National Consultant - expert on strengthening alternative care for children in need at national and local levels

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

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, hope

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How can you make a difference?

UNICEF Ukraine

Background:

During war, children’s safety risks increase the most, especially those which regard orphans and children deprived of parental care, as well as children in institutional care and educated in institutions. As of the beginning of the war, there were 67,586 orphans and children deprived of parental care in Ukraine. After February 24, 2022, in connection with the threat to the life and health of children due to the war unleashed by the Russian federation, 14,218 orphans and children deprived of parental care were moved (evacuated) to safer territories in Ukraine and abroad. However, most of the mentioned children continue to reside at their permanent place of residence.

The Government of Ukraine has articulated its vision of ensuring that every child in the country has their right to live in a safe and nurturing family, which led to redefining the main objectives and priorities, which among others is the strengthening of family-based alternatives (e.g., foster care, guardianship, and adoption) for children without adequate parental care as a major priority. For this objective to be achieved, it should be ensured that the Government of Ukraine can develop, oversee, manage, and administer policies, legislation, programs and services that promote family-based care for children.

The Consultant’s scope of the work will include:

More specifically, the consultant will support the Child Protection Team, especially the pillar on Alternative Care/Better Care in the following main areas of work and tasks:

• Support in reviewing normative changes related to different aspects of family-based care, including placement of children evacuated abroad.
• Support in liaising with Government and Institutional counterparts including the Ombudsmen Office, Ministry of Social Policy, State Social Service and National Agency of Child Affair on family-based care, including but not limited to the issues of legal and policy amendments, changes in the budgeting system of supporting, establishing the new forms, placement of children and the monitoring of alternative family-based care.
• Facilitate in convening regular stakeholders’ meetings to ensure regular dialogues on alternative-family based care.
• Support in the implementation and monitoring of different types of alternative family care at local level to ensure UNICEF’s recommendations are accepted on the ground.
• Support in the development and implementation of relevant projects under the framework of the Better Care Initiative
• Contribute to developing briefs, reports and inputs to other strategic program materials for management use, information and/or consideration.
• Support other child protection section activities and coordination with Government counterparts at national and regional levels and NGOs.

Implementation of tasks will require a close collaboration and coordination with national core stakeholders, including Ombudsmen Office, Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, State Social Service, National Agency of Child Affair, regional and local decision makers on strengthening and monitoring of alternative family-based care, civil society organizations – UNICEF implementing partners.

The consultant will work closely with and under direct supervision of the UNICEF Child Protection Officer, NOB and overall guidance of Child Protection Specialist, P4 and Chief of Child Protection, P5.

Work assignment overview:

Deliverable

Deadline

# of w/days

Deliverable 1. Consultancy support for the effective implementation of action plans with the NSS, the Ombudsman's Office and the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine. Create an action plan with the State Service for Children:

• Minimum 4 workshops and events organized in collaboration with NSS/MoSP and OOO
• Minimum 3 monitoring visits prepared and organised for NSS and MoSP
• Action plan with State Service for Children developed

By 15 June, 2024

30

Deliverable *2**.* Consultancy support to the technical elaboration with partners and stakeholders of relevant projects within the initiative of the Better Care with a special focus on creating and promoting family-based childcare:

• Minimum 4 – 5 workshops/events organised on Better Care/family based care
• Minimum 2-3 technical papers/documents/initiatives contributed to
• Minimum 2-3 interventions supported under the Action plan with State Service for Children

By 15 August, 2024

50

Deliverable 3. Consultancy support in preparation of technical documents, letters, and amendments to legal acts for the Child Protection Unit

• Minimum 20-25 technical documents supported/contributed to on matters relating to child protection/alternative care/family-based care

By 5 Oct 2024

50

Deliverable 4. Preparation and participation on working meetings with the Ministry of Social Policy, State Social Service and National Agency of Child Affair, Ombudsmen Office, partners. (Briefs and reports (within 10 months), including ppts, developed proposal to normative amendments which go under Council's revision)

• Minimum 8-10 working meetings/events organized with MoSP, NSS, OOO and National Agency of Child Affair
• Minimum 6-7 ppts, proposals developed

by 5 September 2024

45

Deliverable 5. Final Report

By 20 Oct 2024

5

Total # of working days

180

Please provide an all-inclusive financial proposal including travels to carry out the deliverables listed above.

Education: An advanced university degree (Master's or higher) in one of the following fields: social sciences, international law, international development, economics\finance, human rights, psychology, sociology, or other related disciplines.

Professional experience:

• At least 5 years of professional experience in social sphere / child protection at national and/or subnational level.
• Knowledge of the Ukrainian system of child protection, system of social protection, system of alternative care for children (residential and family-based).
• Experience in strengthening social workers and the social services system, including by changing the funding mechanism.
• Experience in development of national wide strategies and plan of actions in area of child protection.
• Experience in building a dialog with national and local governments and CSOs.

Languages:

• Ukrainian: Advanced [C1] ;
• English: is an advantage.

Skills and competencies:

• Good analytical skills.
• Good coordination skills.
• Good communication skills.

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.