Consulting Services
Cedar Woods works for establishing customized effectiveness solutions in the value
chain to minimize risk and maximize the impact of objectives and goal, using a set
of smart tools developed by us.
Client sector :
Schools, International Donor Agencies, Corporate Grant Makers & Non-Profit Organizations.
Programmes :
School Education, Residential School Hostels, Special Needs, Vocational Training,
Human Rights Based Community Development Programmes, Fair Wage and Corporate Social
Responsibility.
Creating Safe and Enabling School Environment
The SPARKE Project
The SPARKE Project: Supporting Positive Alternatives for Raising Kindness in Education
The SPARKE project was been conceptualized by us and a Swedish school teacher in
early 2007 for Individual Manniskohjalp, The Swedish Organization for Individual
Relief (IM-SOIR). SPARKE is currently delivered in collaboration with the College
of Higher Tibetan Studies of IBD at Sarah, District Dharamshala in North India.
The project seeks to put a stop to the use of corporal punishment and thereby end
physical, verbal and emotional violence against children in schools for Tibetan
refugee children. Select schools spread across the trans-Himalayan belt of India
and Nepal is included in the process to make their school environments free of violence
against children. The SPARKE project is also supported by SMC, the Swedish overseas
development agency.
The HEART Project
for Safe & Enabling Schools
The HEART Project: Harmonious Enabling And Reflective Teachers
The HEART project raises awareness about the harmfulness and effects of various
kinds of violence which a child observes or is subjected to in his or her environment.
Such observations are internalized by children as the legitimate way of using violence
to enforce order and power over others. This contributes to rising violence among
youth. Attitudes of teachers and caregivers towards policies and procedures are
creatively explored though validated research developed by us. The HEART project
specifically offers an integrated solution to address: (1) Bullying by peers or
senior students (2) Corporal punishment by parents, teachers and child care workers
Based upon the extent of problem revealed inter-alia viz. cultural, socio-economic,
and other influencing factors; a change process is tailored and mentored in-situ.
Training for teachers, caregivers and parents on positive disciplining, and to deal
with and put a stop to bullying is offered within the process. Child Protection
Policies, Standard Operating Protocols (SOPs), detailing action and responsibility
with timelines are drawn up in a matrix. The benefit of the HEART project is to
offer safe pastoral care in both day and boarding schools.
Independent Evaluations for Risk Mitigation
Quickscan Evaluation
Process Tools
Independent evaluations and process audits using participatory approach are carried
out through our Quickscan Evaluation Process Tools. The Quickscan with its focus
on child protection has been administered at over 140 programme locations of NGO
partners in India, funded by Red een Kind, an international Christian childcare
agency based in the Netherlands. The tools uniquely scan an organization to provide
a snapshot evaluation of the contextual gaps which inhibit effectiveness, thereby
helping clients in mitigating risk.
Programme Agreement Evaluation Matrix (Pt) or PAEM
The PAEM is a practical tool which measures adherence and deviations in programmes
vis-à-vis what was mandated or agreed to be delivered as per partner programme agreement.
Knowledge Audit Tool (Pt) or KAT
The KAT is a set of dynamic indicators which maps the level of knowledge which exists
within the organizations at frontline, supervisor, managerial and governance levels.
The KAT provides accurate pointers to identify gaps in capacity, and tailor remedial
action which may include training and coaching.
Operational Efficiency Audit Tool(Pt) or OEAT
The OEAT relies on analyses gleaned from study of documents, structured interviews
with all actors involved, especially the beneficiary to arrive at conclusions regarding
operational efficiency. Sometimes, an organization may lack documentation and articulation
of technical knowledge, but achieves their aims because of good operational efficiency.
At other times the operational efficiency may be inhibited due to lack of knowledge.
The OETA finally gives us a concluding picture of what things look like on the ground.
Quickscan Evaluation Process Tool (Pt) or QEPT
The QEPT (Pt) is a proprietary tool developed and validated at over 140 locations
in 14 states of India. QEPT has been administered in child centered programmes to
generate comprehensive reports which give the client a clear snapshot of gaps what
is working and what is not. The tool is dynamic and can be used to map and mitigate
risk, organizational strengths and weaknesses, self audits, as well as accurately
identify gaps in programme delivery and management which inhibit 'effectiveness'
at all levels in an organization.
The QEPT (Pt) incorporates a sub-set of three other tools, study of documents, analysis,
and structured interviews, viz.
Effectiveness in Strategy and Implementation
The
Integrated Solutions Accelerated Process (Pt.)
The Quickscan Evaluation Process Tool (Pt.) provides comprehensive analysis and
early warning signals to mitigate risk. User friendly reports comprehensively map
areas which need attention by harnessing solutions generated using The ISA Process
(Pt.) Learning experiences are documented for use as a capacity building resource.
Our work produces value for clients to create strategic plan, which translate into
'effectiveness' at the programme level. The ISA Process is a current upgraded version
of the Integrated Remedy Module (IRM) Process which was first panned out in January
2008, and is now being delivered for building Child Protection Capacity of Red een
Kind and Help a Child of India's partner NGOs. Capacity building and coaching is
offered in-situ for managing the accelerated change process for effectiveness enhancement,
and new culture building by addressing:
- Policy development using a bottom-up approach which enables every segment of the
organization and beneficiaries to participate, and internalize the policy.
- Implementation processes for policy.
- Flow charts, detailing responsibility and action, with time lines.
- Standard Operating Procedures, the what to do if.?.
- Monitoring the practical implementation of policies.
- Training in use of PCM tools.
- Research is an important non-negotiable as part of offering solutions which are
contextualized for measurable impact. Our Quickscan Evaluation Process Tool (Pt.)
methodology relies on research to offer clients a customized solution. Our documentation
processes within The Integrated Solutions Accelerator Process (Pt.) have placed
with clients a set of child protection policies, procedures and SOPs which are ready
to use operating manuals.
- To study the issue of corporal punishment, we have created and validated a set of
questionnaires which are administered to students, teachers and parents. This helps
to plan the intervention as per contextual reality.
- For Bullying research, we rely on using validated research instruments available
from reliable sources.
- For the Fair Wage Research, we are using the data input into the Fare Wage Calculator
of Fair Trade, and to evaluate comparative data, we have designed supplementary
questionnaires.
- We have also created a weighted rating scale to help donor agency to identify partners
with whom it is reasonably possible to build capacity for measurable impact.