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For every child, Education

BACKGROUND

On 26 February 2020, the first case of COVID-19 was identified in Georgia. In the following days, several more cases emerged, which prompted the Government to institute the first phase of restrictions on land and air movement and closure of schools, effective 2 March. The Government mobilized hospitals for confirmed cases of COVID-19, as well as quarantine spaces for suspected cases in different regions of Georgia. Despite the early actions of the Government, the number of confirmed and suspected cases continued to grow, triggering the Government to declare a state of emergency on 21 March - closing all borders and airports, restricting movement inside the country, banning mass gatherings and maintaining closure of all schools, kindergartens, and universities. Community spread was detected, spurring the Government to introduce a curfew, halt movement of public transport, and introduce checkpoints on city crossings administered by police and military units. The State of Emergency was lifted on 23 May, and public transport resumed as of 29 May, however, several restrictions remain in place. While schools remained close until the end of the school year, provision of a number of social services was restored. However, as pandemic persists, closure/remote provision of social and educational services to children continues to be an option.

School closures disrupted the learning progress for 592,000 children, and removed the protective environment of school, and concurrently the economic environment is deteriorating heightening the risk of neglect, abuse and exploitation. As a response to the heightened risks that children face during the pandemic, the Human Rights and Civil Integration Committee of the Parliament of Georgia initiated the development of a specialized Child Hotline, with support from UNICEF. The hotline was launched on 27 April 2020 and is operated by Agency for State Care and Assistance for the (Statutory) Victims of Human Trafficking. The aim of the hotline is to help children receive state services in an easier and faster way. It serves all children in Georgia aged from 0 to 17 and their parents. Children and their parents can receive information and referral on several topics: cash benefits; health; finance; education; social services and programmes; prevention of violence and referral of children victims of violence; equipment and assistive technology; housing and home adaptations.

The hotline is accessible on 111, calls are free from all over Georgia and operators work from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. In June 2020, the hotline was expanded to cover issues related to adolescents and youth (under 25 year old) mental health and well-being, as well as drug additions and gambling. As of the end of July 2020, the operators have worked on around 700 cases and resolved more than 60% of them.

In addition to 111, there are several other hotlines in the country that are accessible for children as well:

1505 - Run by the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia. Provides information and assistance related to social issues and programmes;
116 006 - Hotline for the Victims of Domestic Violence, run by LEPL Agency for State Care and Assistance for the (Statutory) Victims of Human Trafficking. Provides information, assistance and referral to victims of domestic violence;
112 - Emergency assistance; 112 is a legal entity of public law of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia.
116 111 - Run by local Non-Governmental Organization "Public Health Foundation Of Georgia". Supports children and youth, who call to express their concerns. The helpline works every day except Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Code on the Rights of the Child, adopted in 2019, also envisaged the development of a new hotline on child rights operated by the Public Defender's Office.

UNICEF intends to support establishment of a national helpline for children victims of violence from 2021. The helpline is planned to be developed on the basis of the existing lines in the country by transforming or expanding the most appropriate one.

MAIN OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The purpose of this assignment is to review the existing national hotlines and helplines for children with regards to their scope, availability, efficiency and variety of ways to provide information, referral and help to requests and issues faced by children and in particular to violence against children. The consultant should develop a road map for transformation/expansion of one of the existing lines into a national helpline for children victims of violence that meets international standards.

TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The selected consultant will be required to:

Prepare a methodology and tools to analyze existing hotlines. The methodology be based on an assessment framework compatible to best international practices, such as (but not limited to) Child Helpline International. It should apply a rights-based approach as hotlines are a service used by Governments to ensure the rights of children to information, protection, development, support and access to justice.
The particular components that need to be assessed include: scope and issues covered by the line (whether they include violence against children); accessibility (hours of operation, mode of response, child-friendly approach, costs for the beneficiary, accessibility for ethnic minority children and children with disabilities, awareness raising, etc.); governance, referral and coordination (how the line fits within the organizational mandate and profile; availability of SOPs; adolescent/youth component(s), referral of adolescents/youth to psycho-social service providers, staff profile and capacity; quality assurance mechanism; data base and personal data protection); effectiveness and efficiency (number of beneficiaries and profile, response time, outcome for beneficiaries, funding mechanisms); monitoring and follow up to the calls.
The methodology should outline data collection and analysis methods. It needs to include a desk research component and other qualitative methods such as interviews and discussions with stakeholders and beneficiaries (both children and adults).
The methodology should also include a review of national procedures for addressing violence against children and mandate of different agencies and structures at national and local level.
The consultant will carry out the data collection with support from UNICEF Georgia for obtaining the administrative data, legal and research documents, organization of interviews and discussions.
Develop an analytical report highlighting achievements and gaps of existing lines and their capacity to address issues related to violence against children.
Develop recommendations for the profile of the existing lines and enhancement of their capacities.
Provide recommendations for establishment of a national helpline for child victims of violence. They should include: institutional arrangements, number and qualifications of staff, referral and coordination requirements, scope of work, quality assurance components, data collection and protection requirements, accessibility, technical solutions, promotion and awareness and others as needed.
Hold a workshop to present the findings and recommendations.

