Research Consultant – Cost Analysis of Custodial and Alternative Interventions in Lebanon
Brief details:
- Location: Beirut
- Vacancy No: JR00001926
- Employer: IRC International Rescue Committee
- Deadline: 2026-02-22
Qualifications:
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world’s largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you’re a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.
The overlapping crises in Lebanon continue to undermine children’s education, health, and welfare, forcing many into harmful coping mechanisms, such as child labor, and leading to increased violence against children. Children in conflict with the law are particularly vulnerable, facing arbitrary detention, limited access to legal aid, and insufficient rehabilitation and reintegration services.
Access to justice is vital for safeguarding children’s rights and ensuring their best interests, as established in the UNCRC and Lebanon’s Law 422/2002. Strengthening child protection and justice systems remains a key priority for the Lebanese State, legal institutions, and civil society.
The Access to Justice Consortium, led by the IRC in partnership with Himaya and Terre des Hommes (Tdh), aims to promote a child-centered, rights-based, and cost-efficient justice system. The consortium provides specialized services, legal aid, and case management across Lebanon, including Tripoli, Akkar, Bekaa, Beirut-Mount Lebanon, the South, and selected Palestinian camps. This ToR introduces the Cost Analysis of Justice Interventions for Children, designed to generate evidence on the financial implications, efficiency, and sustainability of custodial versus non-custodial measures, and inform programming, policy, and advocacy to enhance child-friendly justice in Lebanon.
The objective of this exercise is to identify which child justice model(s) achieve the most effective outcomes relative to their unit costs. In addition to scaling up alternatives to detention and supporting advocacy with government or donors, the analysis will also consider budget reallocation by examining how existing resources, such as duplicated services, underutilized facilities, reliance on detention, or procedural delays, can be optimized to enhance cost-effectiveness.
The specific objectives of this study are to:
- Determine the profiles, needs, vulnerabilities, and experiences of children in conflict with the law and children in contact with the law (i.e., victims, witnesses, at risk), including those in detention, under investigation, or benefiting from alternative measures. Review the child justice pathway in Lebanon to map and categorize existing custodial and non-custodial interventions, including their operational models, institutional frameworks, and geographic coverage. Categorize costs:
- Direct costs: staffing, facilities’ running costs, program delivery, administrative costs…
- Indirect costs: Opportunity cost (interruption of schooling), health and mental health impact, unemployment, recidivism…
- Conduct a financial and economic analysis of justice interventions by examining cost structures, resource allocation, and expenditure patterns, and by estimating unit costs per child, per case, and per intervention type. Compare interventions (not institutions): detention versus alternatives to detention / residential care versus community-based care / formal court proceedings versus restorative justice, such as mediation / reactive justice responses versus prevention. Pair the cost analysis with outcomes that matter for children: recidivism rates, educational attainment, mental and physical health outcomes, family reintegration, safety and wellbeing, long-term employment prospects, integration into mainstream society… Link where possible with cost-effectiveness (i.e., cost per avoided recidivism) or cost-benefit (i.e., long-term savings versus immediate investment). Factor in legal and human rights obligations. Develop evidence-based policy and programming recommendations to guide government authorities, justice institutions, and civil society partners in strengthening the efficiency, sustainability, and child-centeredness of justice sector interventions in Lebanon. Frame results in ways that resonate with budget holders: cost per child served, cost per child with positive outcome, long-term saving scenarios, cost of inaction…
Scope of Work and Methodology
The research consultant is responsible for coordinating research and analysis activities in collaboration and under the direct supervision of the IRC Child Protection Researcher, the Senior Integrated Protection Coordinator, and the Access to Justice manager from a technical perspective and will have close collaboration with the Access to Justice Consortium partners (IRC, TDH, Himaya), and the MEAL team.
The consultant will contribute to finalizing the research design and protocols and will lead the implementation of data collection and analysis. The study includes quantitative and qualitative components.
Scope of Work
The consultant will be responsible for:
- Suggesting a specific methodology that allows the achievement of the general and specific objectives stated above. Mapping justice interventions for children: Identify and categorize custodial and non-custodial interventions across Lebanon, including detention centers, diversion programs, and community-based alternatives.
