Individual Contractor Child Protection, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

Background & Rationale

The most recent data available on vulnerable children, adolescents and young people living in large urban centres in Brazil shows how vulnerability and deprivation of rights expose them to different types of violence. There are 1 million out of school. Amongst those who attend, more than 6 million are two or more years behind in school and a similar number of young people neither study nor work. The improvement in access to Basic Education, which was gradually being achieved by Brazil in recent years, regressed with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Between 2017 and 2020, 180,000 children and adolescents suffered sexual violence. More than 11 million live in poverty or on low incomes and are dependent on the existence of social programs. In the last five years, 31,000 children and adolescents have been murdered.

Extreme violence of homicide reveals a trajectory of repeated and multiple violations of rights. In São Paulo, the most populous city in South America, two-thirds of the total number of adolescents murdered had been out of school for more than a year before they were murdered. In the second most populous capital, Rio de Janeiro, more than half of homicides against children and adolescents were concentrated in a portion of 8% of the territory. In Fortaleza, 3 out of 4 adolescent victims of homicide were performing some informal activity to earn income when they were killed, most of them in contexts of exploitation.

In 2022, UNICEF launches a new strategy for promoting the rights of children and adolescents from the most vulnerable areas of Brazilian large urban centers: #CityAgendaUNICEF (#AgendaCidadeUNICEF).

The initiative proposes an integrated multisectoral set of strategies to be implemented from 2022 to 2024 in one priority territory in each of eight large urban centres:

• Education that protects;
• Child protection;
• Health and wellbeing;
• Transition from schools to work opportunities.

The aim is to prevent and reduce multiple forms of violence that daily affects children and adolescents’ lives and were intensified with the Covid-19 pandemic, ensuring that each of them is protected, learning, accessing safe opportunities to work and being taking care in their physical and mental health, while promoting a positive agenda with the Government, and other allies and promoting a preventive and integrated intervention, including early identification of potential victims and the proactive provision of different assistance.

From 2022 to 2024, the first edition of #CityAgendaUNICEF will be carried out in partnership with local governments, civil society, private sector, adolescents and young people. The initiative has a territorial focus, prioritizing large districts in the peripheries of the cities. In São Paulo, the priority territory is the district of Cidade Tiradentes.

The individual contractor will support UNICEF with the development, permanent improvement and implementation of the national Child Protection Programme in Brazil and with the implementation of the strategies in São Paulo, under the umbrella of #CityAgendaUNICEF.

Purpose

Under the supervision and guidance of the Chief of São Paulo Field Office and in coordination with the Chief of Child Protection, the individual contractor will provide technical and operational support to the national Protection Programme strategies and its implementation in São Paulo.

Those initiatives respond to the following outcomes of the UNICEF Brazil Country Programme:

• Outcome 1: enhanced policies for excluded children and adolescents in youth and adolescent development area.
• Outcome 2: quality social policies for vulnerable children and adolescents.
• Outcome 3: child protection system strengthened in its capacity to prevent and respond to violence against children.
• Outcome 4: engaged citizenry and participation, in line with Components 1, 2 and 4 of the Brazil Country Programme.

Expected results:

1. Expected result 1: Child protection strategies implemented in São Paulo to achieve the goals of the #CityAgendaUNICEF.

Activities:

1. Supporting national process for the improvement of the strategy in Brazil and in São Paulo, participating in internal meetings, planning and monitoring activities;
2. Supporting local mobilization and engagement of local partners from government (management level), civil society, academia and others for the achievement of the child protection goals;
3. Providing technical assistance in child protection to UNICEF and partners;
4. Providing capacity building of partners in child protection, specially on racism and gender based violence;
5. Supporting the municipality in the implementation of the End Violence initiative goals;
6. Keeping close collaboration with the guardianship councils (Conselhos Tutelares);
7. Preparing documents and donor reports;

8. Supporting elaboration of donor proposals.

9. Expected result 2: Intersectionality between the areas of protection, health, education and adolescent development ensured.

Activities:

1. Supporting the areas of education, adolescents development and health with the lens of child protection, to ensure permanent approach to prevent of all forms of violence, specially racism and gender based violence;
2. Participating in local intersectoral forums;
3. Planning and implementing intersectoral activities with the other areas and the local partners;

4. Supporting the implementation of local intersectoral projects, such as Geração que Move, Chama na Solução etc.

5. Expected result 3: Comitê Paulista pela Prevenção de Homicídios de Adolescentes building up and implementing its plan of action for 2022-2023.

