Child Advisor to the Ministry for Women, Children and Social Protection Consultancy, Suva, Fiji, 12 Months

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, safety.

In the Pacific we work in Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu: These 14 Pacific island countries are home to 2.3 million people, including 1.2 million children and youth, living on more than 660 islands and atolls stretching across 17.2 million square kilometers of the Pacific Ocean, an area comparable to the combined size of the United States of America and Canada. Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu are classified as Fragile States according to World Bank/OECD criteria.

All 14 Pacific Island countries and territories have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, but only a third are on track with reporting obligations. Explore the different areas of our work in the link provided here www.unicef.org/pacificislands.

Background of Assignment:

The Ministry for Women, Children and Social Protection (MWCSP) is at a key point in furthering the Protection of Children in Fiji. Key pieces of legislation are in the process of being enacted, namely the Child Care and Protection Bill (CCP) and Child Justice Bill (CJ). A new Children’s Department is being established within the Ministry representing an opportunity to strengthen the human resources base and coordination with other Departments and Ministries.

With regard to specific priorities already underway, the National Multisector Child Protection Policy and 5-year Action Plan will provide a powerful tool for increased leadership and coordination by MWCPA in the child protection sector. Further, the recent visit by the SRSG for Violence Against Children (VAC) provided a number of clear recommendations to take forward.

As part of UNICEF’s ongoing partnership with the Ministry, recognizing the critical timing of the opportunity, a position is being established to be seconded to the Ministry for an initial period of 12 months. In addition to providing crucial technical expertise to the Ministry to effectively operationalize the new legal frameworks, structures and polices, such a position will also maximize the links to UNICEF international programming and provide an opportunity for learning and sharing of good practices from Fiji across the Pacific and globally.

How can you make a difference?

The consultant will be expected to provide high level technical advice and support to the MWCSP to improve child protection systems in Fiji. This includes supporting MWCSP to develop and implement relevant legislative and normative frameworks, supporting capacity building and supervision of the social service workforce, and prioritizing core VAC prevention programming. The consultant will also support the MWCSP on developing and improving programming and systems related to data collection, addressing child poverty, child online protection, and identifying the intersection and linkages between violence against children and violence against women.

Please refer to the ToR for further information on the deliverables and the timelines

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Education:

• Master's degree in Social sciences, international law, international development, human rights, psychology, sociology or other related disciplines.

Professional experience:

• At least 10 years of professional experience in child protection at national and/or subnational level.
• Knowledge of child protection system in Fiji or other similar Pacific country contexts or small-island developing states
• Experience working directly with Ministry of Social Affairs (or equivalent) in Pacific country contexts, small-island developing states, or other developing country.
• Experience in strengthening the social workforce and system of social services.
• Experience in the development of normative frameworks for child protection.
• Experience in building a dialogue with national and local governments and CSOs.
• Experience in working with development organizations and/or secondments to Government agencies based in and/or working within the Pacific region.
• Knowledge of gender and development, human rights and children’s issues.
• Languages & Skills: Fluency in written English is required. Expresses ideas and facts in writing and orally in a clear, organized, and convincing manner appropriate to the audience and occasion.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit here

Remarks:

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.