External Expert for the Development of an Advocacy Brief on the Health System Response to GBV

	 	 
TERMS OF REFERENCE
Consultant
“External Expert for the Development of an Advocacy Brief on the Health System
Response to GBV”
I. BACKGROUND
Action for Mothers and Children (AMC) is implementing the nine-month project “Strengthening the Health System’s Response to Gender-Based Violence in Kosovo”, from 1 September 2026 to 31 May 2027, under the European Union-funded JUST REACT 2.0 Small Grant Scheme implemented by the Group for Legal and Political Studies (GLPS).
Kosovo has strengthened its legal and policy framework on gender-based violence (GBV), including through the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, the National Strategy on Protection Against Domestic Violence and Violence Against Women 2022-2026, and Law No. 08/L-185. The Ministry of Health has developed Guidelines for Health Professionals on GBV covering primary, secondary and tertiary care, including formal reporting and referral responsibilities. However, the project identifies important implementation gaps, including provider confidentiality and protection concerns, limited training and oversight capacity, and practical barriers in the reporting and referral pathway.
The project aims to build a structured, evidence-based account of how the existing Ministry of Health Guidelines for Health Professionals on GBV and the formal reporting pathway function in practice across Kosovo’s primary healthcare system. The evidence generated will be used to strengthen evidence-based advocacy, while a safe GBV awareness module will extend information on rights and referral pathways to women reached through AMC’s Mothers’ Classes.
Within this context, AMC is seeking to engage an external expert to support the evidence review, analysis of key informant findings and development of an advocacy brief that translates the project’s evidence into practical recommendations for institutional action. The brief will focus on measures needed to make the existing Ministry of Health Guidelines function more effectively in practice, rather than developing a new protocol.
II. PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT
The purpose of the assignment is to support AMC in consolidating evidence from the review of the existing GBV framework and key informant interviews and to develop a concise, evidence-based advocacy brief. The brief will identify practical gaps and formulate actionable recommendations related to provider protection and confidentiality, training and oversight capacity, and integration of primary healthcare reporting into relevant institutional systems.
III. SCOPE OF WORK AND DELIVERABLES
The consultant is expected to complete the following tasks and submit deliverables in line with the tentative work calendar below:

IV. SUPERVISOR
Action for Mothers and Children (AMC). The consultant will work under the overall supervision of AMC and in close coordination with the Project Coordinator/Researcher. Relevant outputs will be reviewed by AMC before final approval.
V. PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
Competencies required to carry out the tasks are as per below:

 Advanced university degree in Public Health, Health Policy, Law, Gender Studies, Human Rights, Social Sciences, or another relevant field;
 At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in research, policy analysis, advocacy, public health, women’s rights and/or GBV;
 Demonstrated knowledge of Kosovo’s health system and the legal/institutional framework related to GBV and domestic violence;
 Proven experience in qualitative analysis and in translating research findings into concise policy or advocacy products;
 Demonstrated experience developing policy briefs, advocacy briefs, analytical reports or similar documents;
 Strong understanding of survivor-centred, confidentiality, “do no harm” and human-rights principles in GBV-related work;
 Excellent analytical, drafting and communication skills;
 Excellent written and verbal communication in Albanian and English. Knowledge of Serbian is considered an asset.

VI. DURATION, LOCATION, COSTS AND PAYMENT SCHEDULE
The assignment will cover an estimate of 17 working days during the project implementation period, including participation and presentation at the final project roundtable in Month 9 (May 2027). The work will be primarily home-based, with meetings, consultations and participation in the roundtable in Kosovo as required. The selected consultant is expected to complete all tasks and deliverables in line with the “Scope of Work and Deliverables” section of this ToR. The contract will be effective from the date of signature until successful completion and approval of the services outlined in this ToR.
Applicants shall present a detailed financial proposal that elaborates daily costs on the basis of the above-mentioned programme and deliverables, including a total sum demanded 
Payment schedule: AMC will issue a contract in EURO. Payment will be made upon satisfactory completion and approval of the agreed deliverables, in accordance with the contractual payment schedule.
VII. APPLICATION PROCESS
Applications should be submitted in English and should include:

 CV;
 Brief technical proposal describing the proposed approach to the assignment;
 Examples of similar work conducted in the past;
 Financial proposal consistent with the level of effort specified in this ToR.

Applications should be sent to procurement@amchealth.org no later than 5 November 2026. Applicants should indicate the title of the consultancy position in the email subject line. After the technical evaluation, the financial proposals of qualified candidates will be evaluated.
Note: AMC has a zero-tolerance limit with regards to situations of sexual exploitation and abuse as well as any raised concern regarding child abuse or any related incident. All guidelines, rights and obligations, principles, definitions which implicate situations of concern on sexual exploitation, abuse and child safeguarding as well as mechanisms for prevention and reporting are elaborated under AMC’s organizational policies on PSEA and Child Safeguarding. All employees, volunteers, partners, suppliers, sub-contractors, agents or any individual with contractual engagements with AMC will be subject to fulfilling all duties and responsibilities under AMC’s PSEA and Child Safeguarding policies.
“This material was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of “JUST REACT 2.0 - Strengthened Civil Society Role in Fighting Social Inequality and Gender-Based Violence in Kosovo”, implemented by the Group for Legal and Political Studies (GLPS). and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or the Group for Legal and Political Studies (GLPS).” Its contents are the sole responsibility of AMC and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or GLPS.”