Individual National Consultancy to support planning and implementation of a country-level self-assessment and the development of data action plans

This opening expired 9 months ago. Do not try to apply for this job.

UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund

Open positions at UNICEF
Logo of UNICEF

Application deadline 9 months ago: Tuesday 6 Jun 2023 at 18:55 UTC

Open application form

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

Despite its importance, high-quality and reliable information for reporting and decision-making on issues involving children living in alternative care[1] is still lacking in many countries. In light of this, there is a need to develop tools and provide guidance to help countries strengthen their routine data collection systems to monitor the safety and well-being of children in such arrangements and for administrative record-keeping. In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in exploring ways to better utilize existing administrative data for monitoring and reporting. Strengthening the quality and coverage of such records, and the underlying data systems that produce such data, is therefore an important and useful investment. To begin addressing this, a first step for any country entails gaining an improved understanding of the existing administrative data system and its functioning, as well as assessing opportunities and investments needed to strengthen available information systems. Armed with this knowledge and insight, countries need to develop data action plans to outline the concrete strategies and steps to effectively strengthen and improve the data system.

The Data and Analytics Section of UNICEF headquarters has developed a diagnostic toolkit that countries can use to assess the capacity of their statistical systems to collect, collate, analyze and disseminate administrative data on children living in alternative care. The toolkit consists of a set of documents, which together inform the country-level self-assessment exercise and next steps, including the development of data action plans. These documents include:

- Introduction – the rationale and methodology of the toolkit together with instructions on how to do the self-assessment and a glossary providing definitions of the terms used in the other documents

- Sectoral questionnaire – a questionnaire to be completed by representatives of each of the sectors involved in data collection, collation, analysis and dissemination on alternative care

- National questionnaire – a questionnaire to be completed by national level stakeholders involved in data collection, collation, analysis and dissemination on alternative care, taking into account the information provided in the sectoral questionnaires

- Core set of indicators and metadata – a document giving an overview of the minimum recommended core set of indicators and disaggregation variables on which data should be collected in a mature data system on alternative care, along with corresponding indicator metadata

- Workshop implementation guidance – a document providing information about how to effectively organize and facilitate a self-assessment workshop in which the questionnaires are answered by relevant key stakeholders. This includes a PowerPoint template for use during the workshop as well as two meeting report templates.

- Maturity model – describes how components of an alternative care data system function in systems that have varying levels of maturity which can help countries identify the maturity level of their existing system, informed by the results of the self-assessment, and give insight into what to work towards in order to attain a mature data system.

- Data action plan template – outlines the key elements and components to include in a roadmap with concrete actions and strategies to be implemented to effectively strengthen and improve the data system on alternative care, leveraging the results of the self-assessment. The data action plan should be costed/budgeted and include measurable annual targets.

Purpose of the Job

The consultant will prepare, organize, facilitate and report on the implementation of the toolkit in the country and support with developing and drafting a national data action plan, using the documents and materials outlined above developed by UNICEF.

Main Tasks Related to the Job

The consultant is expected to undertake the following activities:

1. Conduct desk research and prepare written summary of the existing national definitions of alternative care and adoption in the country and prepare a brief mapping of the existing administrative data system on alternative care in the country. This will help reveal the relevant stakeholders able to provide different insights who can be invited to complete the sectoral questionnaires and/or participate in the national-level workshop.

2. Customize the sectoral and national questionnaires to the country context as needed. To give room for adaptation to different contexts, the questionnaires use generic labels and language, and it is expected that these may need to be customized to the specific country context. For example, using ‘guardianship care’ instead of ‘foster care’, as relevant. Customization might also involve using specific terms for relevant authorities, and for processes.

3. Facilitate completion of the sectoral questionnaires through a modality and process to be decided on in consultation with the UNICEF country office and relevant stakeholders.

4. Plan, organize and prepare for the self-assessment workshop to complete the national questionnaire, using the existing Workshop Implementation Guidance. Key tasks at this stage will involve preparing a draft list of relevant stakeholders to be invited as participants for the workshop; identifying and securing a date and venue for the one-day workshop; facilitating translation of the questionnaires and supporting materials into the local language (if necessary); adapting the existing sample workshop agenda to adjust times and details as needed; adapting the existing PowerPoint template by adding content relevant to the country context; developing slides to present each of the questions and response scenarios in the questionnaire during the workshop; and organizing the printing of relevant materials for workshop participants.

5. Facilitate and conduct the self-assessment workshop by guiding participants through completing the national questionnaire, building consensus on the appropriate response and recording the response to each question in the existing Excel version of the questionnaire, making note of any applicable comments or feedback shared by participants.

6. Prepare and draft follow-up reports after completion of the self-assessment workshop, using existing report templates. This will include the preparation of two reports: one report to summarize stakeholder feedback on the workshop and reflect on the process of planning and implementing the assessment to distill key lessons and insights that can guide further improvement of the toolkit and a second report to summarize the main results of the sectoral and national questionnaires and overall outcomes of the self-assessment.

7. Support with planning and facilitating a follow-up meeting of stakeholders to discuss and reflect on the results of the self-assessment and way forward/next steps with regards to developing the data action plan.

8. Support the development and drafting of the national data action plan, informed by the results of the self-assessment and using an existing template.

Added 9 months ago - Updated 9 months ago - Source: unicef.org