ECD Workforce Development Consultant in Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands

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, an advocate for Early Learning and Development

Guadalcanal Province in the Solomon Islands has a multi-faceted landscape, in terms of geography, governance and political administration. It is one of Solomon Island’s nine provinces located in the southeast part of the country. It consists of the largest island of the country - Guadalcanal - as well as the capital Honiara, although the latter has been designated as a separately administered Capital Territory and is no longer considered part of the province. Guadalcanal is mountainous and heavily forested in its interior, while its coast is lined with palms and white sandy beaches. The province has very limited infrastructure. The northern coast is the heart of the province, whereas the southern coast is host to smaller villages and is less accessible.

Like other provinces in the country, Guadalcanal has a provincial assembly headed by a premier and is subdivided into wards as determined by population size. The province is sub-divided into 22 wards for administrative purposes and each ward elects a representative to the provincial assembly. The responsibility of service delivery rests with provincial governments. Most ministries do not have active personnel or representation in the provincial governments. This has affected the translation of well-meaning legislation and policy from the central level to the community level. Guadalcanal province also has eight elected members of parliament (MP), each with their own constituency development funds that they can disburse to their respective constituencies in the province.

Early childhood development (ECD) outcomes in Guadalcanal show many young children deprived of their rights to optimal development. The province has the highest rates of stunting in the country, with 36 per cent of children stunted and 14 per cent severely stunted, primarily by exposure to faecal contaminated environments. The province also has one of the lowest pre-primary enrolment rates. Only one parent in 62 per cent of households is engaged in early learning activities. Many children are exposed to and affected by domestic violence. And only about one fourth of children under the age of five have a birth certificate – the only official documentation to prove their legal existence and access to services. Moreover, Guadalcanal province accounts for the biggest share of persons living in poverty in Solomon Islands (considering absolute numbers), given that it has higher poverty risk as well as larger population size. Many are extremely poor in Guadalcanal and live substantially below the basic needs-poverty line.

How can you make a difference?

UNICEF is supporting the implementation of a comprehensive ECD project in Guadalcanal Province. The project is in response to the poor young child development indicators in Guadalcanal and spurred by the overwhelming evidence of the link between ECD and the success and wellbeing of individuals and societies. Experiences during the early years matter because it affects the development of brain architecture that is the foundation for all future learning, behaviour and health. At a broader socio-economic level, early years’ investments demonstrate the highest rates of return among public investment options, with benefits accruing to society in the form of higher incomes, better health, and lower crime rates. The main objective of the project is to strengthen the sub-national ECD system of Guadalcanal province to deliver quality services that support the holistic development of young children aged 0-5 and their parents. The project promotes and reinforces multi-sectoral synergies and strategies, bringing together services that address the needs of young children on health, nutrition, hygiene, early learning, stimulation and responsive care and over-all well-being.

In 2019, through the support of UNICEF, the Guadalcanal Provincial Authority established the ECD Provincial Technical Working Group (PTWG). This ECD PTWG was identified among current members of technical heads of provincial government and charged with overseeing the strategic coordination and oversight for ECD activities in the province. The PTWG is made up of the Permanent Secretary to the province, Chief Executive of the Education Authority, the Director of Provincial Health Services and the Chief Planning Officer. The members also agreed that this ECD PTWG will have regular meetings that include the provincial ward members, given their key role in facilitating community engagement on ECD. The ECD PTWG is currently overseeing the development of a provincial ECD action plan, informed by a situation analysis of ECD services and programmes and widespread community consultations.

UNICEF is also supporting Guadalcanal with community mobilization on ECD, in partnership with the Guadalcanal Women’s Council. This will help communities – inclusive of parents and families of young children - raise their awareness of and improve skills in responsive caregiving. The work will be conducted by 120 community facilitators comprised of health workers, teachers, and other community members.

Additional work supported by UNICEF includes completion of how-to-guides for community mobilization by health care workers, a community facilitation package conducted by social welfare officers, and a community-led sanitation programme to improve sanitation and hygiene practices in the province.

