criminal justice, and medical and mental health professionals. Inspired by Child Advocacy Centres in the US, the first Barnahus centres were implemented in Iceland in 1998 and have since been implemented in many European countries, with model variations and local adaptations. Despite the rapid expansion, there is little evidence about the effectiveness and impact of the approach on child wellbeing or their contribution to securing justice for child victims.
Although Barnahus has expanded rapidly across Europe in recent years, there is limited evidence to date on its effectiveness in improving child well-being or access to justice. Barnahus also report needing tools to measure that they are working the way they intend to. Therefore, building a strong evidence base is a priority to inform practice improvements and policy development.
The current project, supported by the Barnahus Network and Oak Foundation, aims to evaluate how Barnahus contributes to children’s access to justice, prevention of trauma, and recovery. In practice, this means the evaluation will measure outcomes such as child victims’ access to child-specific justice safeguards, reduction of (re)traumatisation, and improvements in well-being, using the Barnahus Quality Standards and international legal obligations as benchmarks. Findings aim to harmonise and elevate Barnahus practices across countries, ensuring high-quality, evidence-led services that can inform policy reform and standards. Findings will also feed into the creation of quality assurance system that informs evidence-based policy reform and practice development.
How we work
A review conducted by the Oak foundation of their grant recipients found that when quality engagement with stakeholders happens before, during, and after the research is conducted, the potential utilisation of the evidence is significantly greater than when the engagement only happens once the evidence is published. When there are established relationships with the audiences and they are actively involved in the process, the results are significantly more likely to influence policy and practice than those that start the engagement process only after the evidence has been produced.
Our current methodology within the Network’s activities generally takes this approach, in that everything we develop starts based on what our members say that they need. The new tools, protocols, training, and other resources are developed through a combination of harnessing top expertise in Europe and globally, with detailed and inclusive consultations with policymakers and practitioners representing the diversity of Europe.
We foresee that an evidence-into-impact strategy will support us to systematically, based on scientific models, harness the evidence and the resources this project to achieve or exceed the foreseen impact. It will further connect our routines to proven methods and elaborate any additional opportunities, challenges, and needs.
Scope of Work
The Knowledge Mobilisation Expert will help the project team to bridge research and practice. The consultant will design and support the team to implement strategies to mobilise research findings to ensure that data and evidence emerging from the evaluation are accessible and used by practitioners and decision-makers. In addition, the expert will support the integration of key evaluation findings into policy reform and practice change, working alongside the Barnahus Network and its partners so that recommendations from the research are supported to be embedded in institutional policies and everyday Barnahus operations.
The assignment works at both strategic and operational levels – from shaping evaluation design to facilitating user-friendly knowledge products – with the ultimate aim of turning evidence into enhanced protection, justice, and care for children.
The contract that will be awarded to the successful candidate/team will be until end 2025. If agreed between the Barnahus Network and the Consultant, future contracts may be awarded to ensure complete follow-up of the startup-phase deliverables.
Please read more about this assignment and the planned activities here.
Required Skills and Experience
Candidates for the Knowledge Mobilisation Expert consultancy should possess the following qualifications and experience:
- Professional qualifications:
- 7-10 years’ experience in knowledge mobilisation or a related specialty, such as: research uptake specialist, policy & evidence advisor, evaluation & learning consultant, others.
- An advanced degree in a relevant field (e.g. Child protection, social work, psychology, public policy, human rights, or social sciences) or equivalent professional experience.
- A strong commitment to upholding child safeguarding and ethical standards in all project activities is mandatory.
- Fluency in English (written and spoken) is required, as all project deliverables and communications will be in English.
- Preference will be given to candidates based in the EU, although strong candidates from other regions will be considered.
- Proven knowledge mobilisation experience: demonstrated experience in translating research findings into actionable policy and practice changes. The candidate should have a track record of bridging the gap between academic research or evaluations and real-world implementation – for instance, developing frameworks, guidelines or tools based on evidence, and successfully promoting their adoption in law, policy and/or practice. Experience in research uptake, implementation science or knowledge translation in the social sector will be an advantage.
- Strategic thinking and advisory capability: ability to think strategically about how to drive systems change and policy reform. The consultant should be comfortable providing high-level advice and advocacy based on research evidence, and capable of formulating clear recommendations for institutionalising best practices (for example, feeding into accreditation standards or legislative reforms).
- Evaluation and methodological skills: strong understanding of evaluation methodologies (both qualitative and quantitative) and the ability to contribute to research design. Prior involvement in program evaluations or impact assessments, especially in multi-agency or service delivery settings, is expected. Familiarity with data analysis and the interpretation of research results for non-technical audiences is important.
- Expertise in child rights and protection: Preference will be given to consultants with a solid knowledge of children’s rights, child protection, and child-friendly justice frameworks e.g. Un Convention on The Rights of The Child. Experience working on child welfare, child advocacy centres, or violence against children is highly desirable.
- Stakeholder engagement and communication: excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to engage a wide range of stakeholders – from frontline practitioners to senior policymakers – and facilitate collaborative dialogue. The consultant should be comfortable organising and leading workshops or training sessions, and building relationships across disciplines and sectors. Proven ability to navigate sensitive topics (such as child abuse and justice processes) with cultural competence and tact is required.
- Child safeguarding, gender mainstreaming, non-discrimination, ethics – We ensure that all consultants are aware of and implement principles of child safeguarding, gender mainstreaming, non-discrimination, ethics. Our approach includes:
- Clear Contractual Obligations: All subcontractors are required to adhere to child safeguarding polices, and to mainstream and non-discrimination as part of their contracts.
- Guidance and information: Subcontractors receive guidance on how to incorporate these principles into their work. For example, trainers are instructed to ensure their content is inclusive and addresses systemic inequalities, while designers are tasked with ensuring materials reflect diversity and accessibility.
- Monitoring Compliance: The Network conducts regular reviews of subcontractor outputs to ensure alignment with these principles.
How to apply
Application Submission Requirements
Applicants must submit the following documents in English to svb@barnahus.eu by the specified deadline: 29 April 2025.
1. Cover Letter (Maximum 3 Pages)
A personal statement outlining:
- Motivation for applying for the consultancy.
- Relevant experience in knowledge mobilisation, research uptake, and child protection.
- Understanding of the project’s objectives and how their expertise will contribute.
- Approach to knowledge mobilisation: How the applicant will support evaluation uptake and ensure research findings are translated into policy and practice. First thought about frameworks, tools, strategies that might be appropriate for this project.
- Availability and proposed timeline for engaging in the work.
2. CV/Resume
- Education, qualifications, and relevant training.
- Work experience in knowledge mobilisation, research uptake, child protection, justice, or related fields.
- Key achievements in previous roles.
3. Portfolio or Work Samples (Optional, Maximum 3 Examples)
- Examples of past projects, publications, or resources demonstrating expertise in knowledge mobilisation, policy development, or research translation.
- Reports, toolkits, policy briefs, or similar materials are encouraged.
4. References (Minimum 2 Contacts)
- Names, titles, and contact details of at least two professional references who can speak to the applicant’s expertise and past work.
- At least one reference should be from a project involving research uptake or policy engagement.
5. Financial Proposal (Maximum 2 Pages)
A breakdown of the consultant’s fees, including:
- Total consultancy fee.
- Breakdown of costs based on expected work phases or deliverables.
