Home-based full-time local consultancy: Project and Resource Mobilization Consultant, Syracuse, Italy(until 31 December 2021)

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, results

According to Istat data, in Italy, the share of population at risk of poverty stood at 20.1 percent in 2019. The Southern regions and the Islands were mostly at risk of poverty compared to the northern regions. Indeed, the eight regions which recorded the highest percentages were either Islands or Southern regions, whereas the northern regions had the lowest rates. In Sicily, over 40 percent of the population was at risk of poverty in 2019.

Furthermore, Sicily continued to host the majority of unaccompanied children coming from the Central Mediterranean route. According to data of Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, in 2020 4,687 UASC arrived by sea, while 7.080 were hosted in the reception system as of 31 December 202[1].

Even if a lot of efforts have been made by Italian authorities during the last decades to ensure the protection and inclusion of the most vulnerable children living outside the parental care, including migrant and refugee children, several gaps and constraints are persisting:

• The alternative care system ( family or community-based solutions) for children living outside the parental care, including migrant and refugee migrants, is limited, due to the lack of financial, human, and technical resources. According to recent data, Sicily is one of the regions with the highest percentage rate that measures the ratio between children in residential facilities and children in foster care[2] - meaning that the majority of children outside the parental care are placed in residential care. Data does not include unaccompanied children, of which only about 3.8 % is placed in foster families[3].
• In certain disadvantaged areas of Sicily (for example, the area of Cassibile in Syracuse), children with migration background are affected by educational poverty, since the possibilities to establish relationships with their Italian peers are very limited due to a mix of factors, including stigma, poverty, lack of information and difficulty in accessing services. This situation risks resulting in segregation or disparities of opportunities that can reinforce the cycle of poverty and social exclusion.
• Transition to adulthood remains one of the main critical aspect with regards to protection and inclusion of young boys and girls living outside the parental care. As also highlighted in a study focused on unaccompanied children in Italy commissioned by UNICEF, UNHCR and IOM[4], there are needs to be accompanied to ensure unaccompanied children are self-reliable, with appropriate solutions in terms of access to housing, skills building programs and job, as well as specialized support in case of specific needs and vulnerabilities.
• Despite the availability of several and diversified funds to support child protection and social inclusion programmes, often the Municipalities have limited capacity to mobilize resources, manage them properly and make them appropriate to respond to the needs. As result, they are not able to access to financial resources and break the cycle of poverty and social exclusion. The lack of a structured strategy of intervention, with clear set of goals, indicators, targets and means of verification makes it very difficult to access funding opportunities.

In March 2021 the European Commission issued two milestone documents regarding the protection, inclusion and participation of children in Europe, with a focus on the most vulnerable groups. The EU strategy on children’s rights provides the framework for EU action to better promote and protect children’s rights[5], while the Child Guarantee[6] is the dedicate programme to combat the child poverty and social exclusion of the most vulnerable children, to ensure they have access to free healthcare, free education, free childcare, decent housing and adequate nutrition. UNICEF is cooperating with the European Commission and the National Authorities to pilot the Phase 3 of the Child Guarantee, including the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of alternative care models for children transiting to adulthood.

The scope of this consultancy is to support the Municipality of Syracuse, in developing key strategies, interventions and related financial resources to strengthen the child protection local system for the most vulnerable children, including migrants and refugees, in line with international standards and the two above mentioned EU policy documents.

In particular, the consultant will work closely with the Municipal Departments of Childhood and Adolescents and Social Services to:

• Develop a local child protection strategy to identify the most vulnerable children (in line with international standards and the EU Child Guarantee) and their needs. The Strategy will result from literature review, consultations with the main stakeholder (both from Institutions and civil society), children and youth. The strategy will identify the main programmatic areas of interventions to address the needs of the vulnerable children, the priority geographical areas of interventions, the set of indicators and targets as well as the monitoring mechanism. The strategy will include also the EU, national and regional funding opportunities for the Municipalities to apply on in order to make the interventions sustainable;

• A participatory mechanism to consult children and youth will be developed, in order to ensure Municipality’s capacity to involve them in planning and monitoring of interventions is increased and improved;

• Mapping all the relevant stakeholders, including civil society organizations and service providers, in order to have a clear picture of the existing local resources to be activated in line with the developed strategy

• convening the main actors in Syracuse to strengthen the network and creates opportunities of collaboration in combating child poverty and social exclusion and strengthen the child protection system;
• Provide technical support to the Municipality to develop project and financial proposals to access resources to implement the strategy;
• Develop a monitoring system of the situation of the most vulnerable children, in order to ensure the strategy is regularly updated in line with the emerging new needs.
• Facilitate UNICEF initiatives at local level through promotion and dissemination among the Institutions, children, youth and civil society;
• Ensure participation in regional inter-agency child protection meetings, for sharing of information and synergies with the other UN Agencies and key partners.

