Home Based Consultancy: TransMonEE Database Management and Data Gap Assessment Consultant with UNICEF ECARO section of Programme, Planning & Data (50 working days from 25 March 2023 to 31 De

Consultant Programme & Policy Monitoring & Evaluation

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Provide technical assistance and supportive supervision to improve TransMonEE (Transformative Monitoring for Enhanced Equity) child protection administrative data availability, data disaggregation, accessibility, data quality, and use of data on children in select countries of Europe and Central Asia in collaboration with the National Statistical Office (NSO).

Scope of Work:

TransMonEE is a three-decade-old regional partnership initiative among the National Statistical Offices (NSOs) that aims to strengthen the coverage, quality, disaggregation, accessibility, and use of data on children across a breadth of areas relevant to children’s rights and well-being, aligned with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. ​The TransMonEE initiative is to serve as a platform for guiding discussions between NSOs, the main data producers, and policymakers, the main data users, on how to improve the availability, disaggregation, and use of data on children, particularly vulnerable children, usually not well captured in official statistics. ​

1. Annual TransMonEE Child Protection data collection: TransMonEE initiative in Europe and Central Asia has been spearheading the collection of child protection data on (a) family environment - formal residential care, formal family-based care, adoption of children, (b) violence against children, (c) access to justice for children - children victims and witnesses of a child, diversion, sentencing and detention of children, and access to independent human rights mechanism and (c) children with disabilities. In 2023 data collection, the consultant will provide support to the annual data collection initiatives of the year 2022, which include finalization of the data collection template, updating new population data for the year 2022, engaging countries to ensure data provide/available is matching with the TransMonEE guidelines and if any deviations should ensure those recorded in the data collection template worksheet “qualitative information”, review and update the footnotes, and compile the final databases and produce the values of each identified indicators/variables.
2. Strengthening alternative care (family environment) admin data in ECA: However, it was noted from previous rounds of data collection that many NSOs are still struggling with the collection of complete and comparable data. Therefore, countries urgently need to invest in efforts to strengthen administrative data systems on alternative care to produce useful, accurate and complete and disaggregated data on children living in such settings. Strengthening official records will provide concrete sources of administrative data on children in alternative care for monitoring their well-being, for improved and targeted service delivery, for policy and programme development, for planning for family reunification or transition to alternative family care, and strengthening government capacity to respond effectively to the specific needs of these children.

In the longer run, countries should also strengthen the interoperability of their data systems, so that data on children in alternative care is produced by interoperable management information systems with real-time updates. The imperative of focusing on the comparability and quality of data on children in alternative care has also been one of the recommendations of the recently issued Guidance of the Conference of the European Statisticians on the Improvement of Statistics on Children. The consultant will collaborate with the team leader of the data gap assessment project of UNICEF to provide technical support to, selected four or five countries in the region to assess the maturity level and functioning of their data systems and to develop data action plans for the improvement of data on children in alternative care.

3. Development of reporting tools for child protection data in Kosovo (UNSC resolution 1244). As a follow-up to the recommendations of the assessment of the administrative data systems for reporting on children with disabilities and child protection data in Kosovo*, the consultant will work with the country office for developing/improve reporting tools for reporting on child protection data and indicators form the line ministry to the Kosovo Agency of Statistics. Specifically, customize existing TransMonEE CP NSO tools at L4/L5 monitoring to improve the reporting process by agency/institution. The county office is expected to utilize the L4/L5 reporting to design and develop an interoperable IT-based management information system with real-time updates.

Against the above backdrop, UNICEF ECARO will hire a TransMonEE Database management and data gap IM consultant to ensure the timely implementation of technical assistance commitment.

Tasks/Milestone:

Deliverables/Outputs:

Delivery deadline

1. Undertake preparation to operationalize 2023 TransMonEE NSO data collection initiatives.

Following are the tasks below to be performed.

• Facilitate review of data collection template and adjustment of guidelines with three COs
• Update population data for the year 2022 using NSO/Eurostat data sources
• Produce missing data report for all variables by domain and sub-domains
• Produce final template after adjusting the guidelines, variable wordings, formula, and flags along with the guidelines
• Impart handholding support to a group of countries who needs additional follow-ups/ support
• Take stock of missing recalculation of old variables and indicators - mostly for disaggregation by sex
• Support countries during data collection - review the data provided in draft 1 report and after review/follow up, finalize all reports for publication.
• Compile and publish 2023 NSO data collection along with quality information and footnotes by variables and indicators and by years (3-day)
• Other urgent follow-ups (2-day)

2. Collaborate with the team leader “strengthening alternative care (family environment) admin data in ECA” project and lead technical assistance to, selected four/five countries to assess their alternative care admin maturity level and functioning of data systems and to develop costed data action plans for the improvement of data on children in alternative care.

