Child Protection Expert (Alternative Care) - Consultant; Athens, Greece. (11, 5 months; full time; office-based)

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.

Background

Institutional care is widely understood to be harmful for children. The Convention of the Rights of the Child, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the UN Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children all recognise that the ideal setting for a child to grow up in to fulfil their potential and participate as full citizens, is within a family environment that provides a nurturing and loving atmosphere. However, when necessary for the protection of a child to be looked after this should be happening, within a community-based care system which is suitable to meet the child’s individual needs. In addition to the human rights case, there is a strong economic case for choosing family- and community-based care over institutions. The cost of providing family- and community-based care is often less expensive and the social return is much higher.

After decades of evidence-based advocacy and policy dialogue, many governments have led reforms to close or transform large-scale institutions and replace them with community and family based alternative care services and put in place family support services to prevent children from being unnecessarily separated from their families. Throughout Europe, significant progress has been made on the development of new child and family services, although continued investment and momentum is required to ensure the reforms are irreversible and no child is left behind.

The child care system in Greece is reliant on the use of long-term residential care. There is limited availability of community-based prevention services and few alternative family-based care services. The length of children’s stay in care is long-term, and in most cases and there is a corresponding tacit social norm that “institutions are a good solution for children.” There are approximately 2,500 children placed in various type of residential institutions throughout Greece, including state-run, NGOs and church or faith-based organizations. Drivers for institutionalization include poverty, lack of community-based prevention and support services, lack of inclusive education, lack of specialized family support and parent training, disability categorization and attitudes.

Over the past few years, Greece has seen new important developments for their child care system. In 2018, a new Law on Foster care and Adoption paved the way for expanded family-based care options, and in late 2019, there were renewed efforts to take forward De-Institutionalization (DI) and community-based care with an initiative to draft a DI national strategy and action plan. While promising, these recent efforts have yet to materialize into a comprehensive child care system that addresses gatekeeping mechanisms, prevention services and response to child abuse and neglect.

The UNICEF Country Office in Greece aims to ensure that the rights of all children in Greece are protected and promoted. This includes ensuring that children in or at risk of institutionalization have improved access to family and community-based care, specialised services, quality, accessible and inclusive services, in the context of a strengthened child protection system. In mid-2020, the UNICEF Country Office in Greece signed an MOU with the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs to support the process of DI in Greece, including to expand modalities for community-based and alternative care, support transition out of institutional care, and strengthen gatekeeping mechanism.

Purpose

Under the supervision of the Child Protection Specialist (Alternative Care) the child protection expert, with specialization in De-Institutionalization (DI) will work closely with UNICEF and partners, including the Ministry of Labour, and Social Affairs, Regional Social Welfare Centers, child care institutions and municipalities, to provide technical assistance in efforts to ensure national, regional and local authorities are supported in deinstitutionalization, strengthen gatekeeping and prevent new placements of vulnerable children in long-term residential care

Main Responsibilities and key duties

I. Oversee efforts to draft and implement DI Transformational Plans: oversee partnerships and provide technical support to select child care residential institution (s) in the Region of Attica to develop a DI transformation plan. The transformational plan should include assessing all children in care, developing DI care plans for each child, planning for placement into community-based care, and supporting the staff of the residential institutions to reskill and redeploy to other jobs and institutions to transform to provide community-based social services. More specifically:

1. Consolidate partnership with one to three residential care institutions in the region of Attica to take forward DI transformational plan in collaboration with national, regional and municipal authorities.
2. Oversee efforts to recruit and train multi-disciplinary assessment team to undertake assessments of all children placed in care.
3. Oversee efforts to carry out assessments and develop care plans to identify suitable community-based care options in light of best interest of each child (e.g. reintegrate children with their family as preferred first option, place children with their extended family as second option or in a foster family as third option)..
4. Assess human and financial resources of the institution
5. Based on findings of assessments oversee efforts to develop transformation plan for the institution including plans for children’s DI as well as reallocation and reuse of human, financial and material resources.
6. Oversee efforts to support children and families in the DI process including informing and consulting with children, providing them and families with support for the transition and beyond.
7. Oversee efforts to provide support to residential staff, support to change-management, including through working with authorities and management to identify ways for re-skilling, and deployment to other jobs.

8. Document experience of DI with a view to learning from the experience and scale up at national level.

9. Strengthen the gatekeeping system including strengthening capacity of social workers to undertake case investigations and assessment and ensure that decisions are made based on the best interests of children, with priority given to the family and community-based services. More specifically:

10. Work with local authorities, EKKA, regional social work center, Ministry of Labor and Public Prosecutor to assess current gate keeping system and identify strength and gaps and support authorities to redesign the system and develop necessary procedures.

