Individual Contractor Technical assistance on Child Protection and Education, Maranhão, Brazil

Contract

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The UNICEF Country Programme contributes to the realisation of child rights in Brazil specially with key programme initiatives developed at sub-national level, summing up to the overall country results, such as in the State of Maranhão. Among these key initiatives is the SELO UNICEF - a certification strategy to acknowledge municipal achievements in local indicators for children, reaching out 2,023 cities in Brazil - 216 out of it only in the state of Maranhão, the main geographic focus of the present IC proposal. Besides that, the new #AgendaCidadeUNICEF Platform, to be developed in every capital cities where UNICEF has zonal offices, including São Luis/MA, will bring together in a integrated way 6 key strategic programs of UNICEF in Brazil in order to reduce the violence affecting the most vulnerable children and adolescents in urban centers.

Through #AgendaCidadeUNICEFin Cidade Operária, São Luis, UNICEF develops initiatives with an integrated approach to reduce exclusion and the impacts of violence in the lives of children and adolescents, reaching out those most affected by inequities, in cooperation with local government and non-government partners. The #AgendaCidadeUNICEF Platform integrates key UNICEF programs encompassing the promotion of adolescents mental health by strengthening a network of organizations to provide immediate assistance to youth in need of emergency care, the support to improve primary health care and educational services provided to early childhood cycle at the community level, and the engagement of private and public sector in offering job opportunities to vulnerable adolescents. Combined to that, #AgendaCidadeUNICEF also develops the strategy to ensure access to a quality education through Busca Ativa Escolar as a key doorway to de-escalate vulnerability among the poor population. Additionally, one of the most important initiative to strength the public policies to counteract daily racial and gender based violence against afro-descendants youth is the support to implement the Federal Law No.13.431 that rules the integration of measures to protect children who are victim or witnesses of violence situations.

Besides that, UNICEF develops a key partnership with the Secretary of Education of the Maranhão State through the so-called Pacto pela Aprendizagem, the self-defined priority of the State Government in order to impact long term development indicators through the improvement of education system. UNICEF is supporting the increasing of state level positive impacts with innovative approaches to reduce education exclusion (school drop-out), through Busca Ativa Escolar in SELO UNICEF, covering 216 municipalities. Also, facing the long-term existing age-grade distortion among the poor population, it is developed a special initiative focused in Quilombolas communities through the Trajetórias de Sucesso Escolar (TSE).

The present edition of the SELO UNICEF Platform developed until 2024 with key stakeholders in the state of Maranhão (NGOs, government, public attorney office, justice system, university, federation of municipalities, association of local secretaries of education, public defence office among others), also foresee the support to municipalities to improve key indicators related to the lives of children on health, education, protection against violence, and public management systems.

As part of the Amazon Territory regional level, the UNICEF programs in the state of Maranhão bring lessons to be shared, innovation and integrated approaches to enhance impacts on reducing exclusion, vulnerability and violence against Amazonian children.

The individual contractor will contribute in the following ways to the development of UNICEF program:

• the Education programs and initiatives in the State of Maranhão as above mentioned, in close coordination with the TAM UNICEF team and the national UNICEF team, as well as along with key partners, through the strategy of SELO UNICEF
• the Child Protection programs and initiatives in the State of Maranhão as above mentioned, in close coordination with the TAM UNICEF team and the national UNICEF team, as well as along with key partners, through the strategy of SELO UNICEF
• the #AgendaCidadeUNICEF, providing general support to the design and implementation of programs foreseen for the development of the strategy;

Purpose

Under the direct supervision of the São Luis Chief of Field Office and in close collaboration with the Chief of Child Protection in Brasilia and Chief of Education in Brasilia, the individual contractor will support the UNICEF team in the development and implementation of UNICEF Brazil Country Programme, particularly on the education and child protection programs integrated with other programmatic subjects, through SELO UNICEF and #AgendaCidadeUNICEF, in the State of Maranhão and in the TAM region, contributing to the below mentioned outcomes:

• OUTCOME #1: By 2022, the most excluded boys and girls benefit from enhanced and inclusive public policies and services and actively participate in decision-making processes.

OUTPUT 1.3: Specialized programmes (Education OOSC): Specialized educational programmes for out of school boys and girls

• OUTCOME #2: By 2022 boys and girls have increased access to quality and responsive health, education, and social protection programmes, and actively participate in the design, implementation and monitoring of these services

OUTPUT 2.2: Inclusive Education for all: Girls and boys have increased permanence in the basic education system, based on intersectoral policies addressing diversity, including contextualized education

• OUTCOME #3: By 2022, Brazil’s child protection system strengthened in its capacity to prevent and respond to violence against children

Output 3.1 - Increased knowledge on violence: Families, communities, civil society, private sector and governmental agents in prioritized states with increased knowledge on the impact of violence on the lives of children.

