RE-ADVERTISEMENT | Full-time Individual Contractor (8 months): Early Childhood Development (ECD)/Early Childhood Education (ECE) - home-based in Bratislava, Slovakia with field travel

Contract

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**This is a re-advertisement in order to expand the candidate pool. Previous applicants need not reapply as their original application will be duly considered.**

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, Protection

Background and Scope of Work

On 24 February, the Russian Federation announced a military operation in Ukraine that is having a significant impact on the lives of young children and their families. According to UNHCR, as of 30 March 2022, over 4 million people have been internally displaced and have fled into Poland, Romania, Moldova, Hungary and other neighbouring countries, with many more forced to seek safety across borders if the escalating war persists. In Poland alone there are over 2.3 million people crossing the border from Ukraine, of which half are children. Data show that one out of five refugees in neighbouring countries is a young child under 5 years of age.

Continuous exposure to conflict, insecurity, including experiences such as separation or a loss of family members, displacement and a lack of social support networks and basic services, can greatly undermine caregiver mental health and well-being and their ability to provide nurturing care to their young children. Young children under 5 are often disproportionally affected given their needs and vulnerabilities, with the highest child mortality rates, and a rise in disability and developmental difficulties in times of conflict. War is one of the biggest threats to early childhood development (ECD), and quality ECD interventions for both children and their caregivers are urgently needed to alleviate the effects of adversities.

UNICEF is working closely with UNHCR and other key humanitarian partners under the interagency Refugee Response Plan (RRP) to respond to the humanitarian needs in most neighbouring countries, expanding its programmatic and advocacy support for refugee children and their families. The immediate support in neighboring countries includes ensuring child-friendly and responsive-learning environments at the border crossings (mother and baby corners, child-friendly spaces at Blue Dots and reception centres) and supporting basic services for mothers and children. Child-friendly spaces provide caregivers and young children with a protective environment that promotes their development and well-being and can link them to other ECD services. These spaces can also provide immediate psychosocial support to caregivers, which is crucial in emergency contexts.

A holistic approach is crucial to mitigate the current and long-term impact of the crisis, and UNICEF aims to support national and local partners to deliver coordinated interventions for young children across education, health and child and social protection sectors, including early childhood education and care, health services, early detection and intervention services for children with disabilities and developmental difficulties, referral systems, support to parents (e.g. Bebbo app, mental health and psychosocial support etc.) and others.

Given the Temporary Protective Directive, children will have the same right to education and health services as nationals. The enrolment in national education should be within the first three months. Art. 14, which includes provision of preparatory classes (including language tuition) to those displaced learners that need them prior to placement in the national school system. In providing an early childhood education response to this refugee influx, it will be important to ensure equal access to pre-primary education for Temporary Protection holders and Asylum Seekers and rapid inclusion in national school system and avoidance of creation of parallel systems. For child refugees under six years of age, the provision of early childhood education and care should also be supported and integrated as part of the response planning.

Purpose of the Assignment

UNICEF ECARO ECD section are seeking an ECD/ECE individual contractor with experience in ECD and ECE systems strengthening to support the refugee response in the Slovak Republic. The candidate will be based in Slovakia and will report to the national coordinator as well as to the ECD Advisor in ECAR, working in close coordination with ECD colleagues in teams across countries, as well in coordination with other regional colleagues in child protection, health, education and social policy, develop and implement a comprehensive approach to ECD within the Blue Dots and accommodation centers as well as develop medium to longer term plan for supporting young children and their families, across the country teams, national authorities, UNHCR and other UN entities, academia, Common Service Center organizations and other stakeholders.

The refugee response has two main streams of work, immediate response to refugees who are still on the move or based in temporary accommodation, and the longer-term integration and accommodation of the new population into national systems and services, while using this as an opportunity to also further strengthen service access, quality and equity for the local population as well as for refugee families.

Main responsibilities and tasks

Immediate response for people on the move:

• Working closely with the Child Protection and Health teams, the individual contractor would coordinate the design and delivery of ECD services within Blue Dots including child friendly spaces, play areas, mother and baby corner and parenting support.
• Support the establishment of play and parent hubs that can provide immediate support to refugee families in the short term and can provide additional ECEC spaces and opportunities for integration in the midterm.
• Contribute to the preparation and updating of the situation analysis for the development, design and management of ECD/ECE related programmes/projects.
• Research and report on development trends (economic, social, health etc.) and data for use in programme/project development, management, monitoring, evaluation and delivery of results.

