Public Finance Consultant, Prishtina Kosovo, Social Policy Section, 4 months, home based

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

Title of Consultancy: Public Finance Consultant Type of engagement: National consultant Duty station: Prishtina / Home based Start date: 01 November 2021 End date: 28 February 2022

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

The widespread and chronic nature of poverty in Kosovo poses a great challenge for the government and its social partners. Institutions have been tasked with addressing one of the most pressing and intractable social issues with very limited resources at their disposal. The dated system of social protection that is currently in place struggles to deliver on its expectations. The social services, as an important component of the social protection system, are a municipal competence and based on the Law on Local Government Finance are financed by the municipalities through two sources of financing: the general grant, and own municipal revenues. Since decentralization in 2009, there has been a poor provision of social and family services due to poorly defined competencies between central and local level in terms of planning, delivery, monitoring, inspection and reporting. In addition, social services have suffered from the lack of adequate and substantial financing.

The Ministry of Finance, Labour and Transfers (MFLT) is leading a comprehensive process of legal and policy reform that aims to advance its legislation and policy framework, including efforts to improve planning and budgeting for social services aiming to improve the scope and quality of provision of social services for families and children in need. The MFLT is currently in the process of finalization of the new Draft Law for Social and Family Services and parallel with it need to conduct the costing assessment of the draft Law. In addition, the MFLT is reviewing eight (8) Administrative Instructions (AIs)* of the Law of the Social and Family Services in place (a process that has started as a need of the actual day to day work of Centers for Social Work that can’t wait until the approval of the new Law and entering into force).

The MFLT has also included within the Legislative programme for 2021, the development of the draft Law on Local Government Finance, which has foreseen the Specific Grant for Social Services. The MFLT will need to develop the Financing Formula and Indicators that will provide the basis for funding allocations at municipal level included under the AIs that will be developed after the Law has been approved, based on which there will be the proposal for financing the social services.

In addition, the MFLT is in charge of developing six AIs** of the Law on Child Protection which has entered into force in July 2021 after a year from its promulgation. Following the process of finalization of these AIs, there is a need to conduct their costing assessment for budget implications that are associated with approval of these AIs.

• AI on ‘Social services, norms, conditions, criteria's, procedures and standards for providing social services for persons with mental disabilities and mental retardation’
• AI on ‘Procedures and criteria's for placing under residential care and service provision by the homes for elderly persons without family care’
• AI on ‘The placement of children and adults under custody’
• AI on ‘The placement and residential shelter of children without parental care in the community based homes’
• AI on ‘Foster Care’
• AI on ‘Regulation of procedures for adoption of children without parental care’
• AI on “The composition and functioning of the foster care and adoption panel’
• AI on ‘Monitoring, control and inspection of juridical, public and non - government providers of social and family services’
• AI on ‘Cooperation of institutional structures and mechanisms with non-governmental organizations for the implementation of policies for the rights of the child, as well as for the provision of necessary services for their protection’ (Article 9 paragraph 4)
• AI on ‘Case Management Round Table’ (Article 21)
• AI on ‘Identification, reporting, reference to child exploitation, negligence and abuse’ (Article 26)
• AI on ‘Determination of organization and scope of houses for child protection’ (Article 30)
• AI on ‘Rules and procedures for covering educational, health, and welfare expenses for children with disabilities’ (Article 46)
• AI on ‘Prevention and prohibition of dangerous forms of child labor’ (Article 50)

Scope of Work:

Under the direct supervision of the Social Policy Specialist, and in close collaboration with the Director of the

Social Welfare Department of the MFLT, the Consultant will be responsible for providing technical public finance

expertise in support of the social protection legal reform.

The Consultant will carry out the following duties and responsibilities:

• Analysis and calculation of the budget implications for the new draft Law on Family and Social Services before its submission for approval by the Government
• Analysis and calculation of the budget implications for the 8 Administrative Instructions related to current Law on Family and Social Services their submission for approval by the MFLT
• Analysis and design of the Financing Formula and Indicators for the Specific Grant for Social Services as part of the draft Law on Local Government Finance.

• Analysis and budget implications of 6 Administrative Instructions that derive from the Law on Child protection under the mandate of the MFLT.

  Work Assignment Overview

Tasks/Milestone:

Analysis and calculation of the budget implications for the new draft Law on Family and Social Services

****Deliverables/Outputs:**** Assessment and budget costing of the draft Law on Family and Social Services following consultations and adhering to the required administrative procedure format is finalized.

Time line:

November 2021 – December 2021

Days involved:

5 days

****Tasks/Milestone:**** Analysis and calculation of the budget implications for the 8 Administrative Instructions related to current Law on Family and Social Services

****Deliverables/Outputs:**** Assessment and budget costing of the 8 Administrative Instructions related to current Law on Family and Social Services is finalized.

****Time line:**** November 2021 – December 2021

Days involved:

15 days

****Tasks/Milestone:**** Consultation, collection of data, analysis and design of the Financing Formula and Indicators for the Specific Grant for Social Services as

part of the draft Law on Local Government Finance.

****Deliverables/Outputs:**** Administrative Instruction on Financing Formula and Indicators for the Specific Grant for Social Services as part of the draft Law on Local Government Finance is finalized.

****Time line:**** December 2021 - February 2022

Days involved: 25 days

****Tasks/Milestone:**** Analysis and budget implications of 6 Administrative Instructions that derive from the Law on Child protection

****Deliverables/Outputs:**** Assessment and budget costing of the 6 Administrative Instructions that derive from the Law on Child protection is finalized.

Time line:

November 2021

Days involved:

15 days

Minimum Qualifications required:

Masters - Advanced degree in public finance, social policy, public administration or related field.

Language requirements:

Fluency in Albanian and English is required. Knowledge of other local languages is considered as an asset.

Experience:

• At least seven years of proven professional experience in the field of public finance/social services/social inclusion.
• Expertise in development and costing of strategic policies and legislation in the field of social services and social workforce strengthening
• Previous experience working for UNICEF locally or internationally is an asset
• Excellent report writing and interpersonal skills

Competencies

• Works Collaboratively with others
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships
• Manages ambiguity and complexity
• Applying technical expertise
• Follows instructions and procedure