Consultancy to Support Ending Violence Against Children (EVAC) through Social Behavior Change (SBC) approaches and interventions – Regional EVAC Taskforce

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

In 2020, Child Protection team in the Regional Office have progressed the SBC agenda through the development of a C4D/SBC roadmap and orientation guide on EVAC in a jointly exercise with the Country Offices and under the technical guidance of an SBC consultant. This work aimed to provide insights into and systematize country offices SBC interventions to end violence against children in the three forms prioritized at the region: armed violence, sexual violence and corporal punishment.

In April 2022, several countries in the region including Paraguay, Costa Rica, Belize, Honduras and Guatemala have been identified as ‘early adopters’ of UNICEF's new approach to SBC and its application to ending EVAC and seed incentive was granted to support this process in May 2022 and finished in November 2023.

Technical assistance in SBC- EVAC has been provided through a 10-month consultancy working under the SBC team in LACRO, mapping the situation of SBC/VAC post roadmap, advancing capacity building to all the 24 country offices, Support country-level SBC/EVAC interventions, Support evidence generation, and knowledge management of the best practices on EVAC.

Considering that UNICEF has done a significant amount of work over the past years on social norms change from the SBC HQ, which includes the development of high quality analytical and capacity development tools, initial recommendations to the SBC working group consider adapt these resources to the regional and country level contexts, increase partnerships with academic institutions, develop a substantive capacity building initiative both within Country offices and with implementing partners and governments and consider the lessons learned from country offices in particular promoting parenting skills, therefore the SBC working group could consider leveraging these experiences and the aforementioned work from the partnership between SBC, Child Protection, ADAP, Education and GenderSBC in LACRO. This will allow to maximize more research rigor, learning in the field/countries, and benefit from sharing of resources, including a holistic approach to address VAC in the LAC region.

How can you make a difference?

The main purposes of this consultancy focused on sexual violence and corporal punishment include the following for an application in 4-6 country offices to be further decided in a pilot project.

1. Increase COs technical capacity: Assess skills of key COs technical teams (CP, SBC, Gender, Education, ADAP), plan, roll out a regional capacity building programme. Including, but not exclusively in (1) measuring advances in ending these two forms of violence; (2) supporting strategies of ending corporal punishment in schools; (3) enhancing knowledge about key bottlenecks, such as social and gender norms, social cultural practices from existing materials.
2. Enhance technical support to counterparts, implementing partners and other relevant stakeholders in understanding & implementing SBC: Reinforce (and create when is needed) decentralized country office interventions involving counterparts, implementing partners and other relevant stakeholders (teachers, school administrators, religious leaders, private sector) towards capacity strengthening and support to operationalization of national strategies focused on EVAC

• Lead or coordinate a desk/literature review of various publications and engagement provided by sections and SBC to analyse the situation, identify the issues across the programme areas, barriers, triggers, influencers, audiences, individual behaviours and social practices of different groups.
• Support COs and counterparts positive masculinity programmes
• Based on the review and latest research findings, organize two workshops involving researchers, partners and UNICEF sectors to analyse the findings identify an SBC strategy in line with the research findings and review.
  3. Strengthen partnership with academic institutions towards systematic evidence generation: Map and reinforce the existing coalition with academic institutions with potential to work with EVAC related topics to increase the generation of evidence of behavior drivers and social practices influencing corporal punishment, sexual violence.
  4. Support knowledge management and community of practices: Continuing supporting COs to systematize knowledge and to disseminate the best practices of EVAC through SBC. Reinforce the established a community of practice with potential to discuss and reflect on the lessons learned through online and offline platforms.

Expected Results

• Strengthen capacity in at least five Country Offices on the relevant bottlenecks to achieve EVAC results and enable
• Have key countries offices supported in its strategic SBC interventions
• Support interventions in COs to foster capacity strengthening between counterparts and implementing partners
• Support strategic alliances with academic institutions, regionally towards evidence generation – having at least three new studies generated
• Enhance the knowledge and dissemination of good practices and lessons learned across LAC and in regional and global KM platforms

Deliverables

• The Individual contractor must submit monthly reports

Description Duration [in days]Assess the skills and provide a 1-year work plan for the SBC working group under the EVAC taskforce comprising a capacity building plan

10 daysBased on the result of the assessment, select five pilot country offices and initiate the capacity building in Sexual violence and corporal punishment for UNICEF, counterparts and implementing partners in the following topics: M&E, social/gender norms and cultural practices utilizing and adapting existing resources180 daysArticulate and provide guidance to LAC academic institutions to support evidence generation in specific contexts about corporal punishment practices and sexual violence210 daysCreate a compendium of best practices and strengthen the EVAC community of practice based on the ongoing achievements of the selected Country Offices60 daysTo qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in Communication, Social Sciences, Statistics, Psychology, Anthropology, Sociology planning development.
• At least 8-10 years of solid work experience in Communication in development / Social and Behaviour Change contexts, of which 3-5 years working in partnership (setting and/or practical roll out) in developing contexts, including relationship with academic institutions and civil society organization.
• Knowledge of and experience in ending violence against children.
• Knowledge of and experience in the social, political and economic environment of LAC countries.
• Strong writing skills with track record of published knowledge products Demonstrated experience working with multi-cultural environment. Ability to plan, coordinate and disseminate knowledge products.
• Oral and written proficiency in Spanish and English. Knowledge of French and Portuguese languages is considered an asset.

Technical Knowledge

• Literature review and converting theory and behavioural insights into practice
• Creative approaches to instructional design and/or educational design and publication
• A proven track record in capacity building and training in development contexts
• Experience working with working with UNICEF, LACR is an advantage.

Other Skills and Attributes

• Ability to work cross functionally to define problem statements, examine collected data, build analytical models and communicate final recommendations that drive decision making.
• An inquisitive and creative mindset and excellent written and verbal communication skills for coordinating across teams, countries and regions.
• A Team Player mentality and desire to collaborate with multicultural and diverse colleagues
• Excellent project management skills and capacity to work independently.

How to Apply

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

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.