International Consultancy: Assessment of Needs, Vulnerabilities, Service Delivery Gaps and Resilience Coping Mechanisms to Mitigate the impact of violence on children in East Jerusalem

Consultant Programme & Policy

Overview

Conduct assessment of vulnerabilities for children in East Jerusalem.

You have:

• Ph.D. or Masters in assessment or related area and/or equivalent experience in Child Protection.
• At least 10 years of documented experience in research and assessment of development programmes.
• Minimum of 8 years of experience in Child Protection programmes from developing or least developed countries.
• Excellent communication and report-writing skills in English.
• Fluency in written and spoken English is essential for interviews and transcription.

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, a voice

UNICEF in the State of Palestine works to uphold the rights of children to access services and protection, from early childhood through to adolescence. Our objective is to ensure that every child in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, irrespective of background or circumstance, has an equal chance to fulfil their potential. We are working for every child and young person in the State of Palestine.

According to the Humanitarian Response Plan for 2023, the occupation in East Jerusalem continues to impede basic rights of Palestinian children. Israeli practices including the possible excessive use of force, demolitions, evictions, settlement expansion and settler-related violence all drive insecurity, reverse and prevent socioeconomic progress, breed a climate of mistrust and tension between Palestinians and Israelis, and undermine political solutions. In 2022, there were particularly high periods of tension in the Old City of Jerusalem, during the Islamic holiday of Al-Isra’-wal-Mieraj; and during the month of Ramadan, when hundreds of Palestinians, including children, were arrested and injured during operations in the Old City and al-Aqsa compound. Throughout the year, East Jerusalem remained the most significant hotspot for arrests of children. Search operations and closures enforced by Israeli Forces on some areas in East Jerusalem affected Palestinian residents’ access to health services, some children’s access to schools

How can you make a difference?

The overall objective of the assessment is to gain an in-depth comprehension of the distinct susceptibilities encountered by boys, girls, and caregivers and how to mitigate these vulnerabilities, as well as examine the coping and resilience mechanisms employed by the Palestinian families and children residing in East Jerusalem. Furthermore, the assessment will explore and recognize existing UNICEF interventions, services, and responses that are accessible, along with identifying the gaps in the protection of vulnerable children, with the aim to improve the coordinated response in the area, to meet growing number of vulnerable children.

Specific Objectives

• Assess existing interventions, services and responses in the area provisioned for the children (boys and girls) and caregivers in EJ.
• Identify the key service delivery gaps to mitigate the impact of violence among children (boys and girls) and caregivers.
• Assess the vulnerabilities of girls, boys, and caregivers in East Jerusalem
• Assess the resilience mechanisms of populations with a focus on girls, boys, and caregivers in East Jerusalem
• Provide recommendations for a strategic road map for unified and coordinated responses to mitigate protection issues among children (boys and girls) and caregivers.

Scope of the Assignment:

This assessment will focus on the Child Protection program in East Jerusalem covering the areas of Jabal Al Mukabber, Silwan, Issawiya, the Old City, Sheikh Jarrah and Shu’fat Refugee Camp. The assessment will incorporate all related data, information, and documentation available. Specifically, the assessment will cover all target groups of the project and specifically direct and indirect beneficiaries of the projects, including households, stakeholders, consultants, management committees, NGOs, and other stakeholders.

The assessment will cover the project’s target children between the age of 12-17 years old. Of these children 60% are boys. The intended outcomes of the programme were: Children at risk of conflict with Israeli forces have improved access to prevention and protection services; improved evidence-based advocacy on the impact of violations on children in East Jerusalem; and improved access of directly affected children and families in East Jerusalem to rehabilitation and support services.

Geographically, the assignment will cover East Jerusalem under full Israeli control (mainly within the walled city). The approach will triangulate different sources of data, the estimated number and type of children (e.g., by urban/rural, Old City, camp, and areas of settler takeover) directly and indirectly impacted by conflict with Israeli forces. Similarly, the assessment will consider the socio-demographic characteristics, family background and support mechanisms, quality of life, educational status, income generation, perception of the occupation and aspirations, patterns for separation from families, and an analysis of reasons for being in conflict with Israeli forces for children as well as different vulnerabilities experienced by boys, girls, and caregivers who are in conflict with Israeli forces and how these vulnerabilities can be mitigated . In addition, the assessment scope will comprise of identification and assessment of available UNICEF interventions, services and responses currently offered, and gaps as well as seeking possible evidence-based recommendations and strategies for the development of systemic interventions in the short and long terms to improve the protection of children, prevent and respond to the negative impacts of conflicting with Israeli forces. Moreover, the scope of the assessment also includes recommendations for further prevention strategies and interventions for the worst outcomes for children once in conflict and contact with the law.

Use and Audience of the Assignment

The findings and lessons learned from this assessment will be shared with local community members, Child Protection Area of Responsibility (CP AOR), donors, broad protection sector service providers, and stakeholders to promote stronger implementation and integration of the program’s activities.

This includes UNICEF Regional Offices and UNICEF HQ, for which the lessons of this work would contribute to strategic thinking around integrated approaches to Child Protection in the region. Lastly, the timing of the assessment is scheduled to inform the new phase of implementation of Child Protection interventions in East Jerusalem, beyond 2023.

Methodology

This assessment will be organized in three stages as outlined below. The first stage will be the inception phase focusing on the development of the survey design, operational plan, and instruments in coordination with UNICEF, donors, and counter-part line ministry. Once the inception report and the survey framework are clear and agreed upon by the consultant, UNICEF SOP, and other stakeholders, the second stage will be data collection. Following the successful implementation of data collection and compilation tasks, the third stage will focus on data analysis, presentation, and report writing.

