Consultancy: Development of Theory of Change (TOC) for Parenting for Belize

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, Hope.

[Include information about the country/specific programme. Ideally include a link to a video]

How can you make a difference?

Background

UNICEF Belize identified quality parenting and family support as critical towards achieving results for all children. Parents are key architects creating experiences and opportunities for children’s health, learning, protection, growth, development and social and emotional well-being throughout the life course.

One of the primary objectives is to enhance the parenting support across all the sectors prioriized by UNICEF, including violence against children interventions, ECD interventions, health and adolescent participation. Parenting and family support ensure that every child is able to have the best start in life, sets a foundation for healthy development, prevents violence in all stages of life and enforces life-long learning and social cohesion. Similarly, parents continue to play a profound role in adolescent development, even as adolescents increasingly engage with their peers and the broader society. The caregiving relationship between parents and children evolves during adolescence and throughout the adolescent transition (between the ages of 10 to 18), but it remains vitally important for continued investment in nurturing the relationship and engaging with adolescents as they discover themselves in terms of identity, personality and choices.

As they continue to develop and grow, some adolescents may become parents themselves and/or be tasked with care responsibilities for siblings. Adolescent caregiving can have immediate and lasting consequences for the adolescent girl and boy and can have lifelong impacts on the children. There are worrying longer-term outcomes for adolescent caregivers (both girls and boys) linked to poverty, interrupted education, lack of support, isolation, lost childhood and other factors.

Furthermore, helping parents and caregivers to understand the importance of positive, non-violent discipline in child’s development and effective parent-child communication reduces harsh parenting practices, creates positive parent-child interactions and helps increase bonding between parents or other caregivers and children – all factors that help prevent violence against children.

Hence, understanding the parenting practices and root causes of inadequate parenting, as well as defining the Theory of Change for parenting, will help to improve the outcomes for children, maximize their potential and contribute to the fulfilment of their basic rights.

Purpose and Key Expected Results of Assignment

The purpose of this consultancy is to provide a technical support to UNICEF Belize in development of a Theory of Change on Parenting through a consultation with key partners and stakeholders.

• Desk review of existing programmes and documents related to parenting in Belize.
• Consultations with partners, including the National Parenting Task Force,Child Protection, health and education partners providing parenting support,and stakeholders, including parents, adolescents and children
• Development of the TOC for parenting in Belize.
• Validation of the TOC with UNICEF Belize Programme Team

Deliverables

• Desk Review = Report
• Consultations = Report of the Consultations
• Development of a TOC = Draft TOC
• Validation of TOC = Final TOC

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in Planning, M&E, Research, Public Policy and/or Administration, Social Sciences or other relevant disciplines. *A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.
• A minimum of eight years of relevant professional experience in planning, monitoring and evaluation
• Knowledge of causality analysis, theory of change and results based programming
• Previous experience in developing theory of change
• Demonstrated understanding of the social sector in Belize and services available for parents
• Experience in interacting with/coordinated work between government institutions, international cooperation and civil society
• Ability to write high qualitative technical documents
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.
• Fluency in English is required. Working knowledge of Spanish is an asset.

Administrative details

Supervision

The contractor will report to the ECD and Education Officer.

Duration

This consultancy will have a duration of 11 working days over 2 months.

How to Apply

Application should be submitted online and should include: Resume, Cover Letter and Financial proposal. Qualified candidates are requested to submit daily and monthly fees in their financial proposal.

Travel

Travel is not involved for this consultancy.

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.

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.

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.

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.