Deadline extended - National Individual Consultant: Protecting children during pandemic COVID-19: A Technical Manual for Child Protection Specialists - UNICEF Moldova

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

This is a NO-1 contract. This kind of contract is known as National Professional Officers. It is normally only for nationals. It's a staff contract. More about NO-1 contracts.

This is a NO-2 contract. This kind of contract is known as National Professional Officers. It is normally only for nationals. It's a staff contract. More about NO-2 contracts.

UNICEF’s mission in Moldova is to make sure every child in the country is healthy, educated and safe from harm, therefore having the best start in life and a fair chance to reach her or his full potential and benefit from the country’s prosperity. We believe children have a right to live in a more equitable society, where their voices are heard, and needs met as a matter of priority in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. More information on what we do in Moldova is available at: https://www.unicef.org/moldova/

How can you make a difference?

1. Purpose of the contract

The purpose of this consultancy is to improve access to quality protection and services to children by providing technical assistance to the Government of the Republic of Moldova in developing a comprehensive Note to be used by relevant local authorities, service providers, individual specialists and caregivers, in working with children during pandemic.

2. Objectives of the consultancy

The objectives of this consultancy are:

• Conduct a desk research on national and international practices, guidelines, recommendations and other relevant materials regarding child protection in pandemic period;
• Map the specific child protection related areas of work affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Moldova;
• Identify the main challenges and limitations faced by the different child protection professionals in the Republic of Moldova in implementing activities during the pandemic;
• Develop a comprehensive set of targeted guidance notes for key professionals on delivering assistance and services to families and children during pandemics;
• Ensure a unified approach to implementation of main cross-sectoral mechanisms and sectoral tools during pandemics.

3. Details of how the work should be delivered

The consultancy aims at supporting the Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Protection (MHLSP) in developing a Manual on protecting children during pandemic.

The Manual must contain, but is not limited by, the following elements:

• General context of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Moldova;
• Guidelines for mayors (as local guardianship authority);
• Guidelines for community social workers/child protection specialists at local level I;
• Guidelines for the management and child protection staff of the Social Assistance and Family Protection Department (SAFPD)/Municipal Department for the Protection of the Rights of the Child Chisinau (MDPRC);
• Guidelines for SAFPD/MDPRC child protection specialists within;
• Guidelines for SAFPD/DMPRC families with children at risk specialists;
• Guidelines for tutors/guardians, professional parental assistants, parents-educators;
• Guidelines for the staff of residential institutions and service providers;
• Adapted tools and procedures on working with children, as to be decided in consultation with MHLSP, local authorities, and other relevant stakeholders.

The process will be closely coordinated with the Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Protection and will be supported by UNICEF. A broad participation of civil society organizations, relevant central and local public administration representatives, partners, donors, families and children will be ensured. The consultant will use a wide range of relevant national and international research findings and recommendations, evaluations and guiding notes, as well as best international practice

The consultancy is expected to be carried out within the period September– December 2020. The deliverables will be submitted to and validated by UNICEF and MHLSP no later than 15 December 2020.

To ensure an inclusive, informative and participatory analysis a cross-sectoral Working Group will be established, with representatives of Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Protection, SAFPDs/DMPRC, civil society, children and youth councils, UNICEF and others, as required.

The exercise will be mostly focus on the social area of child rights protection, with a specific focus on the most vulnerable children, and will not include specific recommendations related to the education, health, justice or other sectors, except for cases which are in the interest of ensuring a unified cross-sectoral approach.

4. Definition of supervisory arrangements

The consultant will work under the oversight of Child Protection Specialist of UNICEF Moldova. Payments will be rendered upon successful completion of each task, as per the schedule outlined above.

5. Support provided by UNICEF

UNICEF will regularly communicate with the specialist and provide feedback and guidance and necessary support so to achieve objectives of the work, as well as remain aware of any upcoming issues related to the performance and quality of work. UNICEF will provide an initial package of relevant documents and available research, and an initial list of relevant experts and counterparts to work with. UNICEF will also request relevant data – as agreed upon with the consultant – from relevant government counterparts.

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

Specific requirements:

• Advanced University Degree in law, sociology, psychology, human rights, social work or other, closely related field;
• Proven experience in development of policies, administrative procedures, working protocols, standards, norms for service delivery;
• Demonstrated experience in working with central and local Government;
• Good networking and negotiation skills.

General requirements:

• Excellent command of English and Romanian, both oral and written;
• Working command of Russian is a strong asset;
• Experience in working with UNICEF or other UN Agencies will be an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate:

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

For more details on deliverables and minimum requirements, please refer to attached Terms of reference (ToR)

TOR COVID Consultant Technical Manual_VA.pdf

HOW TO APPLY: Your online application should contain two separate attachments: Technical Proposal and Financial Proposal (templates below). Please secure the Financial Proposal *.pdf document with a password on document view; the password will be requested only from technically qualified candidates.

Technical Offer_COVID CP Technical Manual.docx

Financial Offer_COVID CP Technical Manual.xlsx

Applications for this assignment must be received no later than: 4 September 2020

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, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

Remarks

Individual Consultants and Contractors are responsible for paying own taxes derived from the earnings received from UNICEF.