- Stakeholder identification: Map the key institutions and actors involved, including the Ministry of Justice, Internal Security Forces, Ministry of Social Affairs, judiciary, and relevant NGOs.
- Financial data collection and analysis: Compile data on operational costs, staffing, infrastructure, service delivery, and other relevant expenditures for each type of intervention.
- Unit cost estimation: Calculate costs per child, per case, and per intervention type to provide a granular understanding of resource allocation.
- Comparative and cost-effectiveness analysis: Assess differences in costs, outcomes, and sustainability between custodial and non-custodial measures, highlighting potential efficiency gains.
- Recommendations development: Provide evidence-based guidance for optimizing resources, scaling up non-custodial approaches, and improving the efficiency and child-friendliness of justice interventions.
- Findings dissemination: Present results and policy recommendations to the Consortium, relevant government authorities, and other stakeholders to inform decision-making.
2. Methodology
The study will provisionally adopt a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative techniques. The final methodology will be confirmed and refined by the consultant following an initial mapping and stocktaking exercise to assess data availability, quality, and gaps, and to determine the most appropriate data collection modalities.
The suggested methodological components include:
- Preliminary Mapping and Stocktaking:
An initial review to identify available financial, programmatic, and administrative data across custodial and non-custodial interventions, assess data gaps, and refine the analytical scope and methods accordingly.
- Desk Review:
Systematic review of existing budgets, financial reports, program documents, and relevant documentation from justice institutions, social services, and NGO partners.
- Key Informant Interviews (KIIs):
Consultations with justice officials, social workers, legal aid providers, NGO practitioners, and donors to gather insights on operational models, cost structures, service delivery modalities, and system-level challenges.
- Consultations with Children and Caregivers (where appropriate):
Targeted qualitative consultations, conducted in line with ethical and safeguarding standards, to capture indirect and out-of-pocket costs, access barriers, and lived experiences relevant to both custodial and non-custodial measures.
- Quantitative Costing:
Application of an activity-based costing approach to standardize financial data and estimate per-child costs across selected custodial and non-custodial interventions.
- Comparative Analysis:
Comparative assessment of costs, efficiency, sustainability, and outcomes across intervention types, highlighting good practices, efficiency gaps, and opportunities for scale-up—particularly for non-custodial measures.
- Validation Workshop:
A participatory workshop with key stakeholders to review preliminary findings, validate assumptions, and refine conclusions and recommendations.
Deliverables
The research consultant will be responsible for the deliverables described below.
The research consultant will be responsible for producing the following deliverables. All deliverables shall be submitted in English (unless otherwise agreed) and in editable format. Page limits refer to the main body of documents, excluding annexes.
1. Introductory Meeting (2 days)
- Meeting with IRC Child Protection Researcher and IRC Lebanon Child Protection team to align on study objectives, scope, and responsibilities
- Initial review of program documents and relevant evidence
- Review and provision of feedback on the research protocol and pre-analysis plan
2. Inception Report (10–15 pages) (7 days)
- Development of a detailed workplan, refined methodology, sampling framework, and data collection plan
- Identification of key institutions and stakeholders for mapping and interviews
- Submission of the inception report for review and approval
3. Data Collection Tools (6 days)
- Development and adaptation of quantitative and qualitative tools (questionnaires, interview guides)
- Pilot testing of tools and refinement based on feedback
4. Data Collection (12 days)
- Implementation of quantitative and qualitative data collection activities following finalization of tools
- Collection of financial, programming, and qualitative data from relevant institutions, service providers, children and caregivers (where appropriate), and other key stakeholders
- Ongoing data quality checks and adjustments throughout the data collection phase
5. Interim Report / Presentation (8–10 pages) (7 days)
- Analysis of preliminary data
- Presentation of initial findings related to justice interventions, costing, and potential efficiency gains
- Facilitation of a stakeholder feedback session
6. Draft Cost Analysis Report (20–30 pages) (13 days)
- Preparation of a comprehensive report including:
- Mapping of justice interventions
- Cost estimates and unit costs
- Comparative analysis
- Preliminary recommendations
- Annexes with detailed financial tables and methodological notes
7. Final Cost Analysis Report (30–40 pages) (8 days)
- Incorporation of feedback from the consortium and stakeholders
- Finalization of actionable recommendations for scaling up non-custodial and child-friendly justice approaches
- Submission of the final approved report
8. Executive Brief / Stakeholder Summary (5–7 pages) (5 days)
- Development of a concise summary of key findings, recommendations, and implications for policy and programming
- Formatting for dissemination to government counterparts, donors, and partners
The IRC is currently working on getting approval for an end date extension, supplier will be informed with any updates once finalized.
