International Consultant (Alternative Care Study Technical Expert); Child Protection; Dhaka; Bangladesh (Not for Bangladeshi)

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.

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Background:

The adverse impacts of institutionalization on children’s developmental outcomes and well-being are widely recognized. Realizing this, many countries in the world are taking different initiatives to reduce the number of children living in institutional care and, whenever possible, to prevent institutionalization in the first place, or to reunite children with their families in line with their obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the UN Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children. Unfortunately, in Bangladesh, accurate and reliable numbers of children living in alternative care are not known. Accountability and follow-up mechanisms to ensure the standard of care in those institutions are also not well established. An appropriate referral mechanism is also lacking in these institutions. Additionally, the Child Welfare Boards led are not established in all districts and upazilas and therefore the role vested to them for ensuring standards of alternative care and promoting child well-being are not consistently implemented.

There is an urgent need to invest in efforts to produce a useful, accurate and comprehensive mapping of residential care facilities and to undertake, at regular intervals, estimated counts and periodic well-being checks of children, including reasons for living in these facilities, in order to help strengthen official records. All of this information will serve to strengthen the government’s capacity to design effective care reform and respond to the specific needs of children living in residential care to be raised in a family-type environment according to the best interest of a child and the CRC.

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

To begin addressing this gap, DSS under MSW and UNICEF have commissioned a study to provide information about the current landscape of institutional care in the country. To complement this study, a follow-up survey on selected measures of well-being, utilizing a representative sample of children living in residential care, will be conducted every two years by DSS and MSW using tools and questionnaires developed under this study. This will assist in providing a more routine picture of progress regarding children in institutional care in the country.

The overall purpose of the assignment is to study institutional care facilities including typology to understand the situation and demographics of children in institutional care arrangements in Bangladesh, as well as the capacity of these institutions providing care. The specific objectives of the study include:

1. To conduct a study of residential care facilities, with measurement of key indicators on the total number and specific demographics of children (age, sex, disabilities), characteristics of facility staff, and infrastructure and services of the facilities, etc.
2. To assess the budget and funding sources in facilities/institutions; organizational structure and operating environment; protocols, care standards, or standard operating procedures; qualifications, performance and quantity of staff of the institutions; type, level, and quality of services provided for children and/or families (considering reintegration); referral mechanisms; motivations and interest of facility promoters and managers
3. To assess the alternative care system in the country, including a review of the regulatory framework; the social economic, social welfare and health factors and determinants; and the institutional care structure, system of governance, delivery structure, M&E system and financing schemes in place (with differentiation for children with disabilities as applicable)
4. To understand views and social norms around the situation and care of children living in residential care facilities from facility staff and managers, family members of these children, service providers, government officials, and other relevant stakeholders, as well as views on family- and community-based care options
5. To develop an action research methodology on perceptions and practices of care for children deprived of parental care at the community level.
6. To develop a training manual, tools, and training plan for social workers and researchers on social dialogue and action research on care for children deprived of parental care the defined methodology, and implementation plan.
7. To develop a contextualized training plan and module for stakeholders on Alternative Care of children deprived of parental care.
8. To develop the Strategy with the Action Plan on deinstitutionalization and family-based alternative care. Present the Strategy to stakeholders, conduct trainings and workshops.
9. To provide consultancy on Alternative Care and Child Protection to UNICEF CP.

A technical expert is being sought to provide overall technical leadership and oversight of the study, including the design, qualitative analysis, and production of a mixed methods high-quality report, policy brief, and related PowerPoint. In addition, a technical expert will act as the technical referent for alternative care. A local research agency will be responsible for assisting on training, all data collection, cleaning, translation/transcription, quantitative data analysis (mapping), some preparation for qualitative analysis and the development of data collection tools and protocol for in-depth profiling of children in alternative care facilities, as well as a well-being survey for DSS and MSW to implement in a sample of facilities on a routine follow-up basis. The study will be completed between May 2023 and April 2024.

An inception report and draft data collection tools will be the documents handed over to the technical expert and local research agency for revision and finalization. The technical expert will pick up at this stage of the study, finalize the methodology with UNICEF and DSS focal points, and lead the remaining work, with a key focus on the qualitative portion but painting the full picture of the data at the end of the study for the system, policy and programmatic recommendations. The specific tasks of the technical expert are outlined below but do not include the specific tasks of the local research agency.

For further details and Major tasks and Deliverables. Please see the TOR.

Brief TOR-Alternative Care.pdf

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in Social Work, child psychology, etc.
• A minimum of [8 years] of relevant professional experience in alternative care management systems.
• Highly experienced qualitative researcher with specific skills in conducting research (tool design and rigorous analysis) with vulnerable children; experience in conducting in-depth legal and policy analysis pertaining to children
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergencies is considered an asset.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

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.