Consultant

Programme & Policy

Overview

Engage a consultant to review the National Neighbourhood Care Point Strategy.

You have:

• An advanced degree in social sciences, community development or other relevant field.
• A minimum of 5 years work experience on child protection in NGO or UN Agencies or relevant area.
• Have a thorough knowledge of child protection agenda from global, continental and national level.
• Experienced in assessment of child protection programmes.
• Have excellent analytical and writing skills in English.
• Familiarity with international and regional commitments on children is desirable.
• Be familiar with government child protection policies, systems and structures.
• Have excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

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WFP seeks candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles.

Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis, and we are committed to promoting diversity and gender balance.

ABOUT WFP

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. The mission of WFP is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger in our lifetimes. Every day, WFP works worldwide to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and that the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and children, can access the nutritious food they need.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

The Government of Eswatini in collaboration with civil society actors and communities have been supporting orphans and vulnerable children in Eswatini through various community-based programmes. One such initiative is the establishment of Neighbourhood Care Points (NCPs). NCPs were conceived in 2002 as a community response to support vulnerable children. In fact, an initial community capacity gap analysis had indicated an urgent need to protect children from all forms of vulnerability, and these children were not accessing education, nutrition, basic health care and psychosocial support. In an effort to curb the gap NCPs were established to:

1. Provide care and support for orphans and vulnerable children, by mitigating the impact of HIV and AIDS; poverty; food insecurity; Sexual exploitation.
2. Serve as a community-based care and support system especially for vulnerable children at chiefdom level.
3. Provided children with nutritious meals, participated in non-formal learning and recreational activities, and received basic health care and psychosocial support.

NCPs have become the foundation of the quest to find a lasting and sustainable solution to the protection of children in communities and they are still relevant even today because they serve as a community initiative representing local practices that protect children.

To direct efforts by stakeholders in providing services in NCPs, the Ministry of Tinkhundla and Local Administration, which was then the coordinating Ministry for NCPs developed the first national Neighbourhood Care Point Strategy (2012-2016) aimed at promoting holistic multi-sectoral services for children in communities.

Since 2019 government stakeholders agreed that the coordination of NCPs programme at a national level was to rest with the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office for the simple reason that the Office had established the National Children’s Services Department, a coordinating structure for all children issues.

In its concluding observations on Eswatini’s State Party Report on the implementation of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, the African Committee of Experts on the treaty recommended in 2019 that Eswatini “undertake assessment on all the centres and undertake the necessary restructuring and capacity building to ensure their full and effective functioning’.

JOB PURPOSE

As a coordinating entity in the children’s sector, the National Children Services Department seeks to engage a consultant to review and develop the National Neighbourhood Care Point Strategy 2021-2026.The assignment requires specialized competencies and extensive focus and dedicated human resource time, as these are currently not staff functions of regular NCSD staff. As such, the National Children Services Department seeks to recruit an individual consultant to effectively conduct the assignment within the stipulated timelines (45 days).

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

Under the overall guidance of the WFP Head of Programme and direct supervision of the Director National Children Services with oversight by the NCP TWG, the consultant will be responsible for the following:

1. Goal and Objective:

Review the NCP Strategic Plan 2021 -2016 and develop a new strategic plan that will run from 2021 - 2026.

2.1 Activities

The key specific tasks to be undertaken in carrying out and completing the assignment will include, but not limited to the following:

• > Undertake a desk review of the current NCP strategy and other relevant documents on the situation of children in Eswatini, policies, strategies, programmes, plans and legislation relating to children.
• > Conduct a stakeholder analysis of all NCP service providers in Eswatini.
• > Assess the implementation of the NCP strategy 2021 -2016, with a focus on identifying the successes, challenges, lessons learned and gapd in consultation with a variety of identified stakeholders.
• > In consultation with a variety of identified stakeholders, including traditional leaders, identify and define key services for the NCP strategic plan 2021 - 2026.
• > Draft the new NCP strategic plan 2021 -2026
• > Present the Draft NCP strategic plan 2021 -2026, to NCP stakeholders for input and validation.
• > Finalize the NCP strategic plan 2021 -2026, incorporating national stakeholders inputs.
• > Submit a final NCP strategic plan 2021 - 2026.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

Education: An advanced degree in social sciences, community development or other relevant field.

Experience: A minimum of 5 years work experience on child protection in NGO or UN Agencies or relavant area.

OTHER SPECIFIC JOB REQUIREMENTS

• Have a thorough knowledge of child protection agenda from global, continental and national level.
• Experienced in assessment of child protection programmes
• Have excellent analytical and writing skills in English.
• Familiarity with international and regional commitment on children is desirable.
• Be familiar with government child protection policies, systems and structures.
• Have excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

DELIVERABLES

• Inception report & presentation (5 days)
• List of stakeholders consulted. Collection of stakeholder’s responses on 2012-2016 NCP strategic Plan implementation. Analysis of successes, challenges, lessons learned and gaps (15 days)
• Draft report of NCP consultation process with outputs of NCP review and priorities for NCP strategy 2012-2016 (7 days)
• Report on review of 2012-2016 NCP, and identified priorities for 2021-2026 NCP strategic Plan discussed. Prepare 1st draft (10 days)
• Inputs received:First Draft NCP Strategic Plan 2021-2026 validated. 2nd draft incorporate TWG’s comments (4 days)
• Inputs received from stakeholders. Draft 2 of the NCP Strategic Plan 2021-2026 validated. Incorporate stakeholder comments (2 days)
• Final validation by stakeholders. Final and approved NCP Strategic Plan 2021-2026 handed over to Director National Children Services Department (2 days)

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

• This is a local position for Swazi nationals only.
• Qualified female applicants are encouraged to apply.
• Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
• WFP does not charge any fees from applicants at any stage of the recruitment process.
• WFP has zero tolerance for discrimination and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

Deadline for receiving applications, 9 September 2021

Apply now

Potential interview questions

Added 4 years ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: wfp.org