National SBC Consultant - Parenting Communication; Dhaka (Only for Bangladeshi)

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.

Background:

Parent education program focus is on enhancing parenting practices and behaviors, such as developing and practicing positive discipline techniques, learning age-appropriate child/adolescent development skills and milestones, promoting positive play and interaction between parents and children, and locating and accessing services and supports. Evidence showed that parents and caregivers play a critical role in facilitating early experiences through the provision of nurturing care, to improve holistic outcomes for children, which constitutes five domains: caregiving, stimulation, support and responsiveness, structure, and socialization. The Gender and Adolescents: Global Evidence (GAGE 2019) results reflected that parenting programs reduced adolescent behavior problems through improved communication between parents/caregivers and children/adolescents including reduced experience of violence and improved mental health indicators.

UNICEF has prioritized some key actions to enhance parenting support for children in early and middle childhood and during adolescence that include, including promoting safe and healthy environments for parents to engage with children; and support their education; supporting disability-inclusive education & accessibility; nurturing and stimulating development by positive reinforcement, capacity building of parents to improve their skills for bonding and engaging with children; preventing and responding to violence and harmful practices; understanding their children’s emotions and social needs, and understanding of gender, including parents and caregivers/children and adolescents beliefs linked to social practices.

Therefore, a senior-level Consultant needs to be engaged to facilitate the finalization of the ‘Integrated Parenting Package’ through the validation process and field testing in collaboration with the APC project of MoWCA and its relevant government counterpart.

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

The purpose of the assignment is to provide technical support to the SBC section in the finalization of the ‘Integrated Parenting Package’ through extensive review by multisectoral government counterparts, validation meetings, and field testing in collaboration with program sections of UNICEF and relevant partners including MoWCA and other ministries.

The specific objective of this assignment will be to:

1. Review and revise the parenting packages contents addressing early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence based on UNICEF standards and the recommendations/ inputs provided by stakeholders
2. Provide technical guidance to creative agency and quality assurance of graphic designing for the finalization of the parenting package
3. Provide technical support to SBC section to develop a field testing plan and facilitate the conduction of field testing
4. Support to conduct the validation process through consultation workshops to pursue the ownership and facilitate the endowment of the integrated parenting packages at national and sub-national levels

How can you make a difference?

Key activities against the specific objectives are mentioned below:

1. Technical support to the SBC section for review and revision of the draft parenting package to reflect audience-specific and age cohort-specific messages
2. Work in close collaboration with APC – MoWCA and relevant stakeholders to form a technical committee to review and finalize the ‘Draft Parenting package’
3. Review and revise the English translations of the Parenting Package for wider sharing with international colleagues and development partners for quality assurance and inputs
4. Technical support to the creative agency and quality assurance of the audience-specific messages during the revision of the standardized ‘draft parenting package’ to address the inputs from message development and other workshops
5. Work in close collaboration with creative agency and provide technical guidance for graphic designing of the standardized parenting package and supplementary packages for parents (Give Away brochure/leaflet) in line with the global/regional packages
6. Develop a utilization guideline (Bangla and English) and a monitoring checklist for the use of Parenting packages/ tools by the multisector program in consultation with the SBC section, relevant program section, and MoWCA
7. Develop a pretesting/ field testing plan of the draft package and provide technical support to conduct 2 batches of orientations with service providers on the utilization guide for field testing of the Parenting package (use of package)
8. Technical guidance and oversight of the revision of the packages based on the feedback and recommendation from the field testing and develop an indicative dissemination plan
9. Conduct stakeholders’ consultation and validation meetings/workshops at national and sub-national levels for finalization and endorsement of the Parenting package
10. Finalization of the Standardized Parenting Package (Job aid) and giveaway packages (parents).

For further details and deliverables, Please see the attached TOR.

SBC_Brief TOR.pdf

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in social and behavioral science, sociology, anthropology, psychology, education, communication, development studies, or other related field.
• A minimum of [8 years] of relevant professional experience in the field of social development program planning, behavior change communication, and advocacy.
• • Sound knowledge of different social issues preferably Social and Behaviour Change issues, relevant social-ecological issues, and strategic communication with communities.
  • Relevant experience and expertise with comprehensive parenting programs and relevance with other child rights, development, and protection program
  • Demonstrated experience in the practical application of skills and experience with the development of communication packages/tools, field testing, and implementation of child rights, development, and care work
  • Knowledge and experience of Gender equality, the inclusion of children including adolescents with disabilities, and relevant issues for programs and research
  • Relevant experience in related areas in a UN system agency or organization and experience in managing multi-stakeholder partnerships.
  • Experience working in any other country is considered an asset
  • Excellent organizational skills and ability to handle and complete multiple assignments with competing deadlines;

  Language Requirements

  Fluency in written and verbal Bangla and English

  Other requirements

  • High level of Integrity and commitment to responsibilities.
  • Conceptual ability, negotiating, communication, and advocacy skills.
  • Familiarity with UNICEF systems is an asset.

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 a reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterward in your assignment.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct 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 regulations 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 for ensuring 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, program 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.