National Individual Consultant to review and refine existing Social Assistance Targeting and Assessment Tools used by Directorate General of Social Assistance of Ministry of Family and Socia
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In recent decades, Turkey has seen significant social and economic development, achieving important results in reducing poverty and improved access to basic services for the most vulnerable. Nevertheless, further polices for specific disadvantaged groups should be put in place to succeed even distribution.
Turkey has a well-developed social assistance system supporting Turkish nationals and further extended it to Syrian and other refugees residing in Turkey. The social assistance in Turkey includes diverse types of social assistance programmes such as Conditional Cash Transfers for Education (CCTE) and Conditional Cash Transfers for Health (CCTH) and several thematic and targeted cash transfer programmes targeting families in vulnerability with children under army service, widow women and one-off social assistance programmes. The social protection system overall is built on a strong IT infrastructure and have dynamic single registry referred as “Integrated Social Assistance Information System (ISAIS). Poverty and vulnerability (combination of means test and categorical) and in some cases social security check are the main targeting criteria for these demand-based social assistance programmes. ISAIS supports effective operations, transparency, accountability, and integration among various programmes and services. Directorate General of Social Assistance (DGSA) of Ministry of Family and Social Services (MoFSS) of Turkey is the lead agency coordinating and implementing social assistance programmes in country through 1,003 Social Assistance and Solidarity Foundations (SASFs) across the country.
As Turkey hosts more than 4 million refugees currently registered, of whom nearly 1.7 million are children, in recent years, Turkey has implemented a proactive public policy – supported by large scale investment from and partnership with the EU to address various needs and vulnerabilities of refugees through social protection and social service systems. This includes two EU/ECHO-supported cash assistance programmes, the Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN) to the refugees and the Conditional Cash Transfers for Education to Syrians and other refugees, as well as a third cash transfer programme complementary ESSN (C-ESSN).
Like many other countries, Covid-19 pandemic has brought in socio-economic challenges especially for already disadvantaged communities. Turkey also introduced a set of social protection and employment protection measures in response to Covid-19. To mitigate the socio-economic impacts of the pandemic, the government of Turkey rapidly rolled out several rounds of social assistance programmes benefitting more than 7 million households in 2020 and 2021. Both those who are already benefitting from existing social assistance programmes and those who applied for the first time benefitted from these new measures. The allocation of extra financial resources to SASFs, identification of beneficiaries and disbursement of cash transfers took place in short time. Turkey continuously aims to improve the social assistance system in several areas to increase accessibility, inclusivity, and adequacy of social protection in Turkey. In this regard, it is becoming increasingly important to review and refine existing social assistance targeting and mean-testing tools to ensure that social assistance programmes reach to the most vulnerable children and families in the most inclusive and responsive manner.
How can you make a difference?
The purpose of this consultancy is
(1) To review and refine the Social Assistance Targeting and Assessment Tools and instruments used by Directorate General of Social Assistance (DGSA) at central and local level to select beneficiaries for the Social Assistance programmes. The refined tools and instruments will support efficiency and effectiveness of the targeting process in reaching children and families in need with a multidimensional approach.
(2) To prepare a short report documenting Turkey’s social protection and social assistance response to COVID-19.
- Existing tools/instruments being used for Social Assistance programmes:
There are several tools/instruments currently used for targeting mechanism which will be the scope of this study but not limited to the below
- Social assistance assessment form: This is the basic form used to collect multidimensional information on the vulnerability of the applicants. It is filled out by all the applicants at the time of application to any social assistance programme implemented by (DGSA). Applications are assessed by local board of trustees, by using information gathered through household verification visits, given by applicant during the application and through the inquiry conducted by Integrated Social Assistance Information System (ISAIS) from different government databases (land, vehicle, and assets). In case of the eligibility criteria is met the social assistance are provided to the households with poverty. It is important to analyse the capacity of the inquiry form in terms of child wellbeing and shock responsiveness due to changing context in Turkey.