Scope of Work The main purpose of this consultancy is to design a simple, practical and effective ECD workforce training programme, in close collaboration with the Guadalcanal Provincial Assembly, UNICEF and other relevant partners. This will be implemented on a pilot basis in Guadalcanal Province, with a view to it being replicated nationwide and/or across the Pacific region. ECD workers are defined here as those who interact on a regular basis with young children and families, including but not limited to early childhood education teachers, community health workers, social workers, and the police.

The aim will be to build core skills and understanding for a holistic approach to the development of young children, specifically on stimulation and responsive caregiving in the first 1,000 days. Specifically, the consultant will be responsible for accomplishing the following: • Take the lead in working with Guadalcanal Provincial Assembly, UNICEF and other relevant partners to design a simple but effective workforce training program on ECD, based on international best practices and contextualized for Solomon Islands. This package must include a facilitator/training manual and an implementation plan for Guadalcanal Province, with a clear but simple measurement and evaluation component. UNICEF will provide additional resources for the design and production of accompanying materials, as necessary. • Supervise the process of validating the ECD workforce training programme with relevant provincial and community stakeholders, revising the programme as necessary based on the feedback. • Conduct train-the-trainer workshops and mentor these trainers to cascade the training to the full ECD workforce in Guadalcanal.

Among the key content areas of the training programme are: • The process of brain development in the early years and its long-term impact on individuals and societies • The lifecycle approach to ECD, with a focus on the first 1,000 days • Nurturing care framework and the concept of children’s holistic development • Supportive family practices and adult-child interactions that impact ECD • Supportive practices for developmental delays and disabilities; • Caring for the caregiver • Key services and referral mechanisms in Guadalcanal on ECD, including coordination across ministries, agencies and stakeholders

The consultant is encouraged to consider globally accepted packages for ECD workforce training, including the Care for Child Development (CCD) package, and its possible adaptation for the Guadalcanal context. The WHO and UNICEF, the World Bank and other partners, designed the CCD to prepare service providers and other persons who work with families of young children to promote the healthy growth and psychosocial development of children. To date, the CCD package has been tested in over 50 countries and translated into 20 languages.

Moreover, the consultant is expected to harmonize this training package with already existing workforce training for teachers, health workers, police, etc. with the goal of incorporating this training. The workforce training should also echo and reinforce the ECD messages being disseminated across the various workstreams supported by UNICEF, including the community mobilization by the Guadalcanal Women’s Council, the community facilitation package by social welfare officers, CLTS by WASH, and how-to-guides for community engagement via health workers.

Assignment Dates: Between October 2021 to February 2022

Duration: 60 days

Expected tasks and milestones are as follows

• A brief inception report is required to outline the methodology and workplan to accomplish the tasks, based on initial discussions with UNICEF, the Guadalcanal Provincial Assembly and relevant sectoral authorities, and based on a rapid assessment of the context, existing workforce needs, capacities, etc.
• Afterwards, the consultant is expected to design the workforce training package in consultation with government partners. This package must be field-tested or validated and include a facilitator/training manual and an implementation plan for Guadalcanal Province, with a clear but simple measurement and evaluation component. UNICEF will provide additional resources for the design and production of accompanying materials, as necessary.
• Upon approval of the training program and implementation plan, the consultant is expected to conduct training workshops to build capacity of select master trainers in the province. The consultant is expected to mentor these trainers during their first workshop with a sample of ECD workers, so that the consultant can provide practical feedback to the trainers and the training program. These workshops should be structured well enough so that the local officials/professionals can continue with implementation of the training after the consultancy period.
• The consultant is also expected to complete a brief end-of-consultancy report to document the process the design of the training programme, important lessons and insights gained along the process, and key recommendations for UNICEF and partners to take the programme to scale.

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in Human development, Education, Psychology, Child Development, International Development or a related field
• Minimum of 10 years of relevant experience in early childhood development, including substantial experience with ECD workforce development and training;
• Prior experience working with UN or similar agencies and regional expertise or experience in the Pacific are considered an asset.
• Ability to work collaboratively and respectively in cross-culturally settings, working with a range of local and international stakeholders, ministerial and others
• Proven ability to write clear, simple and structured manuals
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of the local language is an asset.

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.

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

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:

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.