Health Services Provision Assessment (Quality of Care) Consultancy, Tarawa, Kiribati, 6 Months

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, care.

In the Pacific we work in Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu: These 14 Pacific island countries are home to 2.3 million people, including 1.2 million children and youth, living on more than 660 islands and atolls stretching across 17.2 million square kilometers of the Pacific Ocean, an area comparable to the combined size of the United States of America and Canada. Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu are classified as Fragile States according to World Bank/OECD criteria.

All 14 Pacific Island countries and territories have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, but only a third are on track with reporting obligations. Explore the different areas of our work in the link provided here www.unicef.org/pacificislands.

Background and Purpose of Assignment:

UNICEF Pacific's Multi-Country Programme (MCP) main focus is to promote the rights of almost 1 million children in 14 Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) stretching across 17.2 million square metres. UNICEF Child and Maternal Health and Nutrition (CMHN) addresses child health, newborn health, immunization, nutrition, maternal health and HIV/AIDS challenges to contribute to this MCP goal.

There are interlinked priority deprivations which children in the PICTs experience particularly in their first year of life. Consequently, these children are not having their right to survival met. Overarching issues manifest themselves in stunting, high levels of infant and child mortality, low figures of full immunization, low infant and young child (IYCF), high levels of morbidity and mortality and limited HIV voluntary and confidential counselling, testing and treatment services particularly in rural and remote areas. These conditions are likely due to malnutrition and limited supply, quality and utilization of preventive and curative services such as immunization, Vitamin A supplementation, de-worming and the Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (IMCI). Equally important challenges include weak enabling environment, weak supportive supervision systems, less than optimal use of health workers, weak community awareness and utilization of appropriate promotive care interventions and feeding practices.

UNICEF Pacific CMHN and the Kiribati Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) have in their signed commitment letter the conduct of a Service Provision Assessment (SPA) focused on Quality of Care as one of the contributions to the 2019 MHMS Business Plan.

How can you make a difference?

Challenges of obtaining routine coverage data for service delivery monitoring for improvement remain, hampering the realization of quality and resilient health and nutrition services and care. There is adequate information on the health services and readiness of the health facilities to provide this care in Kiribati. However, there are data gaps on the quality of services provided in these health services. To address this data gaps, UNICEF seeks for an international consultant to support MHMS in conducting a Service Provision Assessment (SPA) focused on quality of care in accordance with its commitment to the 2019 MHMS Business Plan. The SPA will collect data on the following: -

1. Health facilities reporting stock-out for measles containing vaccines for a month or more.
2. Health facilities applying national service quality standards, in-service training, and supportive supervision.
3. Health facilities following updated protocols on neonatal care.
4. Level of knowledge among mothers and caregivers on 9 essential family practices.

Please refer to the TOR below for further information on deliverables and timelines:

Terms of Reference SPA- Kiribati VA.pdf

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

• Education: An advanced degree in public health, epidemiology, planning, monitoring and evaluation or related discipline, or university degree with equivalent experiences, specialist in health systems, or equivalent
• Experience: Minimum 7-10 years relevant experience. Experience in the Pacific is desirable.
• Working with others, leadership, technical area of policy development
• Expertise in design and conduct of assessment - health facility assessment, individual knowledge, attitude and practice survey and quality of care
• Excellent analytical and effective communication skills
• Excellent writing and presentation skills in English
• Languages: Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of a local language is an asset.

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.

How to Apply:

Interested candidates should submit an online application through the Talent Management System (TMS) that consists as a minimum of the following:

• Profile/ CV

• A financial proposal. The financial proposal should be a lump sum amount for all the deliverables, showing a break down for the following:

  • Fees– based on the deliverables in the Terms of Reference
  • Travel (economy air ticket where applicable to take up assignment if in country support is required, as well as any in country travel)
  • Living allowance for international consultants
  • Miscellaneous- to cover visa, health insurance (including medical evacuation for international consultants), communications, and other costs.

  Regret emails will be sent only to shortlisted/contacted candidates. Applicants who have not been contacted within two months of the closing date, may accept that their application was unsuccessful.

Remarks:

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.

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.