Deadline: 18-May-23
The UK Home Office and British Embassy Bucharest is inviting organisations active in combatting modern slavery and human trafficking (MSHT) in Romania or Romanian communities in the UK to present proposals for projects to meet the objectives.
Romania is a source, transit and destination country for modern slavery and human trafficking (MSHT). MSHT is a priority issue for the UK Government and they work closely with the Romanian Government, civil society and law enforcement to tackle this threat.
The 2023 Romanian-British Strategic Partnership sets out the UK and Romania’s commitment to work together to tackle all forms of MSHT alongside other types of serious organised crime. This includes activity on prevention and tackling push and pull factors; identifying, protecting and reintegrating victims on return to Romania and working with law enforcement and the justice system on bringing perpetrators to justice.
Objectives
- Collectively, projects should contribute towards an overall impact of reducing the number of Romanians trafficked to the UK and strengthening related UK and Romanian national responses to modern slavery and human trafficking.
- Proposed projects must meet one or more of these 3 outcomes:
- Prevent: reduce vulnerability in Romania and/or of Romanian nationals to exploitation through better understanding of risks and addressing drivers.
- Pursue: strengthen the capability of professionals in the UK and Romania to disrupt MSHT from Romania and implement relevant victim-centred responses.
- Support: improve existing state and community support systems for MSHT survivors in Romania throughout identification, repatriation, and reintegration.
Scope of Projects
Proposed projects must meet the following essential criteria:
- contribute to at least one of the three key outcomes listed above (Prevent, Pursue, Support), as well as the overarching impact. The projects should be aligned with the overall outcomes above but not be a copy-paste – each project should have its own outcome(s)
- take place in Romania and/or with Romanian communities in the UK. Activity should generally have a national scope; projects with a smaller geographic focus (eg. focusing on specific regions) are welcome, but will need to demonstrate an evidence-based rationale for the focus
- activity to take place between July 2023 and February 2025 (20 months). Shorter periods are acceptable, but ideally projects would run for as long as possible to maximise impact. A review will be carried out in January 2024 to monitor that projects are on track to deliver milestones
Funding Information
- Project proposals must include an estimated budget of at least 279,420 RON and a maximum of 670,608 RON or at least £50,000 and a maximum of £120,000.
- It is expected that the project will be carried out from July 2023 to end February 2025, with a review point in January 2024. Final reporting should be prepared in March 2025 latest.
Activities
- They cannot fund business as usual activities or one-time capital costs (e.g. construction or equipment).
- Indicative potential activities that they could fund are set out below against each of the three outcomes. These are not exhaustive and they would encourage creative and innovative proposals that would meet the main outcomes:
- Prevent: reduce vulnerability in Romania and/or of Romanian nationals to exploitation through better understanding of risks and addressing drivers.
- Examples: targeted and evidence-based behaviour change communication campaigns; research to understand drivers and enablers and what works to address modern slavery in and from Romania; pilot projects to mobilise action on drivers or improve access to safe employment; projects linked to addressing or better understanding socio-economic drivers and vulnerabilities.
- Pursue: strengthen the capability of professionals in the UK and Romania to disrupt MSHT from Romania and implement relevant victim-centred responses.
- Examples: capacity building for public authorities or law enforcement to improve effectiveness of investigations and prosecution and understanding and building trust in law enforcement and government authorities.
- Support: improve existing state and community support systems for MSHT survivors in Romania throughout identification, repatriation, and reintegration.
- Examples: pilot improved mechanisms at local/country level to provide community based, holistic support; pilot mechanisms to improve access to safe employment; campaigns or training designed at reducing stigma and prejudice in public narratives, involving survivors/people with lived experience of MSHT.
- Prevent: reduce vulnerability in Romania and/or of Romanian nationals to exploitation through better understanding of risks and addressing drivers.
Composition of project teams
- Project proposals should demonstrate that the implementing partner’s staffing levels are appropriate to deliver the aims of the project and that the staff have relevant expertise and experience in working on MSHT or related subjects in Romania, as well as detailed knowledge of the Romanian context. They should also have a demonstrable track record of working on MSHT in Romania or with Romanian communities in the UK.
Evaluation Criteria
Projects will also be evaluated on the following criteria – proportional to the value of the bid:
- evidence-based: clear understanding of the context and factors affecting MSHT in Romania or between Romania and the UK, ‘what works’ to address them, and alignment with existing state and civil society activity
- value for money, including evidence of a consideration of economy, efficiency and effectiveness. Economy is the degree to which inputs are being purchased in the right quantity and at the right price. Efficiency is how efficiently the project is delivering its outputs, considering the rate at which intervention inputs are converted to outputs and its cost-efficiency. Effectiveness is the quality of the intervention’s work by assessing the rate at which outputs are converted into outcomes and impacts, and the cost-effectiveness of this conversion
- MEL: whether the project has an adequate and proportionate Theory of Change (in a narrative and/or diagram form), results framework with quantitative and qualitative indicators, a named team member responsible for monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) with some experience in the area, and a proportionate budget and plan for MEL throughout project implementation
- how project delivery risks will be managed, including a commitment to put in place high safeguarding standards, where relevant
- how the project will have a sustainable impact beyond the lifetime of the funding, which would ideally include an exit plan (that could include plans to obtain future financing from elsewhere)
For more information, visit British Embassy Bucharest.