Output 3.2 - Children’s rights gaps mapped and addressed: Gaps in the legal, political and institutional framework related to prevention, assistance and response to violence against children mapped and addressed

Output 3.3 - Improved cross-sectoral coordination: Improved cross-sectorial coordination and public services, at national and subnational levels, to benefit child witnesses, victims and perpetrators

In that purpose, both at the Maranhão State and in TAM region, the individual contractor will provide technical and operational support to the SELO UNICEF and #AgendaCidadeUNICEF, specifically in the design, development, implementation and evaluation of activities related to specific strategies or programs, which include among others: Busca Ativa Escolar, Trajetórias de Sucesso Escolar, Education that Protects, strategy to prevent and counteract the violence that impacts children and adolescents, activities and initiatives, Adolescents’ development. According to the UNICEF country program and local level implementation, other initiatives or programmatic themes may also require collaboration from the individual contractor.

The incumbent will be requested to travel, to take part in collaborative work with other internal and external teams. Also, he/she will attend presential and virtual events, webinars and meetings with colleagues and/or partners. Activities such as organizing meeting, conferences, workshops and training will be demanded. Production of reports, fundraising proposals, notes and audiovisual pieces for communications purposes, analysis, data gathering and systematization will be requested. Press media and social media interaction may also will be requested.

Expected results:

1. Result: Support the implementation of the Child Protection Program in the state of Maranhão, through SELO UNICEF and #AgendaCidadeUNICEF, working along with UNICEF staff and partners;

Activities:

1. Generation and systematization of evidences and data/knowledge gathering to strength initiatives and public policies impacts of violence against children and adolescents, specially gender and racial based violence, and correlated themes;
2. Support the planning and organization of events, engaging with partners, including youth, to mobilize for adoption of new practices, laws and legal normative, to strength of violence data management public systems, to improve performance of local stakeholders who compose the Sistema de Garantia de Direitos;
3. Provide technical support to a network of local partners in order to strength public services and to develop methodologies, concepts and practices to prevent and to reduce impacts of violence against children and adolescents, including stimulating participation of them;
4. Planning and taking part in regular meetings with UNICEF team technical partners, from adequate levels, to implement the program priorities, both in the state of Maranhão and in the TAM region;
5. Prepare reports, briefings, communication pieces, surveys, field visits, among others, on the progress of the initiatives developed for public awareness, donors’ reports, partnership/alliances building and fundraising support;
6. Work along with UNICEF team and partners to influence and advocate for the integration of UNICEF programs and perspectives in partnership building initiatives, donor engagement initiatives, programatic institutional planning, data generation and other efforts, with special attention to the traditional peoples communities and the most vulnerable children and adolescents at rural and urban areas;
7. Integrating UNICEF technical teams of experts along with other team members at state, regional or national level, providing technical and operational support to program planning, program development and program implementation, including on activities related to #AgendaCidadeUNICEF and SELO strategies, in support of Maranhão and TAM initiatives;

8. Another task identified by the supervisor to achieve the results.

   2. Result: Support the implementation of the UNICEF Education program in the state of Maranhão, through SELO UNICEF and #AgendaCidadeUNICEF, working along with UNICEF staff and partners;

Activities:

1. Generation and systematization of evidences and data/knowledge gathering to strength Busca Ativa Escolar (BAE) and Trajetórias de Sucesso Escolar (TSE) programs and correlated initiatives;
2. Support the planning and organization of events, provide technical support, training, campaigns and building networking of partners for the full implementation of BAE and TSE methodologies and to strength public policies on reduction of school dropout and school year-age disparities and its correlated causes and effects;
3. Prepare reports, briefings, communication pieces, surveys, field visits, among others, on the progress of BAE and TSE for public awareness, donors’ reports, partnership/alliances building and fundraising support;
4. Work along with UNICEF team, implementing and institutional partners to ensure progress, quality implementation and the delivery of the foreseen results of the component of educational inclusion in the SELO and #AgendaCidadeUNICEF Platforms, with special focus on UNICEF Education strategy in the state of Maranhão;
5. Integrating UNICEF technical teams of experts along with other team members, providing technical and operational support to program planning, program development and program implementation, including on activities related to #AgendaCidadeUNICEF and SELO strategies, in support of Maranhão and TAM initiatives;
6. Another task identified by the supervisor to achieve the results.

3. Result: Support the development and implementation of #AgendaCidadeUNICEF in the city of São Luis, working along with governmental and non-governmental partners;

Activities:

