Evidence Based Research Consultant
Remote
Contracted
Experienced
Research Consultancy Opportunity
Freedom Network USA (FNUSA) is seeking proposals from consultants with subject-matter expertise, capacity, and ability to carry out research activities to ensure an evidence-based approach to the standards developed through the project.
About FNUSA
Freedom Network USA (FNUSA) is the nation’s largest alliance of organizations and individual advocates working with survivors of all forms of human trafficking to ensure that trafficked persons have access to justice, safety, and opportunity. FNUSA mobilizes its collective strength to build a transformative approach to human trafficking that is grounded in anti-racism and anti-oppression. We are a growing team of passionate advocates, providing training and technical assistance, advocating for legal and policy changes, and working to build a better anti-trafficking field. FNUSA is a values-based organization. Learn more and meet our team, mission and values at https://freedomnetworkusa.org/about-us/.
About the Standards of Care Project
As part of the Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Trafficking in Persons (OTIP)’s Standards of Care initiative, Freedom Network USA (FNUSA) received a competitive award to lead the development of National Standards of Care for Anti-Trafficking Service Providers (National HT Services Standards of Care).
To ensure an evidence-informed foundation for the National HT Services Standards of Care, FNUSA partnered with the Research Triangle Institute (RTI), an independent non-profit research institute, to develop foundational documents, including a literature review, criteria for developing National Standards of Care, and Process Guidance. The documents are available for public access through Freedom Network USA’s Resource Library.
- Literature Review: Provides a landscape analysis of the current Standards of Care, guidelines, and protocols in the anti-trafficking field in the US and globally.
- Criteria and Criteria Checklist: Establishes a four-part criterion for developing Standards of Care. These tools will ensure that all the standards drafted and developed under the project adhere to the established parameters. The checklist provides a quality check to confirm that all criteria are satisfied.
- Process Guidance: Provides a proposed process for developing the Standards of Care, acknowledging the collaborative nature of the project, which includes FNUSA, a Technical Working Group of 25 experts, and federal partners. RTI proposed an approach to approve the standards of care. The Delphi Model provides a transparent, systematic, and evidence-based process to engage experts and achieve consensus in setting standards.
The standards are currently being drafted, and the project is seeking a researcher to ensure that the developed content is evidence-based, either through existing literature and research, or through best practice.
Scope of Services
Consultant will analyze the drafted standards of care and ground them in documented evidence-based, evidence-informed, or promising practice from the anti-trafficking or adjacent fields, specific to service provision, and working with survivors of human trafficking. Adjacent fields include domestic violence, sexual violence and, runaway and homeless youth issues. The consultant will provide a report on the findings, including citations, as part of the project. The consultancy is expected to last six months.
The consultant will be expected to deliver on the following:
- A timeline outlining key deliverables, including progress updates, drafts, and the final report during the 6-month consultancy project.
- Regular meetings with the FNUSA to provide updates, share content for review and feedback and, discuss progress and/or challenges.
- A written analysis, complete with citations, that directly supports or provides corrections to the standards that have been drafted under the project. The report must be specific to service provision and working with victimized populations. The final report may be made available for public consumption by FNUSA, OVC and OTIP at a future date.
- Clear definitions and contextual information that distinguish between what is considered evidence-based, evidence-informed and/or promising practice.
- Clear distinctions between evidence-based, evidence-informed, and promising practice within the anti-trafficking field versus adjacent fields.
Required Skills and Qualifications
- Experience and expertise in research and human trafficking. Experience with adjacent gender-based violence issues, such as domestic violence, sexual assault and runway & homeless youth issues, will be considered
- Subject matter and content expertise of the anti-trafficking victims’ services landscape through the lens of being trauma-informed, culturally responsive, evidence-informed, and centered around the experience of victims and survivors.
FNUSA has budgeted up to $15,000 for this project. We hope to begin the consulting work by 5/8/2024 and end by 11/30/2024.
Submission Information
Upload your proposal using the online application. Responses should provide a clear and concise description of your ability to meet the requirements of this RFP. Your proposal should be no more than two pages and should include the following information:
1. The name, contact information, and qualifications of the person(s) providing the services.
2. A brief description of your experience and expertise in evidence-based, evidence-informed, and promising practice research.
3. A statement of project cost, including consulting time, materials, and other anticipated costs. (No travel is expected.)
4. At least two references who can speak to your ability to carry out this scope of work.
Timetable
| Proposals Due | 4/1/2024 |
| Consultant Interviews | 4/8/2024 – 4/12/2024 |
| Consultant Selection | 5/1/2024 |
| Contract Finalized and Work Begins | 5/8/2024 |
| End of Contract | 11/30/2024 |
Equity Statement
Survivors of trafficking are strongly encouraged to apply. Lived-experience is evaluated as equivalent to work or educational experience by FNUSA, unless specific certifications are required. FNUSA does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, gender identity or presentation, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, age, religion, immigration status, or the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability.
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