Activities:

1. Participating in planning and monitoring meetings with UNICEF and partners;
2. Contributing with expertise and relevant content to the next steps of the committee;
3. Identifying and contacting relevant partners to be part of the process;
4. Connecting the initiative with the other relevant UNICEF programme areas and projects: education, health, adolescents participation, child labour, monitoring and evaluation and communication;
5. Supporting the process to ensure sustainability of the Committee;

6. Preparing reports, donor proposals and other relevant documents.

7. Expected result 4: UNICEF Child Protection team supported in the planning and implementation of national strategies for the rights of children to protection

Activities:

1. Attending weekly working group meetings;
2. Supporting with the preparation and/or review of documents;
3. Providing technical inputs from the point of view of the territory.

Deliverables:

The services included in the contract will be delivered continuously, with the same intensity throughout the months. The results will be evaluated by the following deliverables:

• Monthly reports on the advances achieved with the Child Protection interventions in São Paulo and contributions to the national level;
• Capacity building programme for public managers planned, organized and implemented;
• Report of at least ten meetings and other activities promoted with strategic partners;
• At least three project reports prepared, to subside UNICEF donor reports;
• Contributions with at least two donor proposals;
• List of partners identified and contacted;
• Report on advocacy opportunities identified and with strategies implemented.

PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

• Punctuality in meeting deadlines;
• Quality of the contents;
• Timely provision of the deliverables;
• Full adherence to the monthly workplans and diligences as agreed with supervisor;
• Satisfactory quality level of reports and actions (quality of inputs, analysis, register of activities, recommendations, etc).

Immediately upon signature of the agreement, the UNICEF supervisor and the selected individual contractor will meet for detailed discussion of the Work Plan and the quality criteria for product delivery. Regular meetings will also be scheduled at a distance or in person to follow up the activities defined in the Work Plan.

If needed, revisions and alterations may be requested by UNICEF related to quality and technical depth parameters. Only after final clearance from the UNICEF Brazil will the payment be processed.

Technical background, and experience required

• University Degree in Social Sciences, Education or other related field is required.
• Advanced Degree in Human Rights, Public Management or Social Sciences.
• A minimum of 4 years of professional work experience at national or international levels in in the area of protection. Experience in UN system agency or organization is an asset.
• Fluency in Portuguese and English required. Knowledge of Spanish is an asset.
• Knowledge on children’s rights issues, including the Convention of Rights of the Child and the Statute of the Child and the Adolescent.
• Experience with adolescents is an asset.
• Experience with participative processes is desirable.
• Experience in advocacy is desirable.
• Experience with urban mobility is desirable.
• Team work skills and capacity to work with tight deadlines.
• Availability to live in São Paulo (Capital).

Key competences

Builds and maintains partnerships; Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness; Drive to achieve results for impact; Innovates and embraces change; Manages ambiguity and complexity; Thinks and acts strategically; Works collaboratively with others.

Core Values

1. Care
2. Respect
3. Integrity
4. Trust
5. Accountability

General Conditions: Procedures and Logistics

• UNICEF will provide the Individual Contractor all required core equipment and material for fulfilling his duty, including computer
• Expenses related to travels, if any, will be covered by UNICEF and paid to the Individual Contractor as per UNICEF travel rules and regulations.
• No contract may commence unless the contract is signed by both UNICEF and the consultant or Individual Contractor
• No Consultant may travel without a signed travel authorization prior to the commencement of the journey to the duty station for international consultant (for international consultancy)
• Consultants/ICs will not have supervisory responsibilities or authority on UNICEF budget.
• The Individual Contractor will work on-site and remote under a full-time basis and prior authorization and/or clearance from UNICEF to engage in external activities is required.

Insurance and health coverage

• The contractor is fully responsible for arranging, at his or her own expenses, such life, health and other forms of insurance covering the term of the contract as he or she considers appropriate.
• The contractor is not eligible to participate in the life or health insurance schemes available to UNICEF and United Nations staff members.

Payment of fee

• The payment will be based on submission of agreed deliverables.
• The indicated fee is based on the established IC Fee table currently applicable.
• UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

Restrictions

• Consultants and individual contractors may not receive training at the expense of UNICEF. Notwithstanding, consultants and individual contracts must complete the applicable mandatory trainings.
• In case of government officials, the contract cannot be issued without prior written clearance by the Government​, or unless on leave without pay.

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.

UNICEF is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.