National Consultant: To identify bottlenecks within the health sector, which contribute to sub-optimal access to post violence GBV services

Contract

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How can you make a difference?

UNICEF Zimbabwe is seeking to hire an enthusiastic individual consultant to identify bottlenecks within the health sector, which contribute to sub-optimal access to post violence GBV services.

BACKGROUND

In Zimbabwe about 1 in 3 women aged 15 to 49 have experienced physical violence, and about 1 in 4 women have experienced sexual violence, since the age of 15, according to the 2015 Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey. The UNICEF 2019 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) reveals that two in five women interviewed in Zimbabwe reported having experienced either physical or sexual violence whilst one in 10 reported having experienced both. GBV has significant and long-lasting impacts on the health, and psychosocial and economic well-being of women and girls, and their families and communities. According to the 2017 Zimbabwe Young Adult Survey, a Violence Against Children Survey (VACS), about one in ten females ages 18–24 experienced sexual violence during childhood and the prevalence of overall childhood sexual violence is significantly higher for females compared with males. The National Gender Policy (NGP) identifies the key challenges to reducing GBV in Zimbabwe as inadequate services, weak institutions for addressing GBV, poor information communication systems and patriarchal attitudes that restrain survivors from reporting incidents of abuse.

Acknowledging that GBV is a public health issue, UNICEF will support the Ministry of Health and Child Care to strengthen its capacity to strengthening systems, policies and capacity building of personnel. A lot of effort has been focused on demand side for services, including community level demand creation by CSOs. Effort is now required to synchronize these efforts with the Ministry so that benefits can be realized. Support to the health system is necessary to complement these efforts. This also includes addressing supply side bottlenecks that impede access of GBV survivors to timely post violence care.

PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

The goal of this assignment is to identify persistent bottlenecks within the health sector, which contribute to sub-optimal access to post violence GBV services.

ASSIGNMENTS:

UNICEF, in support of the Ministry of Health and Child Care, is seeking consultancy services from a mid to senior level consultant with vast experience in Public Health, gender-based violence programming, sexual and reproductive health and related work, to review bottlenecks in the public health sector which contribute to sub-optimal access to post violence GBV services.

Below are the objectives of the assignment:

• Facilitate stakeholder consultations workshop to identify critical gaps in the health sector response to post violence care for AGYW (Adolescent Girls and Young Women) and build a sense of ownership across MOHCC units/departments.
• Identify and support MOHCC to address gaps in the policy or regulatory frameworks (as related to the health sector response to post violence care) for delivery of quality sexual violence services including access to PEP. Essential components: facility level guidelines for management of sexual violence, including referrals; access to all necessary medicines and supplies; record-keeping and reporting procedures including medico-legal documentation for forensic evidence; free services for survivors.
• Develop and distribute national standardized site level tools, such as checklists (e.g., for IPV screening, stock management, supportive supervision, process flow charts), and standardized templates for district referral guides and flow diagrams. Expand distribution of GBV protocol and GBV register once finalized.
• Support the MOHCC to adapt and implement the rollout of a comprehensive GBV Quality Assurance Tool (including those of partners such as PEPFAR, JHPIEGO, CDC, WHO, 2017) in selected sites to measure quality of post violence care in clinical settings against a set of service delivery standards and identify key gaps and challenges in service provision, develop and monitor action plans and recognize progress and achievements.
• Support the MOHCC to identify critical, site level training needs including mental health and develop a plan to address them, factoring in the HRH crisis and sustainability issues.
• Support the MOHCC to integrate key children and adolescents’ friendly skills (common clinical signs and symptoms of violence and mental health assessment (including for child survivors) and how to provide appropriate care) into nurses’ pre-service curriculum.

The consultant is required to conduct the following activities:

• Attending a kick-off meeting with UNICEF.
• Develop an inception report outlining the proposed methodology, workplan and tools
• Conduct stakeholder consultations workshop to identify critical gaps in the health sector response to post violence care
• Undertake a desk review of evidence, policies and literature of policy and/or regulatory frameworks as related to the health sector response to post violence care, for delivery of quality sexual violence services including access to post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).
• Undertake field visits in a sample number of districts and in-field consultations/ key informant interviews
• Develop and distribute national standardized site level tools, such as checklists based on GBV Quality Assurance Tool (PEPFAR, JHPIEGO, CDC, WHO, 2017).
• Prepare a draft report + PowerPoint presentation (PPT) summary
• Prepare a final report + PPT of the policy review, updated standardized tool, recommendations, and action plan.

Major tasks and deliverables:

Tasks/Milestone:****Deliverables/Outputs:****Timeline and payments scheduleFacilitate stakeholder consultations workshop to identify bottlenecks within the health sector, which contribute to sub-optimal access to post violence care servicesConsolidated report highlighting the critical gaps in the health sector response to post violence care identified in consultation with Adolescent Girls, Young Women, health, Justice and Social Service stakeholders.November 15th - Dec 8th

(6Days)

10%Desk review of evidence, policies, and literature of policy and/or regulatory frameworks as related to the health sector response to post violence care.Narrative report of the Health Policy & other related documents and PowerPoint presentation (PPT) summaryDecember 30th

(10 Days)

15% Field consultation visits in preselected 6 sites undertaken.Summary report with key findings from in-field consultations/ key informant interviews conducted.January

(13Days)

15%Develop and distribute national standardized site level tools, such as checklists based on Quality Assurance Tool

Quality Assurance Tool rolled out across selected sites.February – March

(15) Days

20%Integrate key children and adolescents’ friendly skills (common clinical signs and symptoms of violence and mental health assessment (including for child survivors) and how to provide appropriate care) into nurses’ pre-service curriculum.

Key children and adolescents’ friendly skills integrated into nurses’ pre-service curriculum.April

(10 Days)

20%

Final report + PPT of the policy review, updated standardized tool, recommendations, and action plan submitted.A final report, PPT of the policy review, updated standardized tool, recommendations, and action plan.April-May

(6 days)

20%To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Education:

Advanced university degree in public health, social sciences, or related field.

Experience:

• At least 8 years of professional experience at national and international levels, including field experience and expertise in adolescent programming.
• Strong knowledge and experience in the development and piloting of tools/materials
• Technical field experience with data collection and pathway analytics would be an asset
• Experience working in Zimbabwe will be an asset
• Techinical experience in the area of GBV and SRHR

Desirable

Experience working in related field in Eastern and Southern Africa, is desirable

Languages

English. Knowledge of a local language will be an added advantage

The detailed consultancy terms of reference is downloadable via this link Terms of Reference.pdf

If interested and available to undertake the individual consultancy, please submit your application online and attach the required documents including the technical proposal and an all-inclusive financial proposal incorporating an approximate number of travel days for field (local) travel.

Technical proposal: The Technical Proposal should articulate an understanding of the TOR and include the proposed Tasks/Milestones, Deliverables/Outputs, Timeline and level of effort by deliverable. The similar table provided in the TOR is indicative. Applicants may use the indicative table as a guide or deviate as per the proposed approach. The proposal should also cost-effectively propose the local travel proposed by the applicant to undertake the assignment.

Financial proposal: The Financial Proposal should include the costs (providing a daily rate as justification) for each task, including consultant fee, proposed travel costs and perdiem, communications costs and any other proposed cost.

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.