Consultant - Child Protection in Education Policy Assessment and Plan **Open to Fiji Nationals Only**

Consultant Teaching & Training Programme & Policy

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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, protection

UNICEF Pacific Multi-Country Office is looking for a national consultant to assist with a rapid assessment of the implementation of existing child protection in school policies and the development of a costed plan to implement these policies and monitoring tools in Fiji.

How can you make a difference?

Under the supervision of UNICEF Child Protection Specialist, the national consultant will work closely with the Ministry of Education, with remote guidance from an international consultant.

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

• A university degree in education or social sciences, or equivalent experience, preferably in fields related to child protection and education
• At least ten years of relevant professional experience in the education field, preferably with Fiji Ministry of Education, or in a similar field
• Working knowledge and experience of the Ministry’s policies, in particular child protection related policies, procedures, management tools, teacher training, student curriculum and school-based activities, preferable
• Working knowledge and experience in planning and facilitating/conducting consultation workshops and field research, including in-depth interviews and focus group discussions
• Excellent spoken and written English and excellent spoken and written proficiency in one vernacular language.
• Excellent writing and analytical skills
• Demonstrated facilitation/training skills
• Ability to persuade, influence, negotiate, advocate
• Excellent inter-personal skills, relating with people, teamwork, networking
• Adaptability, flexibility, tact, diplomacy, patience, respectful attitude
• Excellent communication skills, both speaking and writing; in particular, ability to communicate technical concepts, knowledge and skills in a clear, simple and jargon-free language; ability to present information in a well-structured, logical manner
• Experience in financial management and/or budgeting

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.

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:

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.

TERMS OF REFERENCE

1. Background

Under the 2018-2022 UNICEF Pacific Multi-Country Programme, UNICEF has been providing technical and financial assistance to Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICT’s) to build and/or strengthen their child protection systems to prevent and respond to all forms of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of children. A key component of the programme is capacity strengthening of the Education sector to prevent and respond to child protection concerns in schools and through schools in all pre-, primary and secondary schools in the country. Child protection issues in schools include all forms of teacher-student, student-teacher and student-student violence, such as violent discipline, sexual harassment, abuse, exploitation, peer bullying, school fights, etc. Child protection through schools refers to the role of educators in the detection, reporting and referral of child abuse, neglect and exploitation, which may occur outside the school, in homes and in communities. Ensuring that all schools provide a safe, supportive and welcoming environment for all children to study and learn in an environment free from the threat of violence and discrimination, is critical to achieving the Education goal of equitable access to quality education for all children.

Over the past few years, Fiji’s Ministry of Education, Heritage & Arts (MEHA) has reviewed and passed child protection in education policies, foremost of which is the Child Protection in Schools Policy (2015) that provides a framework for the protection, identification, management and reporting of incidents of child abuse in schools, religious establishments, social centres, and places where educational programmes are conducted. The Child Protection in Schools Policy is complimented by several other policies, including:

• Policy on Behaviour Management in Schools
• Student Code of Conduct
• Policy on Boarding Schools
• Policy on Drugs and Substance Abuse
• Policy on Mobile Phones in Schools
• Policy on Police Check – Volunteers
• Policy on School Counseling
• Policy on Visitors in Schools with 7 Annexes

This set of child protection in education policies have yet to be fully implemented, with challenges in stakeholder awareness/understanding and implementing mechanisms, among others. In this regard, MEHA plans to conduct a rapid assessment of the implementation of the child protection policies in the Education sector to inform the development of an integrated multi-year costed implementation plan to better implement these policies. Technical support for the rapid assessment and development of the costed implementation plan will be provided by UNICEF’s Child Protection in Education Regional Consultant, with assistance of a Fiji-based national consultant to be hired for this purpose.

2. Purpose of Assignment

To provide technical assistance to MEHA to assess the implementation of the child protection policies in the education sector, and to develop an integrated costed implementation plan for the child protection policies, with a monitoring tool to track their implementation.

3. Scope of Work

The National Consultant will work closely with the UNICEF Child Protection in Education Regional Consultant, through regular remote communication, in providing technical assistance to MEHA to carry out the tasks described below.