11. Support gatekeeping body to review current caseload slotted for family separation with a view to prioritizing family support and family and community-based care options in light of expanded social services and best interest of child.

12. Draft guidelines for social service work force and public prosecutors on how to carry out assessment, analyse cases, and propose protection measures in the best interest of a child through training and clinical supervision strengthen capacity of social workers to undertake case investigations and assessment and ensure that decisions are made based on the best interests of children, with priority given to the family and community-based services.

13. Strengthen DI Evidence Base: Ensure UNICEF’s work on DI is informed by relevant evidence base and data. In particular:

    1. work with state authorities to identify critical information gaps related to DI and related research needs;
    2. draft Terms of Reference for DI-related studies/assessments;
    3. provide technical oversight and guidance to research partners to ensure research is on track,
    4. serve as a liaison between the research institute and government stakeholders to validate process and findings and ensure results are used to inform policy and planning.
14. Advise government, UNICEF and related stakeholders on DI processes in Greece
15. Represent UNICEF at relevant meetings, consultations on DI

Outputs/Deliverables

1. Detailed work plan for deliverables (Due: Dec 15, 2020)
2. Partnership agreements with relevant authorities and implementing partners outlining key objectives, milestones, and timeline for support to Residential Care Institution (s) on DI (Due: January 31, 2021)
3. Multi-disciplinary Assessment teams in place, with clear TORs and suitably equipped with knowledge and skills (Due: February 28 2021)
4. Report of individual assessments and care plans in line with best interests (Due: March 31, 2021)
5. Assessment report of human and financial resources of institutions with recommendations (Due: March 31, 2021)
6. Transformational plans for each institution with supporting assessments and analysis including for children as well as repurposing of human and financial resources (Due: May 31, 2021)
7. Documentation of transitional process, with a view to learning and scaling (Due: October 31, 2021)
8. Report of current gatekeeping system, strengths, gaps and recommendations (Due: February 28, 2021)
9. Design and delivery of training and guidelines to strengthen gatekeeping with targeted support to public prosecutors, social workers and regional welfare centers (Due: July 31, 2021)
10. Research report(s) on DI used to inform policy and planning (Due: May 31, 2021)
11. Monthly reports summarizing activities and progress against main duties listed above (Due: last day of each month)

Minimum qualifications and competencies

• Advanced university degree in law, social work, social policy or relevant field at minimum. A first level university degree with 2 additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced degree.
• Minimum 7 years of progressively responsible professional work experience in child protection and related field.
• Expertise and experience in the area of de-institutionalization - knowledge of the national childcare system in Greece an asset
• Excellent analytical and written skills
• Fluency in English and Greek (oral and written).

Management and Reporting

The consultant will report to UNICEF Child Protection Specialist, and work in close cooperation with MoLSA, EKKA, Regional Welfare Centers, Child Care Institutions, among others.

Duty Station, Workplace and Travel

The consultant will work full time (5 days a week) and be based in the Partnership Office in Athens, Greece. S/he may be required to travel in country to provide technical support to partners. However, due to the current COVID-19 restrictions, the consultant may begin their assignment working from home.

The consultant is expected to organize their own travel. All travel expenses will be reimbursed by UNICEF. The consultant will travel by the most direct and economical route in economy class. UNICEF will pay the daily subsistence allowance as per UN-approved rate. The individual contractor must be fit to travel, be in a possession of the valid UN BSafe certificate, obligatory inoculation(s) and have a valid own travel/medical insurance and an immunization/vaccination card.

Remuneration and Payment Schedule

Payment schedule: Payment will be made based on agreed deliverables and a submission of monthly progress reports to UNICEF by the consultant, upon approval by the direct supervisor. Monthly progress reports will be brief, produced in English and summarize key activities, achievements and challenges faced during the reporting period, priorities for the next reporting period, highlighting any support needs from or recommendations for UNICEF.

UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/outputs is incomplete, not delivered or for failure to meet deadlines. All materials developed will remain the copyright of UNICEF and UNICEF will be free to adapt and modify them in the future.

HOW TO APPLY

Applicants are invited to apply online:

1. Duly complete their UNICEF profile
2. Attach CV and Motivation Letter Your motivation letter should indicate your availability.
3. Indicate Monthly Fee

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

View our competency framework at:

http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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.

Remarks:

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

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.