- Web-based data inquiry from different governmental databases: The ISAIS conducts an automated web-based inquiry from 28 governmental databases. Specific data is inspected for each social assistance programme, e.g. for conditional cash transfer for education programme, education-related data is retrieved from MoNE database, while health related data is retrieved from MoH database for conditional health cash transfer programme. These data are complemented onto the information declared by the applicant in application form. It is important to do mapping and documentation of the data retrieved in case there might be gap.
- Household visit: To validate information collected from the application form and the data inquired from ISAIS, a household visit is conducted to applicant’s house by SASF workers. The real-life situation is observed and documented by the SASF workers. It is important to analyse the process support by mobile tools as information is documented with paper then entered ISAIS manually which is prone to errors and time-consuming.
- Decision support system and Local board of trustees’ review: There is a proxy-mean test (PMT) algorithm embedded into the ISAIS. The system automatically assesses each application based on the data collected from application form and gives a score on the basis of PMT operating with pre-determined parameters. The local board of trustees, which are constituted of selected and appointed members of respective district, make a final review on the collected information and the guidance indicated by decision support system, and give the final decision on the eligibility status of the applicant. The parameters embedded into the ISAIS are also using the social assistance application form, therefore it is important to review and update as per the most recent requirements while the refinement of PMT model is a separate work.
Automated eligibility check: Once the applicant is deemed as eligible for the programme, is also an automated inquiry retrieves basic data from different governmental database on a regular basis. Considering this data, each beneficiary is re-assessed against the specific eligibility criteria of the programme and if it is not met then the person is disqualified from the programme. It is important to conduct mapping and documentation of the data retrieved in case there might be gap.
Scope of Work:The individual consultant is expected to produce the following outputs:
1) To review and refine the Social Assistance Targeting and Assessment Tools and instruments used by Directorate General of Social Assistance (DGSA) to select beneficiaries for the Social Assistance programmes:
- Review of the existing targeting tools: The consultant is expected to conduct a mapping exercise of all the tools and instruments (questionnaires, forms and more) used by DGSA at the national level and by SASFs at the local level to target and select the beneficiaries for the key social assistance programmes. Besides, conduct analysis considering child sensitive variables and shock-responsiveness of the targeting approach. This will also require the consultant to attend a series of consultative meetings with relevant staff within DGSA, SASFs and UNICEF among others. The scope and timing of those consultation meetings will be jointly identified, and the consultant is expected to structure and report based on the consultations in those meetings.
- Refine Social Assistance Selection Criteria: Based on the review of the existing tools and consultations with relevant officials within DGSA, SASFs, and relevant institutions the consultant is expected to document an improved social assistance selection, targeting, inquiry, and decision-making process including suggestions on refined eligibility criteria. The process should look at from the lenses of additional vulnerabilities faced by families with children including refugee families. The development of the eligibility and targeting criteria should be informed by analysis of relevant recent data, needs of the families with children and information/data available related to key social assistance programmes implemented by GDSA. The consultant is also required to organize/facilitate a series of consultation workshops/meetings with relevant key stakeholders of the social assistance programmes on the proposed refined targeting approach. The meetings will help collecting further suggestions for potential refinement of the guidelines and instruments.
Develop social assistance targeting tools: In line with outputs 1 & 2, the consultant is expected to develop and propose required tools (forms and questionnaires) supporting refined eligibility criteria and selection process. The tools should support the whole targeting and eligibility determination process considering child sensitivity and shock-responsiveness of the social assistance system/key flagship programmes. Besides, the tools should also be assessed and link with the other tools used for providing social services within the ministry. As part of the development of necessary instruments, required guidelines for implementation/use of the tools should also be developed. The tools should be developed in a way that further supports the MIS Consultant to develop a mobile application module for the SASF staff to conduct household verifications efficiently and effectively.
Preparing a report on the social protection and social assistance response of Turkey to Covid-19: In coordination with the DGSA staff, the consultant is expected to prepare a brief report on Turkey’s social protection and social assistance with the particular emphasis on COVID-19 response. The report will be contributory to a broader report which is currently being developed by DGSA.