How can you make a difference?

Based on the current memorandum of understanding between UNICEF and the Municipality of Syracuse in Sicily, the Consultancy will specifically focus on supporting the Municipality in developing a sustainable child protection strategy to identify the most vulnerable children, including unaccompanied children and young migrants and refugees, and their needs.

Under the guidance of the Child Protection Specialist, the Project manager and resource mobilization specialist will contribute in strengthening the capacity of the Municipality to develop programmes and projects to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable children, following the international standards and principles. The consultant will work in close coordination with the municipal Department for Childhood and Adolescence and the Department of Social Service, to ensure the strategy is in line with the priorities of the local authorities and their capacity to implement programmes.

The assignment will contribute also to the implementation of the recent EU Child Rights Strategy and Child Guarantee, to combat the child poverty and risk of social exclusion.

Contractual modalities:

• Duration: The contract duration will be 7 months until 31 December 2021. The consultant is expected to work full-time.
• Duty Station and Travel: The consultancy is home-based in Syracuse with travel to the field in Sicily, depending on COVID-19 travel restrictions. The Consultant will be responsible for organizing their travel. All travel expenses (tickets, accommodation, public transport, meals) will be reimbursed. The maximum amount allocated for travel will be USD 1,000 or EUR 826.
• Travel clause:
  • All UNICEF rules and regulations related to travel of Consultants/ Individual Contractors apply.
  • All travels shall be undertaken only upon the prior written approval by UNICEF.
  • The consultant is responsible for his/her for travel arrangements. The most economic and direct route is authorized.
  • Travel costs will be reimbursed after the completion of mission. UNICEF will pay the travel related expenses upon submission of the invoice together with the supporting documentation.
  • The consultant must be fit to travel, be in a possession of the valid UN BSafe certificate, obligatory inoculation(s) and have a valid own travel/medical insurance and an immunization/vaccination card
• Payments: The consultant will be paid monthly upon timely and satisfactory submission of deliverables as per the above table. The Consultant will produce and submit a monthly report to the Supervisor which will include activities completed, results achieved, any bottlenecks encountered and planned activities for the following month. Each request for payment must be supported by the supervisor’s written certification of the assignment performed (deliverable provided and/or days worked). Final payment is made only upon certification of the satisfactory completion of the assignment as a whole, and completion by the supervisor of the evaluation.
• Nature of Penalty clause: If the final reports and documents are not submitted according to the deliverables stated in this TOR, the payments will be withheld. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/outputs is incomplete, not delivered or for failure to meet deadlines (fees reduced due to late submission: 20 days - 10%; 1 month -20%; 2 months -30%; more 2 months – payment withhold). All materials developed will remain the copyright of UNICEF and UNICEF will be free to adapt and modify them in the future.

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

Required:

• Bachelor degree in Social Sciences, Political Science, Pedagogical Science;
• At least 5 years of professional experience with refugees and migrants or vulnerable children along with extensive experience in the field or protection;
• Proven experience in managing EU projects and excellent knowledge of Project Management Life Cycle;
• Good and proven knowledge of National child protection system, including funds, current programmes, plans and financial opportunities;
• Ability to work through networking and partnership;
• Demonstrated ability to work in a multi-cultural environment and establish harmonious and effective working relationships;
• Fluency in Italian and English is required

Desired:

• Proven capacity to involve children in planning and monitoring exercises.

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.

To apply:

• Complete their UNICEF profile;
• Attach P11, CV and Cover Letter;
• Indicate a monthly fee, bearing in mind that the maximum monthly allowed for this consultancy is USD 2,500 or EUR 2,132.5, travels not included. Applications without fees will not be accepted.

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.

[1] MoI, Data on sea arrivals: http://www.libertaciviliimmigrazione.dlci.interno.gov.it/sites/default/files/allegati/cruscotto_statistico_giornaliero_31-12-2019.pdf, MoLSP

[2] MoLSP, Quaderni di Ricerca Sociale n. 46, 2020: https://www.lavoro.gov.it/documenti-e-norme/studi-e-statistiche/Documents/Quaderni%20della%20Ricerca%20Sociale%2046,%20Rilevazione%20dati%20bambini%20e%20ragazzi%20in%20affidamento%20anno%202017/QRS-46-Rilevazione-Coordinata-Anno-2017.pdf

[3] MoLSP,

[4] UNICEF, UNHCR, IOM, At crossroads: unaccompanied and separated children in their transition to adulthood, https://www.unicef.org/eca/media/8591/file/report-unaccompanied-italy.pdf

[5] https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/12454-Delivering-for-children-an-EU-strategy-on-the-rights-of-the-child

[6] https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1428&langId=en