Local home-based consultancy (with travel): Alternative Care Specialist, Catania, Italy (8 months)

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, results

According to data from Istat, in Italy, the share of population at risk of poverty stood at 20.1 percent in 2019. The Southern regions and the Islands were mostly at risk of poverty compared to the northern regions. Indeed, the eight regions which recorded the highest percentages were either Islands or Sothern regions, whereas the northern regions had the lowest rates. In Sicily, over 40 percent of the population was at risk of poverty in 2019.

Furthermore, Sicily continued to host the majority of unaccompanied children coming from the Central Mediterranean route. According to data of Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, in 2020 4,687 UASC arrived by sea, while 7.080 were hosted in the reception system as of 31th December 2020[1].

Even if a lot of efforts have been made by Italian authorities during the last decades to ensure the protection and inclusion of the most vulnerable children living outside the parental care, including migrant and refugee children, several gaps and constraints are persisting:

• The alternative care system for children living outside the parental care, including migrant and refugee migrants, is quite poor, and the family or community-based solutions are limited, due to the lack of financial, human, and technical resources. According to recent data, Sicily is one of the regions with the highest percentage rate that measures the ratio between children in residential facilities and children in foster care[2] - meaning that the majority of children outside the parental care are placed in residential care. Data does not include unaccompanied children, of which only about 3.8 % is placed in foster families[3].
• The guardianship system for unaccompanied children, introduced by Law 47/2017 is suffering from the lack of clear governance with regards to the support of volunteer guardians. Once selected and trained by the Regional Ombudsperson for childhood and adolescence, they are appointed by Juvenile Court, but there is not a structured system to ensure they are efficiently guide and supported in performing their duties.
• Transition to adulthood remains one of the main critical aspect of with regards to protection and inclusion of young boys and girls living outside the parental care. As also highlighted in a study focused on unaccompanied children in Italy promoted by UNICEF, UNHCR and IOM[4], those who are transiting from needs to be accompany to ensure they are self-reliable, with appropriate solutions in terms of access to housing, skills building programs and job, as well as specialized support in case of specific needs and vulnerabilities.

In March 2021 the European Commission issued two milestone documents regarding the protection, inclusion and participation of children in Europe, with a focus on the most vulnerable groups. The EU strategy on children’s rights provides the framework for EU action to better promote and protect children’s rights[5], while the Child Guarantee[6] is the dedicate programme to combat the child poverty and social exclusion of the most vulnerable children, to ensure they have access to free healthcare, free education, free childcare, decent housing and adequate nutrition. UNICEF is cooperating with the European Commission and the National Authorities to pilot the Phase 3 of the Child Guarantee, including the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of alternative care models for children transiting to adulthood.

How can you make a difference?

The Consultancy will specifically focus on strengthening the alternative care system for vulnerable children outside the parental care, including UASC and young migrants and refugees. S/he will contribute to the UNICEF Refugee and Migrant Response in Italy within the area of child protection. The assignment is meant to contribute to one of the regional priority areas of work as reflected in the Regional Flagship on “alternative care and child protection/social protection systems strengthening through the lens of reducing the numbers of children in institutional care”.

Under the guidance of the Child Protection Specialist, the Alternative Care Specialist work closely with the Regional Ombudsperson for childhood and adolescence, the Municipality of Catania and the Juvenile Court of Catania and contribute in developing programmes for children outside the parental care, building on the ongoing UNICEF experience in Italy in the field of the protection of children and young migrants and refugees. The assignment will contribute also to the implementation of the recent EU Child Rights Strategy and Child Guarantee, to combat the child poverty and risk of social exclusion. The consultant will work in strict coordination with some relevant authorities in Sicily and will support in convening the efforts on NGOs, civil society and partners.