DELIVERABLES

Inception report with methodology and tools;
A report analyzing the hotlines and helplines in the country;
Recommendations for enhancing the capacity of the existing lines;
Recommendations for establishment of a helpline for children victims of violence; and
Presentation and facilitation of a workshop on the findings/recommendations.

ETHICAL ISSUES

The consultant shall comply with UNICEF's Procedures for Ethical Standards in Research, Evaluation and Data Collection and Analysis (Annex 1).

The consultant should identify relevant potential ethical issues and mitigation strategies relating to potential harms and benefits, informed consent, privacy and confidentiality. Before commencement of the field work ethical review of the full research protocol (that includes all data gathering tools/instruments and methods as well as information on how ethical issues will be dealt with) may be performed by an independent and impartial ethics review board as per UNICEF Procedure for Ethical Standards in Research, Evaluation, Data Collection and Analysis. This can be performed by internal ethics review board or by the UNICEF Ethical Review Board (ERB).

The decision upon the necessity to perform independent ethics review would be based on the proposed methodology and will be done using the attached checklist (see Annex 2).

Before issuing approval, the ERB must determine that the following requirements are satisfied:

informed consent is sought from each subject or the subject's legally authorized representative;
the proposed research design is scientifically sound and that risks to subjects are minimized;
any risks to subjects are reasonable in relation to anticipated benefits;
subject selection is equitable;
safeguards are included for subjects likely to be vulnerable to undue influence or coercion;
subjects' safety, privacy, and confidentiality are maximized.

TIMEFRAME AND DURATION OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The consultant will be contracted for the period from 1 September 2020 to 15 November 2020 for a maximum number of 30 work days. The assignment will be predominantly home-based At least one fact-finding and consultation mission to Georgia should be planned. However, should circumstances do not allow international travel, work will be home-based.

REMUNERATION AND ENTITLEMENT

The consultant will be paid a daily fee negotiated between UNICEF and the consultant based on an initial offer of the consultant to be submitted with the application. The fee will be paid against the provision of deliverables to be approved in written by the supervisor. Costs for field visits should be indicated separately in the offer of the applicant and included as a lump sum in the contract.

The consultant has no entitlement for annual leave, sick leave, maternity, adoption or paternity leave or any other kinds of special leave. UNICEF will not undertake any liability for tax, duty or other contribution payable by the manager on payments made under this contract. UNICEF will not issue a statement of earnings.

HEALTH INSURANCE

UNICEF does not provide or arrange health insurance coverage for this position. The consultant will be required to provide a proof of health insurance for the duration of the contract.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

A post-graduate degree in social sciences or related field;
A minimum of ten (10) years of experience in child protection;
Child helpline and hotline expertise;
Experience in carrying out analyses and studies;
Fluency in English;
Ability to work remotely;
Good presentation, communication and interpersonal skills;
Ability to work with minimum supervision;

PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

The performance of the consultant will be evaluated against the following criteria: timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, and quality of the products delivered; also drive for results and a willingness to work within a team environment will be essential and will contribute to the performance evaluation.

SUPERVISION

The consultant will work under the supervision of the UNICEF Chief of Child Protection.

Application documents

The application must include:

Cover letter indicating the interest of the applicant;
Curriculum vitae;
Proposed work plan, including number of days;
Proposal of the daily consultancy fee and travel costs;
Names and contact details (email and tel. number) of three persons, who can provide reference feedback.

For every Child, you demonstrate UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

View our competency framework at

http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

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.

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Potential interview questions

Can you describe your experience working with child protection services?	This question assesses your direct experience in the field of child protection.	Provide specific examples of your work related to child protection.
What methodologies do you typically apply when analyzing data?	The interviewer wants to understand your analytical skills and approaches.	Pro members can see the explanation.
How would you ensure child-friendliness in your recommendations for a helpline?	Pro members can see the explanation.	Pro members can see the explanation.
Describe a challenging project you have managed. What were the outcomes?	Pro members can see the explanation.	Pro members can see the explanation.
How do you handle information from vulnerable populations, ensuring their privacy?	Pro members can see the explanation.	Pro members can see the explanation.