Consultancy: Inclusive Child Protection Systems Strengthening -Child Protection/ Programme Group/ NYHQ-Remote: Req

Contract

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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

Consultancy Title: Inclusive Child Protection Systems Strengthening

Section/Division/Duty Station: Child Protection/ Programme Group/ NYHQ

Duration: 250 Billable days – September 2022 to August 2023

Home/ office Based: Remote (home-based)

About UNICEF

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you. For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection and development. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.

BACKGROUND

Purpose of Activity/ Assignment:

UNICEF Strategic Plan (2022 – 2025) and Child Protection Strategy (2021 – 2030) identify strengthening inclusive child protection systems as one of the three core programming strategies to ensure that every child is protected from violence, exploitation, abuse, neglect, and harmful practices. In line with this priority, the purpose of this consultancy is to support implementation of key UNICEF programme priorities in child protection systems strengthening (CPSS) work. There are three key objectives to this consultancy in terms of high-quality technical support to global, regional and national initiatives: (1) Strengthen UNICEF CPSS work including by strengthening the inclusion of children on the move in national child protection systems; (2) strengthen social service workforce strengthening as a critical element of CP Systems; and (3) support UNICEF’s work on care reform.

In 2021, UNICEF launched its approach to CPSS. AT present, UNICEF, together with other partners, is implementing an ambitious child protection programme that aims at inclusion of children on the move in national child protection (CP) systems. The purpose of this consultancy is to provide high-quality technical assistance to the child protection team by supporting several initiatives to disseminate this new approach and build capacities of UNICEF and partners to support implementation of the CPSS approach on the ground and strengthen the inclusion agenda, especially with a focus on children on the move in national CP systems. As part of our CPSS work, UNICEF prioritizes social service workforce strengthening (SSWS) as a strategic intervention. UNICEF has undertaken several initiatives to provide technical assistance to governments and local partners to better plan, develop, and support the social service workforce. This consultancy will be aimed at supporting these strategic initiatives by providing ongoing technical assistance to UNICEF offices, in collaboration with our partners. Within the CP systems work, the care reform policy landscape has changed drastically over the past few years. In 2019, the UNGA for the first time passed a consensus resolution on care reform. In 2021, the CRC Committee held the Day of General Discussion and offered a comprehensive set of recommendations to take forward the care agenda. At the same time, impact of COVID-19 on families and communities is increasing children’s vulnerability to being deprived of parental and family care. Prevention of family separation and promotion of family-based alternative care are key priorities for UNICEF, and the consultancy service will provide strategic technical guidance to UNICEF and partners to strengthen this aspect of CP systems.

Scope of Work:

The scope of work includes providing high-quality technical assistance to the child protection team by supporting several initiatives to disseminate UNICEF’s CPSS approach and build capacities of UNICEF and partners to support implementation of this approach on the ground and strengthen the inclusion agenda, especially with a focus on children on the move in national CP systems. As part of our CPSS work, this consultant will support strategic initiatives for social service workforce strengthening as a key element of child protection systems, by providing ongoing technical assistance to UNICEF offices, in collaboration with our partners. The consultant will also provide technical assistance in support of UNICEF’s focus on strengthening the care reform agenda with a focus on prevention of family separation and promotion of family-based alternative care are key priorities for UNICEF, and the consultancy service will provide strategic technical guidance to UNICEF and partners to strengthen this aspect of CP systems.

Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables:

• Technical support to CPHQ for global public goods for stakeholder capacity-building on CPSS
• Technical advice to HQ, Ros, COs for strengthening inclusion of children on the move
• Technical support for strengthening UNICEF’s capacities on social service workforce strengthening (SSWS)
• Technical advice in care reform with a specific focus on children on the move

Key deliverables include:

• Development of a resource compendium on high priority CPSS interventions identified in 2021 UNICEF CPSS approach.
• Quality oversight for completion of translations of the 2021 CPSS approach in UN languages.
• Content of the CPSS e- course and dissemination plan for the course. Monitoring systems for course completion is finalized and data routinely analysed for course revisions.
• Technical advice to UNICEF and UN partners resulting in development, piloting, implementation of technical guidance on inclusion of children on the move in national systems.
• Technical advice, monitoring, and reporting of work from select HQ divisions, ROs and COs for the ongoing programmes on protection of refugee children and children affected by migration under the “Prospects” partnership.
• Development of a technical paper on key considerations to include children on the move in social service workforce strengthening.
• Dissemination of UNICEF’s latest guidance (Aug 2022) on SSWS, feedback gathered, and compiled. Support revision of UNICEF’s resources and technical advice for implementation.
• Quality inputs to finalize a technical brief on family strengthening and its role in prevention of family separation, including specific attention to children on the move.

Qualifications

Education:

• Master’s degree in Social work, social development, international development, social science, and other related disciplines.

Work experience:

• A minimum of five years of work experience of working on child protection systems, and at least two years of experience working on child protection programmes for children on the move (refugee and/or children affected by migration)
• Experience in working on developing policy and programme guidance in areas of CP systems such as social service workforce strengthening, prevention of family separation and alternative care.
• Excellent written English skills, particularly the ability to write complex information in a succinct fashion.
• Experience of providing direct technical assistance to child protection programmes in developing countries.
• Good presentation skills, including preparation and delivery of presentations and public speaking.
• Excellent coordination and organization skills and the ability to work with a diverse group of internal and external actors.
• Drive for results in achieving the timebound deliverables

Requirements****:

• Completed profile in UNICEF's e-Recruitment system and provide Personal History Form (P11) Upload copy of academic credentials
• Financial proposal that will include:
• your daily/monthly rate (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference.
  • travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR.
  • Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.
  • Indicate your availability
• Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF.
• At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.
• Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed satisfactory deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

U.S. Visa information:

With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4.

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

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. View our competency framework at: Here

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, race, sexual orientation, nationality, culture, appearance, socio-economic status, ability, age, religious, and ethnic backgrounds, 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, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.