Strengthening Innovation Capacities across SOS Children’s Villages

Review of the SOS Children’s Villages Innovation Playbook, development and delivery of a global innovation training programme, and design of a 2027 innovation challenge.

1. Background

SOS Children’s Villages is a global federation working to ensure that children and young people, who have lost or are at risk of losing parental care, can grow with the relationships, support and opportunities they need to thrive. Across the federation, Member Associations respond to diverse and evolving programme challenges, requiring approaches that are locally relevant, evidence-informed and increasingly able to make use of new methods, partnerships and technologies.

In 2026, SOS Children’s Villages International launched the Innovation, Evidence & Scale (IES) Unit to support SOS Children’s Villages Member Associations and partners in moving more effectively through the IES Scalability Pathway from priority challenges to designed and tested solutions and ultimately to greater impact and scale. IES acts as a catalyst: supporting teams to identify and frame challenges, co-create and test solutions, generate evidence, capture learning and help promising approaches travel across contexts. An important part of this role is strengthening capacities across the federation so that Member Associations are equipped to apply innovation approaches within their own programme development and programme change processes.

Innovation within this context is not understood as technology alone or as the development of entirely new solutions. It involves starting from the challenges and the needs of children, young people, families and communities, engaging relevant stakeholders in the design process, testing assumptions and potential solutions, learning through experimentation and considering how appropriate technologies and emerging tools can strengthen programme responses. This reflects the wider IES approach of supporting locally led solutions through co-creation, safe experimentation, evidence and learning.

SOS Children’s Villages’ Innovation Playbook, developed in 2020, provides an existing framework, methodology and set of practical tools for innovation across the federation. Building on this foundation, IES now aims to update and translate these resources into a practical capacity-building offer for SOS Children’s Villages partner Member Associations. This ToR describes a consultancy that will be responsible for:

• Reviewing and, where needed, adapting the existing Innovation Playbook and related resources to design an Innovation capacity-building programme, including its training curriculum and materials.
• Facilitating the Innovation capacity-building programme for SOS Children’s Villages partner MAs, combining conceptual framing, practical methodologies, interactive learning and peer exchange.
• Developing the concept for a potential Programme Innovation Challenge in 2027, including the proposed approach, key steps, process and templates.

2. Objectives

2.1. General

To design and deliver a global virtual innovation capacity-building programme for approximately 20–60 programme colleagues from 15–20 SOS Children’s Villages Member Associations, accommodating different experience levels and time zones, while laying the foundation for a potential programme innovation challenge in 2027.

2.2. Specific

• Review the existing SOS Children’s Villages Innovation Playbook, the IES Scalability Pathway and related resources to identify relevant updates/gaps and adapt it to a global virtual innovation capacity-building programme, including training curriculum, methodology and supporting materials.
• Facilitate a highly interactive virtual innovation capacity-building programme, combining practical innovation methods and tools with exercises, peer exchange and group work focused on programme-related challenges.
• Develop a practical concept for a potential Programme Innovation Challenge in 2027, including the proposed process, phases, templates and other resources required for implementation.

3. Scope and methodological approach

The consultancy should build on the existing SOS Children’s Villages Innovation Playbook while allowing for targeted adaptation and supplementation where relevant. The intention is not to redesign the existing innovation framework from scratch, but to review its continued relevance, identify gaps or opportunities for improvement and translate it into a practical virtual learning experience for SOS Children’s Villages partner Member Associations.

The proposed approach should be guided by the following principles:

• Practical and application-oriented learning, enabling participants to understand and practise innovation methodologies through concrete examples and exercises.
• Participatory virtual facilitation, including breakout groups, peer exchange, discussions, collaborative exercises and other interactive formats.
• Stakeholder-centred innovation, emphasising the importance of understanding and involving relevant stakeholders, including children, young people, families and communities where appropriate, throughout innovation processes.
• Context sensitivity, ensuring that methods and examples are relevant and applicable across diverse organisational, cultural and programme contexts.
• Appropriate use of technology and emerging tools, considering how these can support innovation processes while remaining a means to achieve better programme outcomes.

4. Expected deliverables

The consultancy is expected to deliver the following products:

• Workplan with the detailed schedule
• Innovation capacity-building package reviewed and adapted, informed by a review of the SOS Children’s Villages Innovation Playbook, the IES Scalability Pathway and related resources. The package will include adaptation addressing identified gaps, an agreed virtual training curriculum, learning objectives, methodology, facilitation approach, practical exercises and supporting materials.
• Delivery and evaluation of the global virtual innovation capacity-building programme, including facilitation of the agreed training sessions for one or two cohorts, as required. This includes a training evaluation, summarising participant feedback, learning outcomes, key lessons and recommendations for future innovation capacity-building.
• Programme Innovation Challenge concept package for 2027, including the proposed objectives, process, phases, participation approach, roles, decision points, templates and other key resources required for implementation.
• Final report

5. Detailed schedule of deliverables

The consultancy is expected to run from October 2026 to end of February 2027 and will be implemented fully virtually.

6. Duration of the Consultancy

The consultancy is expected to run from early October 2026 to end of December 2026 and will be implemented fully virtually. The exact level of effort across the different phases and deliverables should be proposed by the consultant as part of the technical and financial proposal.

7. Consultant profile

The consultant, consultancy team or organisation should demonstrate the following qualifications and experience:

• Minimum 5 years of relevant professional experience in innovation for social development projects and programmes, including practical application of innovation methodologies such as human-centred design, design thinking, lean innovation, prototyping and testing.
• Strong experience in designing and facilitating engaging capacity-building programmes, particularly in virtual and adult-learning settings.
• Proven ability to translate innovation concepts into practical, accessible methodologies, tools and learning experiences.
• Experience working with diverse, international groups and organisational contexts. Consultants based in low- and middle-income countries, as well as those with substantial professional experience working in these contexts, are particularly encouraged to apply.
• Strong facilitation, communication, organisational and stakeholder-management skills, including effective use of participatory and collaborative digital tools.
• Excellent written and spoken English. French and/or Spanish, experience in the international development/NGO/social-impact sector, and relevant innovation certifications are considered assets.

8. Safeguarding, Ethics, Confidentiality and Data Protection

The consultant will be required to comply with applicable SOS Children’s Villages policies and standards, including the Child and Youth Safeguarding Policy, Code of Conduct and Anti-Fraud and Anti-Corruption Guideline.

9. Intellectual Property

All final products developed within the scope of this consultancy, including adapted methodologies, training curricula, training materials, facilitation resources, templates, reports and the Innovation Challenge concept package, shall be provided to SOS Children’s Villages International upon completion of the assignment.

10. Fees

The maximum available budget for the consultancy is EUR 30,000.00 including professional fees, applicable taxes and any other costs required for the virtual implementation of the assignment.

11. Submission and evaluation of proposals

Interested applicants are requested to submit:

• curriculum vitae / profile of the consultant or key members of the proposed consultancy team;
• a technical proposal, outlining the proposed approach and methodology, work plan
• a financial proposal, including the total lump-sum amount and applicable taxes.