1. Prepare and contributing to the development and production of proposal papers, working plans, assessments and information gathering etc, in order to support the composition and agreement building of the #AgendaCidadeUNICEF for the city of São Luis, with focus on protection of children, in close collaboration with the zonal office team, national and regional UNICEF team members, and local partners
2. Support the planning and organization of events, provide technical support, training, campaigns and building networking of partners for the full implementation of #Agenda Cidade UNICEF objectives and goals, strengthening UNICEF programs with focus on protection of children, its integrated strategy & agenda;
3. Prepare reports, briefings, communication pieces, surveys, field visits, among others, on the progress of Agenda Cidade UNICEF for public awareness, donors’ reports, partnership/alliances building and fundraising support;
4. Generation and systematization of evidence and data/knowledge gathering to strength Agenda Cidade UNICEF programs and correlated initiatives;
5. Work along with UNICEF team, implementing and institutional partners to ensure progress, quality implementation and the delivery of the foreseen results of the Agenda Cidade UNICEF in the city of São Luis;
6. Participating in UNICEF technical teams along with other team members, providing technical and operational support to program planning, program development and program implementation, including on activities related to #AgendaCidadeUNICEF, in support of Maranhão and TAM initiatives;
7. Contributing to ensure the full integration of the positive agenda of #AgendaCidadeUNICEF – Sao Luis: education, child protection, adolescents, reaching communities and establishing links with the municipality’s instances.
8. Another task identified by the supervisor to achieve the results.

Deliverables:

The services included in the contract will be delivered continuously through the following deliverables, through periodic reports:

i) the activities taken, products developed, results and achievements, challenges and measures taken to face them related to each one of the three results foreseen in this contract;

ii) the progress with evidence of partners engagement in the activities and impacts achieved on the key changes in children’s lives on the results foreseen in this contract; the recommendations for following steps towards solving challenges and/or building better conditions for UNICEF program to be implemented

. Payments in the ammount of R$ 16.970,00 against approval of respective report

iii) Final report on programme initiatives and strategies on Education and Child Protection Programs and the Agenda Cidade UNICEF initiatives implemented, finalized and approved according to the designed workplan, with results systematized and reported;

. Payment in the ammount of R$ 16.970,00 against approval of report

Education

• University/bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Education, Human Rights, Law, Social Service, Psychology, Sociology or other social science field. A post-baccalaureate degree or a second bachelor’s degree, finished or in progress, is required.

Professional experiences

• A minimum of 2 years of professional work experience at national and/or international levels in Education, Human Rights and/or Social Protection relevant programs, especially focused on the most vulnerable children and adolescents.
• Multidisciplinary experience and good knowledge on public policies in education, child rights, adolescents participation and/or social protection in Brazil.
• Good knowledge on Child and Adolescent’s Rights, and the Child and Adolescents Statute (and its implications for Brazil).
• Knowledge in social mobilization/communication, specially combining communities engagement and the building of local government agencies dialogues and partnership.
• Good knowledge of the local context and the main stakeholders within the urban territories.
• Good knowledge of statistics, social indicators, primary and secondary data, as well as understanding of public databases.
• Knowledge of public policy management.
• Experience in producing or conducting the production of essays, research, conceptual texts, reports, inputs for legal/administrative normative etc, related to child rights

• Experience in UN system agency or international organization is an asset.

  Specific Knowledge Required

• Accuracy and professionalism in children social protection and/or education programs, and project design, implementation, management and evaluation.

• Cultural sensitivity and strong listening skills
• Knowledge of international development and humanitarian issues.
• Knowledge of human rights and results-based programming.
• General knowledge of administrative and financial guidelines of international organizations
• Computer systems, including internet navigation, office applications with knowledge of social media, design of digital communications pieces;
• United Nations or other international organizations; good understanding of world affairs, current events and international development issues;
• Global human rights issues, specifically relating to children and women, and current UNICEF position and approaches.

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;
• Proactivity. Capacity to work under tight deadlines;
• Punctuality in meeting deadlines in initiatives and products in alignment with internal routines and expectations shared with colleagues and external partners;
• Demonstration of adequate level of seniority and experience to conduct the development of products, plans, papers, reports, analysis and proposals built out of the sum of contributions by external senior partners such as governments (state and municipal levels), civil society partners, private sector leaders etc;
• Capacity to anticipate challenges from an effective interpretation of local context to inform the organization, contributing to overcome them;
• Demonstration of experience and knowledge on technical matters related to this IC proposal;
• Demonstration of skills for continuing learning and willingness to improve own performance;
• Effective collaboration with internal colleagues and external partners;
• Full compliance with institutional orientations provided by supervisors;
• Quality of the own content produced and skills to renew and re-build previous technical contents;
• Timely provision of the deliverables foreseen in this IC proposal;
• Creativity and innovative contribution provided in performing his/her duties;
• Full adherence to the workplans and institutional diligences as agreed with Supervisors;
• Satisfactory quality level of reports and actions (quality of inputs, analysis, register of activities, recommendations, etc.);
• In accordance with UNICEF priorities, the supervisor and consultant will discuss and consolidate the Work Plan, establishing the detailed content and index of the requested products and deliverables, which will be evaluated during and at the end of the consulting process. The periodic reports shall be subject to review and approval by UNICEF after delivery by the Consultant. 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;
• Activity reports should be submitted with participation lists, minutes of meetings, photographs (with permission to use image according to UNICEF standards) and documentation of human interest stories;

Core Values

Care; Respect; Integrity; Trust; 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)
• ICs will not have supervisory responsibilities or authority on UNICEF budget.
• The IC will work on-site under a full-time basis and prior authorization and/or clearance from UNICEF to engage in outside UNICEF 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.