Deliverables&Payment Schedule:
Tasks/Deliverables *
Deliverables
Timeframe
Person days
Payment schedule
1- Preparing a report on the social protection and social assistance response of Turkey to Covid-19
The report and a presentation
September 2022
10
15%
2-Review and mapping of the existing social assistance targeting tools used by DGSA
Mapping and need/gap assessment report on the existing tools
Reports, documentation, synthesis and minutes of consultative meetings with DGSA, SASF, UNICEF and other relevant institutions (at least 05; in Turkish and English)
October 1-
October 31 2022
15
15%
3-Refine Social Assistance Targeting Criteria and tools
Report on the refined process and recommendation for implementation
A short report on validation workshop with key stakeholders (01; in Turkish and English)
November 1- November 30, 2022
15
20%
4-Develop targeting tools for the CCTE programme
Set of targeting, beneficiary identification tools/questionnaires/templates and implementation guide
(in Turkish and English)
December 1
December 31
2022
20
50%
Total
60
The payments will take place after clearance of the each of the four final deliverables based on the quality criteria mentioned above.
Duration of Consultancy: Estimated to require a total of 60 working days over a period of 15 weeks.
Duty Station: The consultant is expected to work closely with the staff of DGSA and UNICEF Turkey Country office in Ankara with in-person and remote/online interactions. The consultant might be required to visit the field offices of SASF to observe the existing eligibility assessment process as part of the assignment. The travel and related expenditures will be separately processed based on the financial proposal submitted by the consultant if any travel is agreed with the supervisor during the assignment.
Supervision :The consultant will be supervised by the Social Policy Officer of UNICEF Turkey Country Office with technical support and supervision from Social Policy Specialist, and in consultation with DGSA staff under MoFSS.
Cost of Consultancy: UNICEF will issue a contract in TRY. Payment will be made after completion and submission of the satisfactory reports/completion of the deliverables as per the workplan and approval by the supervisor in coordination with DGSA.
The financial offer should be submitted using the Financial Proposal Template (attached separately). The financial offer should be submitted stating daily fee in TRY and total number of days required to complete all assignments and deliverables above.
In line with the scope of the work, 3 domestic travels to different regions are foreseen for the consultation meetings with SASF staff. The timing, destinations and the final number of the travels will be determined in later stages of the consultancy. Travel costs for 3 consultation meetings shall be indicated in incidentals section of the financial proposal template.
Reservations
UNICEF reserves the right to terminate the contract without prior notice and/or withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory if the rules and the regulations regarding confidentiality, ethics, and procedures of UNICEF and its partners are not followed if work/outputs are incomplete, not delivered or for failure to meet deadlines. All relevant intellectual property rights in the developed materials/products/documents and associated tools will, upon their development, belong to UNICEF TCO and DG of Social Assistance and cannot be published, disseminated, or used without prior written permission of UNICEF and DG of Social Assistance.
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
- The Consultant should have the following qualification and experience:
- PhD in sociology, economics, political science, social work, anthropology, public administration, psychology, or any other relevant social science field (such as social policy, child development, etc).
- Prior research and practical experience in welfare regimes, social protection, social assistance, child-related research and social services is an asset. Research record at and affiliation with academic institutions, research centres, or think-tanks and contribution to their institutional publications is an asset.
- 5 years of work experience with the social sector, social services, social protection and social assistance on developing tools, questionnaires, and reports. Experience in Social Protection, Social Assistance child-related topics, family, community, and social services field will be an asset.
- Experience of working with the GoT and having had produced relevant works will be a big advantage.
- Proven report and questionnaires/tools development skills in English and Turkish.
• Ability to produce high-quality work to tight deadlines with minimum supervision.
- Application and Selection Criteria
Please note that the assignment can only be held by an individual national consultant. Applications should be submitted in English and should include:
- Financial proposal using the Financial Template CE.docx.
- P11 Form, where previous experience in is provided in detail.
- Sample of previous works (reports, researches…etc) developed by the consultant
Criteria for technical evaluation
Max points
Having the required qualifications as requested in the TOR (education background and language)
Max points: 20
Having the required work experience as requested in the TOR
Max points: 30
Quality and relevance of the sample of previously written reports
Max points: 20
Maximum total points
Max points: 70
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 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 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.
Added 1 year ago
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Updated 1 year ago
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Source:
unicef.org