• Coordinate the initiative across the participating countries by organizing technical online exchanges, as needed, among national consultants, and ensuring documentation
• Participate in the regional ‘kick-off’ workshop and extend support and/or lead (specific tasks) to the team leader in planning, organizing, and implementing the workshop to present the toolkit and overall vision and roadmap for the initiative
• Provide technical support (offline/in-country) by participating countries and collaborate with the CO national consultant to carry out the data gap assessment using a global diagnostic toolkit (sectoral, national questionnaires) to assess the effectiveness of the current administrative data system in order to identify where targeted investments are needed to improve performance followed by the development of a costed data action plan, informed by the results of the self-assessment, as a roadmap with concrete actions and strategies that need to be undertaken by Government and other stakeholders and partners, including UNICEF, to strengthen and improve the data system.
• Coordinate/contribute with the team leader to undertake desk review and consolidation and documentation of best practices in the region with the results informing the initiative
• Coordinate/contribute with the team leader to consolidate and document the main lessons learned and other insights gained from the initiative.

Availability of final templates by Country specific NSO along with guidelines (deadline 31 Mar 2023 and Mar 2024)

Produce missing data reports for the years 2022, 2022, and 2020 (deadline 25 Dec 2023)

Compile and publish 2023 NSO data along with revised footnotes including recalculation of sex data

(deadline 05 Jan 2024)

Regular cross-country technical exchanges are organized and documented (e.g., recorded) and feedback from technical exchanges to regular coordination meetings

Submit technical notes, final outputs and discussion points

Availability of presentation(s), technical notes, discussion points

Availability of customized assessment tools including questionnaires and filled-in questionnaires by country;

Availability of technical inputs to the data gap report and costed action plan report

Submit reviewed/written feedback to best practices report and PowerPoint presentation

Submit reviewed/written feedback to best practices report and PowerPoint presentation

11 days

1 day

3 days

By Nov 2023 and Oct 2024

2 days

2 days

2 days

8 days

7 days

2 days

2 days

3. Development of reporting tools for child protection data in Kosovo (UNSC resolution 1244).

Following are the tasks below to be performed (availability of the budget is awaited):

• Identify key data gaps from the report “assessment of the administrative data systems for reporting on children with disabilities and child protection data in Kosovo*
• Triangulate identified data gaps by reviewing the reporting tools, available data, data flow, validation system, mismatch data needs (available v/s expected), etc.
• Prepare and share report covering data collection tools (piloted), data flow, possible analysis prototypes, data governance rules, validations rules, etc, for the IT firm to design and develop an interoperable IT-based management information system with real-time updates

Submit final proof of concept to design and develop an interoperable IT-based management information system with real-time updates.

By Oct-Nov 2023

10 days

Estimated Duration of the Contract

50 days

Consultant’s Work Place and Official Travel

Although the Consultant will be home-based. The consultant is expected to travel to four countries, namely, Greece, Azerbaijan, Tajaikistan and TBD. When travel takes place it will be reimbursed based on actuals.

Estimated Cost of the Consultancy & Payment Schedule

Payment will be made on submission of an invoice and satisfactory completion of the above-mentioned deliverables. Please indicate an all-inclusive lumpsum to undertake this TOR based on 50 days.

Minimum requirements:

Minimum Masters in Statistics, information systems, economy, demography or a related field

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

1. Minimum of 8 years of work experience in development and/or coordination of social statistics databases, the knowledge of TransMonEE being an asset,
2. Demonstrated experience of working with the administrative data collection systems in Europe and Central Asia, preferably using ECA TransMonEE tools
3. Demonstrated experience of working on Child Protection programme data with any one international organization such as the UNICEF, European Union, EuroStat, UNECE, the World Bank
4. Advanced knowledge of MS Excel to work with macros and familiarity with different types of software used for database management, analysis and presentation.
5. Ability to analyze diverse and complex quantitative data from a wide range of sources.
6. Fluency in English is required and preferably fluency in at least one of the major languages used in the region
7. Demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural environment and establish harmonious and effective relationships with national partners.
8. Ability to communicate effectively to varied audiences.

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.

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.

Remarks:

Please include a full CV and Financial Proposal in your application by indicating your availability and all-inclusive lumpsum (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference above. Applications submitted without an all-inclusive lumpsum will not be considered. 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.

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.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants 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.

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Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unicef.org