- Inception Phase: Conduct desk literature review of relevant materials on vulnerabilities of children and caregivers, their resilience, and coping mechanisms. This includes:

• Coordinate with relevant stakeholders to develop Operational Plan (i.e., data collection strategy, timeframe, logistics, budget) and standardized survey instruments.
• Conduct small-size pilot of data collection and revise the operational plan and instruments to ensure accuracy and relevance.
• Agree on the framework for analysis (how the assessment data shall be analyzed and presented)
• Determine the statistical package that will be used to analyze the data.

- The secondary literature review should also be considered during the process of designing and writing the inception report for familiarization with girls, boys, and caregiver’s vulnerabilities, resiliency and coping strategies, and types of data available in these issues. Based on the literature review, identify gaps in information and data that needs to be collected through field research/primary data collection. This will include conducting a review of existing literature about vulnerabilities, resilience and coping mechanisms, and gaps in EJ with a focus on children (girls and boys) and caregivers.

- Data Collection Phase

The assignment will be conducted using a balanced mixed-method approach and in a participatory approach, involving the various program stakeholders. The data collection for this assignment will employ a blended quantitative/qualitative methodology, with an emphasis on collecting a sufficient variety of types of data from a sufficient range of sources, rather than adherence to a given methodological design. This balanced and well-rounded approach allows for triangulation and drawing meaningful conclusions. The below-proposed methodology is not exhaustive, but rather a guiding and starting point and will be further developed in the bid proposal and refined at the start of the contract in the methodology inception report.

1. Qualitative surveys such as interviews with Key informants comprised of but not limited to community stakeholders, and other stakeholders related to child protection and focus group discussions with caregivers will be conducted. Key informants will be instrumental in shedding light and providing analysis of the realities of vulnerabilities, resiliency, and coping mechanisms of girls, boys, and caregivers in East Jerusalem. Also, qualitative data will be helpful to get insights into gaps or needs of the target population that will be relevant in program planning. The Qualitative method may include the following:

• Conduct Focus Group discussions with children and caregivers through schools, CSOs, and community-based organizations.
• Conduct key informant interviews with relevant stakeholders including Education authorities, Civil Society Organizations, and other organizations to identify stakeholders and other partners in all the research locations.

2. A quantitative survey that is to be administered with a sample of respondents in East Jerusalem. The survey will produce quantitative values to assess the vulnerabilities of girls, boys, and caregivers in East Jerusalem and assess the resilience mechanisms of populations with a focus on girls, boys, and caregivers in East Jerusalem
3. Probability sampling should be considered for the sample size. Applicants can propose appropriate probability sampling methodology for the study design as well as sample selection. A statistically significant sample size should be considered for the study. This will include:

• Develop an operational work plan.

• Develop the research design (including submission of an expanded methodology detailing how each specific assessment question/objective will be addressed) for carrying out the assignment.

• • Develop data collection tools, pilot, and finalize.
  • Finalize the tools developed and embark on fieldwork for data collection.
  • Conduct the necessary orientation and training and pilot the research tools developed.

Data Analysis and Reporting Phase

• Analyze the aggregated data in terms of quality indicators to identify the general priority areas for improvement, and recommended support strategies.
• Organize a debriefing session with UNICEF to present data analysis and recommendations for priority areas for improvement and support strategies.
• Compile Final Report with analysis of the quality profile as per the agreed indicators

Limitation of the Assignment

There are several limitations to the assessment listed below, but not limited to:

• The response rate may be low in certain areas since some communities are conservative and may not openly participate in the assessment. The consultant should consider the proper engagement of community stakeholders, authorized institutions, and relevant stakeholders to overcome this limitation.
• Ethics and sensitivity of talking directly to children and households who have benefited from the various activities, particularly given the vulnerability of these children. It is suggested that the consultant overcome these challenges by signing non-disclosure agreements and seeking the agreement of the implementing partners. The consultant(s) will also be required to undergo the UNICEF ethical review process.

Deliverables and timelines: Please refer to the ToR attached Assessment of Needs, Vulnerabilities, Service Delivery Gaps and Resilience Coping Mechanisms to Mitigate the impact of violence on children in East Jerusalem For Individual Consultants

Expected Deliverables;

1. Submission of desk review and quality inception report
2. The first draft of the assessment report shared with UNICEF together with the accompanying PowerPoint presentation
3. Final quality assessment report integrating feedback including desk review, key findings, lessons learned and recommendations.

Cost and Terms of Payment:

The agreed fee will be paid to the consultant in three installments on receipt of the agreed deliverables as below:

• 20% upon completion of deliverable 1
• 50% upon completion of deliverable 2
• 30% upon completion of deliverables 3 & 4
• Lay Summaries and PowerPoint Presentation

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

• Ph.D. or Masters in assessment or related area and/or equivalent experience/training in Child Protection, or related subject preferred.
• S/He should have at least 10 years of documented experience in research and assessment of development programmes/projects or a minimum of 8 years of experience in Child Protection programmes/projects from developing or least developed countries and expertise in gender programming.
• Excellent communication and report-writing skills in English;
• Fluency in written and spoken English is essential for interviews, transcription, and translation. (please note: budget must include the hiring of the local translator)

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

Nurtures, Leads and Manages People (2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (2) Works collaboratively with others (2) Builds and maintains partnerships (2) Innovates and embraces change (2) Thinks and acts strategically (2) Drives to achieve results for impact (2) Manages ambiguity and complexity

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.

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Potential interview questions

Added 3 years ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unicef.org