Within MEHA, the consultants will work with a Working Group comprised of the Senior Education Officer of Planning Unit, Senior Education Officer of Policy Unit, Director of Secondary Schools, and Principal of Primary Education.

4. Work assignments/Specific tasks

4.1 Rapid Assessment of the implementation of the MEHA Child Protection in Education Policies

The rapid Assessment will be carried out through: a short online survey of school principals; a 2 ½-day consultation workshop with key Education officials; and individual interviews and focus group discussions with teachers, school staff, and students in the four divisions on their awareness and understanding of the child protection in education policies and what worked and did not work with respect to their implementation.

a) Online child protection survey of school principals

• Support MEHA in disseminating the online child protection survey to school principals (in cooperation with District Education officers) and in following-up with school principals to complete the survey.

b) Consultation Workshop with MEHA officials to inform the Assessment and the development of Implementation Plan

• Assist MEHA and the regional consultant in planning and organizing a 2 ½-day workshop, including preparation of workshop materials.
• Assist MEHA and regional consultant in managing and co-facilitating the workshop.
• Document the workshop proceedings and recommendations and draft a workshop report.

c) Field research through key informant interviews and focus group discussions with school personnel and students

• Assist MEHA and regional consultant in the development of field research methodology and tools and in scheduling and organizing the interviews/FGDs.
• Organize and conduct individual semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with school personnel and students in the four divisions to inform the Assessment

4. Completion and finalisation of Assessment

• Support MEHA and regional consultant to complete and finalize the Assessment.

4.2 Development of costed implementation plan for the MEHA Child Protection in Education Policies, with monitoring tool

The costed implementation plan will be an operational framework with activities, indicators (baseline and target), responsible offices/units, budget, and timeline (recommended duration is 3 years). A simple monitoring tool for MEHA to track implementation of the plan will also be developed.

e) Drafting of Implementation Plan

• Support MEHA and regional consultant to draft the Implementation Plan, based on inputs gathered from the rapid assessment.

f) Costing and finalisation of Implementation Plan and Development of Monitoring Tool

• Conduct individual meetings with key officials of relevant MEHA departments, offices, units to review/revise the draft Implementation Plan and to cost the activities.
• Support MEHA in organizing, facilitating and documenting a workshop to validate the costed Implementation Plan and to develop a monitoring tool to track its implementation. Draft the workshop report.
• Support MEHA and regional consultant in finalising the Implementation Plan and its monitoring tool

5. Work plan, deliverables and timeline

Timeline is tentative and may be adjusted upon agreement with regional consultant and MEHA Working Group.

Tasks/Milestone:

Deliverables/Outputs:

Timeline

Rapid Assessment of the Implementation of Child Protection in Education Policies

1. Support dissemination and follow-up of completion of online survey of school principals

5 days (December-January )

2. Support organisation, facilitation, and documentation of consultation workshop.

Workshop report

10 days (December-January)

3. Support development of methodology and tools for field research - interviews and FGDs.

Schedule and organize field interviews and FGD.

Research tools and methodology

15 days (January)

4. Conduct field research through key informant interviews and focus group discussions with school personnel and students in 4 divisions.

Detailed minutes and notes of interviews and FGDs conducted

25 days (February)

5. Provide inputs to completion and finalisation of Assessment

Final Assessment report

5 days (March)

Development of Costed Implementation Plan with Monitoring Tool

6. Support MEHA and regional consultant in drafting the Implementation Plan

Draft Implementation Plan

5 days (March)

7. Conduct meetings with relevant MEHA units/officials to review/revise and cost the Implementation Plan

Costed Implementation Plan

10 days (March)

8. Support MEHA and regional consultant in planning, organizing and facilitating a one-day workshop to validate the costed Implementation Plan and develop its monitoring tool

Workshop report

7 days (April)

9. Support MEHA and regional consultant in finalising the costed Implementation Plan and its monitoring tool.

Final Implementation Plan

3 days (April)

TOTAL number of working days

85 days

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Added 3 years ago - Updated 2 years ago - Source: unicef.org