Individual Consultancy - International consultant to provide technical support to the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) study on the parenting and childcare practices in the Maldives

Contract

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Advert - International consultant to provide technical support to the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) study on the parenting and childcare practices in the Maldives.

Reference Number: TOR/2023/03

Purpose of assignment

Parents and families play a significant role in the fulfillment and protection of children and adolescents’ rights to health, nutrition, care, education, recreation, safe water, sanitation and hygiene, and provision of a safe and supportive environment. Thus, positive parenting programmes improve how parents approach and execute their role as parents, specifically their parenting knowledge, attitudes, skills, behaviours, and practices. As such, a positive parenting programme contributes significantly to positive child development and outcomes as well as improve inter-generational communication and relations.

It is important to understand the challenges and parenting skills gaps that exist, together with the institutional capacities that need to be strengthened to ensure teachers, social workers, staff of relevant Government departments, health centers etc. have the right skills and knowledge to support parents and caregivers to address the challenges faced.

A positive parenting programme will focus on strengthening parenting skills and increasing sensitivity and nurturing care by providing practical instruction on positive parent-child interaction, use of positive discipline, problem-solving, socio-emotional coaching, and developmentally responsive supervision. The proposed parenting programme is meant to be positive, strength-based, gender-responsive, age-appropriate and culturally contextualised.

A KAP study is being designed to identify the current practices in parenting in the Maldives. The finding from the KAP assessment will also provide the baselines to and inform the Joint Positive Parenting Programme from a gender transformative and life-course based approach. In this regard Institute for Research and Innovation (IRI), Villa College a local research group has been hired to undertake the KAP assessment. With the current, known challenges that parents, and caregivers are facing, facing it is important to conduct the KAP with a comprehensive lens, guided by similar research done around the globe, focusing on modern issues, including the impacts of COVID-19. Since comprehensive parenting programmes aimed at engaging and building the capacity of parents have not been conducted in the Maldives, is it critical to have the right technical expertise onboard during the KAP study and to provide guidance, ensuring international standards are adhered to in the research as well as the analysis of the data being translated into the design of the parenting programme, which would follow.

UNICEF Maldives Office is looking for an international technical expert with experience in designing KAP Studies on parenting and related areas and with the knowledge and technical expertise to support the IRI team, though one of the strongest research team in the country, who still require guidance and technical support to undertake the KAP study with the expected quality.

The objective of the consultancy:

The overall objective of this consultancy is to provide technical guidance and backstopping to the Institute for Research and Innovation (IRI), Villa College, hired to conduct the KAP study.

Specific objectives of the consultancy:

- Provide technical expertise to IRI and to ensure that the KAP study adheres to international standards and principles of such research.

- Ensure that the research process is in line with the “UNICEF Procedure for Ethical Standards in Research, Evaluation and Data Collection and Analysis”.

- Provide quality check for the desk review and KAP report

- Provide guidance in scoping for the KAP Study

- Provide technical guidance on the design of the study and tools of the study

Expected deliverables

Tasks

Expected Output/Deliverables

Timeframe

Provide technical expertise to IRI and to ensure that the KAP study adheres to international standards and principles of such research.

A final report at the end of the consultancy consolidating the technical support provided under the listed tasks. (the consultant is expected to provide a documented log of the support together with the time spent in providing guidance and reviewing the documents produced by IRI)

30 working days (equivalent to around 200 working hours) between Feb and April 2023.

Ensure that the research process is in line with the “UNICEF Procedure for Ethical Standards in Research, Evaluation and Data Collection and Analysis”.

Provide quality check for the desk review and KAP report

Provide guidance in scoping for the KAP Study

Provide technical guidance on the design of the study and tools of the study

Qualifications

- An advanced university degree in social sciences including sociology, anthropology, psychology, education, communication, international/development studies or other related field.

- Minimum 5 years of work experience in leading KAP study/s in designing, facilitating, conducting and data-analysis of KAP studies or equivalent types of population-based surveys in related areas (e.g., experience developing and implementing baseline studies, KAP surveys, behavioral/social research).

- Experience in supporting the development/implementation of parenting programmes.

- Specific experience in the design and implementation (fieldwork) of qualitative and quantitative research, including experience in rapid appraisal techniques and, human-centered design approach.

- Excellent communication in English, report writing, and presentation skills.

- Prior experience in conducting similar research with UNICEF will be an added advantage

- Knowledge and/or working experience of local context will be an added advantage

Duty station: A mix of Home-based with on-site work in Maldives.

Supervisor: Child Protection Specialist

Estimated duration of contract and deadline for submission of end-product : 30 working days between February and April 2023

Payment terms:

Based on agreed fee rates, payments will be disbursed against the acceptance of the main deliverable:

- A final report at the end of the consultancy consolidating the technical support provided under the listed tasks.’

Other requirements:

• In addition to the updated CV, the applicant is expected to provide a written proposal on how the consultancy will be undertaken against the 5 tasks.

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:

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.