PSEA Consultant

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, safety.

Background:

Child safeguarding and the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse has, for decades, been at the core of UNICEF’s mandate. UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy for child safeguarding violations and sexual exploitation and abuse perpetrated by employees, personnel and sub-contractors of UNICEF and implementing partners.

In December 2018, under the Championship of UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore, the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Principals laid out a Plan for Accelerating PSEA at Country-Level. The plan outlines three main priorities: 1) safe, accessible and dignified reporting that is gender and child sensitive; 2) quality SEA survivor assistance; and 3) enhanced accountability, including through prompt and respectful investigations.

Following the endorsement of the UN Protocol on Allegations of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Involving Implementing Partners, UNICEF has incorporated child safeguarding and prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse standards in the General Terms and Conditions of partnership agreements with civil society organizations.

The most significant changes in the UNICEF General Terms and Conditions are as follows:

• Article 4.0 clarifies that if the implementing partner is using further tiers of sub-contractors (e.g. sub-sub-contractors), they are required to adhere to the agreement;
• Article 11.2(b) provides that sexual exploitation and abuse, or child safeguarding violations perpetrated by implementing partner workers, or a failure of the implementing partner to properly address such issues, each constitutes grounds for immediate termination of the agreement;
• Article 13.0 lists policy obligations concerning protection from sexual exploitation and abuse, child safeguarding and fraud;
• Article 14.0 defines sexual exploitation and abuse and child safeguarding violations, and prescribes expectations of ‘zero tolerance’, preventative measures (including training), obligations to report to UNICEF, and investigation obligations; and
• Article 16.0 extends assessments from ones relating to finances alone, to ones assessing capacity to address sexual exploitation and abuse or child safeguarding violations.

Considering the above, UNICEF has developed a procedure and related tools to support UNICEF Offices and their Implementing Partners to abide by the requirements of the UN Protocol and the General Terms and Conditions of their partnership agreements with UNICEF.

UNICEF Offices around the world are organising PSEA trainings for staff and Implementing Partners and conducting PSEA risk assessments, and thereafter working with Implementing partners to jointly strengthen prevention of and response to sexual exploitation and abuse through strengthening prevention, reporting, referral and investigation capacities. Through these measures, UNICEF together with Implementing Partners aims to create a safer and more protective environment for every child.

UNICEF Romania is seeking to hire a consultant to develop and deliver training for UNICEF and implementing partners’ staff and work with the Romania country office PSEA focal point and implementing partners to jointly strengthen prevention of and response to sexual exploitation and abuse through strengthening prevention, reporting, referral and investigation capacities. Through these measures, UNICEF together with Implementing Partners aims to create a safer and more protective environment for every child.

Main duties and responsibilities:

1. Conduct a mapping of the Romanian national PSEA infrastructure which will include:
   • An analysis of the risks of abuse, exploitation, harassment and other forms of harm, facing children and mother vulnerable especially from vulnerable groups, both in public and private life.
   • Legal and judicial norms, framework and response to the issues mentioned above
   • Difference between law and practice
   • Police and law enforcement practices
   • Identification of statutory agencies with roles, responsibilities and resources
   • Identification of community-based and civil society assets, services and resources
2. Conduct face to face and online trainings for UNICEF staff (including contractors and UNICEF fundraisers) and Implementing Partners staff on PSEA (using available PSEA Toolkit training package). This will also include:
   • Other available products and translations and adaptions to suit local contexts and languages may be needed and used.
   • Develop compendium of FAQ from trainings and share with responses and links to relevant reference materials.
   • Complete a report of each training event, including List of Participants with relevant details of their organisation, position and contact details.
3. Strengthening Prevention, Reporting, Referral and Investigation Capacities of national CSO implementing partners

Using the mapping report and the PSEA Toolkit as primary references, collaboratively work with national CSO implementing partners to develop an Action Plan to address gaps in organizational PSEA capacity, as highlighted through the PSEA Assessment. Thereafter, provide support to the national CSO to develop and implement policies, procedures, and systems to improve PSEA organization capacity of the CSO.

To support partners’ efforts in addressing identified capacity gaps, the PSEA Toolkit provides practical guidance on PSEA as well as an extensive list of additional resources in each section.

Deliverables

• Report on the Romanian PSEA infrastructure (maximum of 5 working days)
• Develop a three-day TOT training toolkit & delivery for UNICEF PSEA focal point and selected staff and selected staff from UNICEF implementing partners (maximum of 5 working days for toolkit development and 3 days for training delivery)
• Develop one-day training toolkit & delivery for UNICEF Staff (maximum of 5 working days for toolkit development and 1 day for training delivery)
• Develop a one-day training toolkit for implementing partners staff (maximum of 5 working days for toolkit development)
• Develop a training toolkit (materials and facilitation guide) for a two-hour training session for generic audiences (maximum of 3 working days for toolkit development).
• Develop a toolkit for Romanian NGO implementing partners consisting of standard policies and procedures to improve PSEA organizational capacity, including standard document templates to be used (maximum of 10 working days for toolkit development).
• Support for the implementation of the developed toolkit for existing UNICEF partners, between 10-15 partners with approximation (maximum 3 working days/organisation).

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

• An advanced university degree (Masters and above) in one of the following areas is required: international development, human rights, psychology, sociology, international law, or another relevant social science field.
• A minimum of 5 years of relevant professional work experience in child protection, or prevention or protection against sexual exploitation and abuse, or gender-based violence is required, including very good knowledge of the technical area. Experience in developing training curriculum and conducting trainings. Experience working in multi-cultural settings is an asset. Experience in capacity building and systems strengthening is an asset.
• Very good organisational and facilitation skills required.
• Proficiency in Romanian and English is required.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF Core Values are: Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability.

UNICEF Core Competencies are Build and Maintain Partnerships, Self-Awareness and Ethical Awareness, Drive to Achieve Results for Impact, Manage Ambiguity and Complexity, Think and Act Strategically, Work Collaboratively with Others. Applicants are required to have proficiency in all of these areas.

View our competency framework at

http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

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.

Application procedure

A financial offer must be included, specifying the requested gross daily fee Financial template_jan 2021.docx, taking into consideration that the consultant will be responsible for paying all his/her due income taxes as per Romanian legislation.

Selection procedure:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Incomplete applications will not be considered. The contract will be awarded based on the best combination of expertise and fee.

Remarks:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

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.