IRC Payment Terms are within 30 days after full delivery of the requested Service and submission of an invoice approved to IRC.
Ethical Standards, Compliance, and data Protection:
The Research will respect the essential ethical guidelines concerning the targeted population categories; the risks of potential harm to participants resulting from the data collection process are minimized and are outweighed by the potential benefits of the outcomes of the evaluation.
The consultant and the team of data collectors are required to abide by the ethical principles and guidelines developed by IRC. All data collectors will receive training which includes in-depth training on Child Safeguarding and familiarization with IRC’s behavioural protocols, ethical guidance on data collection, and safe identification and referral of safeguarding cases. Additionally, the consultant is required to sign a “Conflict of Interest” as well as a “Confidentiality Letter” which ensures that the consultant will not disclose any personal information that is collected from the beneficiaries.
To ensure data quality, reliability, and validity, the consultancy team follows a set protocol that consists of the following steps:
Train all data collectors on the objectives of the evaluation on the content of the data collection tools, sampling plan, and on securing informed consent. Test/ pilot all data collection tools before starting fieldwork, to ensure the appropriateness of the questions, estimate the length of the interviews, and identify and solve in advance possible problems with the questionnaire before the fieldwork begins. Use a mobile data collection tool for the administration of quantitative surveys, which will reduce the likelihood of errors related to data entry. Check submitted surveys and interviews daily to identify possible problems early. Schedule a debriefing session with all data collectors to discuss observations and lessons learned from the field.
Access to the data will be restricted to the lead consultant and the IRC’s focal person only, and the consultant is responsible for data protection. The consultant will have to share all raw data and hard copies with IRC. The consultant will delete all raw data from their database upon the finalization of the evaluation report.
Position details
Location: Home-based with travel to North, Bekaa, South Beirut, and Mount Lebanon with coordination with IRC Protection Program focal point.
Duration: March 2026- November 2026
Minimum Qualifications
The IRC is seeking applications from organizations meeting the following requirements:
- Portfolio (Minimum of 15 years experience) of previous experience working in humanitarian and development programming, research, evaluations, and statistics.
- Proven experience, knowledge, and a strong track record in undertaking similar research studies in humanitarian and development sectors in Lebanon is required with specific experience working with children and other vulnerable populations.
- Prior experience working with similar scope within humanitarian agencies.
- Understanding of the humanitarian context in Lebanon, safeguarding policies and ethics, and best practices for conducting research with children and adolescents.
- Proven experience in data collection, analysis and data visualization, field coordination, and reporting experience.
- Demonstrated experience conducting qualitative interviews and surveys with children and adolescents;
- Demonstrated experience in conducting data collection, and data analysis using software such as Stata, SPSS, R, NVivo, Deodose, etc, and formative research;
- Commitment to gender equality and other codes of conduct held by the IRC.
PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS
All International Rescue Committee workers must adhere to the core values and principles outlined in IRC Way – Standards for Professional Conduct. Our Standards are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Safeguarding, Conflicts of Interest, Fiscal Integrity, and Reporting Wrongdoing and Protection from Retaliation. IRC is committed to take all necessary preventive measures and create an environment where people feel safe, and to take all necessary actions and corrective measures when harm occurs. IRC builds teams of professionals who promote critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity to deliver the best possible services to our clients.