Specifically, the following results will be achieved:

• A comprehensive local strategy on strengthening the quality of alternative care solutions for vulnerable children outside the parental care is developed, with a focus on family and community-based arrangements;
• The local guardianship system for unaccompanied children is strengthened, through capacity building intervention (training and conduction of peer-to-peer groups) in Sicily, Abbruzzo, Molise and Basilicata – also through online support - and individual support for volunteer guardians in Sicily;
• A regular monitoring of the situation of unaccompanied children in Sicily is produced, with collection of data and all relevant information for child protection programming and advocacy;
• Monitoring the local implementation of the child protection intervention in the field of alternative care and within the framework of the piloting of innovative models under the implementation of the third phase of the EU Child Guarantee;
• Through direct support provided to the Regional Ombudsperson for childhood and adolescent, a more efficient network of relevant actors – both institutional and related to civil society, in the field of child protection and migration is strengthen – to ensure a comprehensive mapping is in place for further alliances and developments;
• UNICEF initiatives at local level will be facilitated through promotion and dissemination among the Institutions, UAMs and civil society;
• Participation in regional inter-agency child protection meetings, to ensure sharing of information and synergies with the other UN Agencies and key partners.

Contractual arrangements:

• Duration: The contract will be full-time for 8 months, until 31 December 2021.
• Location: The consultancy is home-based in Catania with travel to the field in Sicily, depending on COVID-19 travel restrictions. The Consultant will be responsible for organizing their travel. All travel expenses (tickets, accommodation, public transport, meals) will be reimbursed. The maximum amount allocated for travel will be USD 1,000 or EUR 835.
• Payment: The consultant will be paid monthly upon timely and satisfactory submission of deliverables as per the above table. The Consultant will produce and submit a monthly report to the Supervisor which will include activities completed, results achieved, any bottlenecks encountered and planned activities for the following month.
• ****Travel:****
  • All UNICEF rules and regulations related to travel of Consultants/ Individual Contractors apply.
  • All travels shall be undertaken only upon the prior written approval by UNICEF.
  • The consultant is responsible for his/her for travel arrangements. The most economic and direct route is authorized.
  • Travel costs will be reimbursed after the completion of mission upon submission of the invoice together with the supporting documentation.
  • The consultant must be fit to travel, be in a possession of the valid UN BSafe certificate, obligatory inoculation(s) and have a valid own travel/medical insurance and an immunization/vaccination card.

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

• First level degree in Social Sciences, Political Science, Pedagogical Science is required.
• At least 5 years of professional experience with refugees and migrants or vulnerable children along with extensive experience in the field or protection, reception system and alternative care is required.
• Experience working in coordination with Juvenile Court, Social Services, frontline workers in receptions centers, international and national actors, including civil society organizations is desirable.
• Ability to work through networking and partnership.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a multi-cultural environment and establish harmonious and effective working relationships.
• Fluency in Italian and English is required.

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.

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

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.

TO APPLY:

Applicants are invited to:

• Complete their UNICEF profile;
• Attach P11, CV and Cover Letter;
• Indicate a monthly fee, bearing in mind that the maximum monthly allowed for this consultancy is USD 2,500 or EUR 2,132.5, travels not included. Applications without fees will not be accepted.

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.

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[1] MoI, Data on sea arrivals: http://www.libertaciviliimmigrazione.dlci.interno.gov.it/sites/default/files/allegati/cruscotto_statistico_giornaliero_31-12-2019.pdf, MoLSP

[2] MoLSP, Quaderni di Ricerca Sociale n. 46, 2020: https://www.lavoro.gov.it/documenti-e-norme/studi-e-statistiche/Documents/Quaderni%20della%20Ricerca%20Sociale%2046,%20Rilevazione%20dati%20bambini%20e%20ragazzi%20in%20affidamento%20anno%202017/QRS-46-Rilevazione-Coordinata-Anno-2017.pdf

[3] MoLSP,

[4] UNICEF, UNHCR, IOM, At crossroads: unaccompanied and separated children in their transition to adulthood, https://www.unicef.org/eca/media/8591/file/report-unaccompanied-italy.pdf

[5] https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/12454-Delivering-for-children-an-EU-strategy-on-the-rights-of-the-child

[6] https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1428&langId=en