Technical and operational support to programme/project implementation:

• In consultation with the government and municipal authorities and other relevant partners, strengthen existing ECE/ECD coordination structures across multiple sectors (health, education, child and social protection) for the response to the refugee crisis, ensuring that no parallel systems are created in the process.
• Provide coordination leadership, advocacy or support for inclusion of refugee children in essential ECD related services, provided through the health, education, social and child protection sectors.
• Advise relevant ministries, agencies and local authorities for strengthening aggregated data collection (age, sex etc.) and mapping of needs as well as opportunities for integration of young child refugees into the existing systems.
• Manage and oversee UNICEF-supported activities including ECD services, training, interventions provided by NGO and other partners of UNICEF in the response.
• Provide advice to strengthen other municipal services – such as libraries, sports centres, day care centres, play groups to ensure inclusion, mental health and psychosocial support to young children and their caregivers.
• Support integration efforts and reducing potential friction between host communities and refugee populations, ensuring equity of access to services and support. • Ensure ECD information flow across and within UNICEF coordination structures.
• Monitor the trends and emerging evidence of refugee ECE/ECD concerns and the response by the Government and partners, including conducting monitoring visits to municipalities and reception sites in border areas and analysing this information to advise on the ECD response across countries.
• Report on critical issues, bottlenecks and potential problems for timely action to achieve results.
• Provide technical and operational support to government counterparts, NGO partners, UN system partners and other partners/donors on the application and understanding of UNICEF policies, strategies, processes and best practices on ECD/ECE related issues to support implementation and delivery of results.
• Support ECD/ECE team in organising meetings, training, translating related materials, developing communication materials etc.

Work Assignment Overview

The work will be delivered in accordance with the detailed monthly work plans agreed between Individual Contractor and Supervisor at the beginning of every month.

Monthly Reports will be submitted at the end of each month. Each monthly report will include:

• Overview of activities realized / progress, and
• Outputs/draft documents as per the more detailed timeline agreed and as included under ‘deliverables’ for each specific task described below.

*Tasks / Milestone******Deliverables / Outputs******Timeline / Deadline*****Immediate response for people on the move:Working with government, local authorities and partners in ensuring ECD elements are included in refugee response.Quality and timely ECD/ECE inputs provided into all response mechanismsContinuous during the duration of the contractSupport planning and implementation and oversight of these services.Conduction of needs assessmentsEnd-MayPreparation and updating of the situation analysis for the development, design and management of ECD/ECE related programmes/projects.Continuous during the duration of the contractDevelopment of Programme Cooperation AgreementsEnd-MayDevelopment of MoUs and rapid response plans of municipalities for ECD/ECE alternative provisionsMay - JuneIn cooperation with municipal and NGO partners, support development of ECD alternative provision in selected locationsContinuous during the duration of the contractOrganise provision of ECD/ECE supplies to affected population across the countryDevelopment of next phase of response plan based on evolving needsJulyMonitoring and evaluation of servicesMonitor provision of alternative ECE/ECD servicesContinuous during the duration of the contractProvision of technical support to national and local level partners:Monitor the trends and emerging evidence of refugee ECE/ECD concerns and the response by the Government and partners, including conducting monitoring visits to municipalities and reception sites in border areas and analysing this information to advise on the ECD response across countries.- SitReps; - Ad-hoc reports; - Monthly report

Continuous during the duration of the contractTechnical assistance provided on issues related to ECD/ECE in line with UNICEF policies and standardsRapid response plans in municipalitiesMay - JuneStrengthen existing ECE/ECD coordination structures across multiple sectors (health, education, child and social protection) for the response to the refugee crisis, ensuring that no parallel systems are created in the process.- Provide coordination leadership, advocacy or support for inclusion of refugee children in essential ECD related services, provided through the health, education, social and child protection sectors. - Monthly report

Continuous during the duration of the contractManage and oversee UNICEF-supported activities including ECD services, training, interventions provided by NGO and other partners of UNICEF in the response.Monthly reportForming linkages with existing services and longer-term careBased on field implementation policy brief/recommendations developed and shared with ECD adviser ROSupport ECD/ECE team in organising meetings, training, translating related materials, developing communication materials etcMonthly reportProvide technical and operational support to government counterparts, NGO partners, UN system partners and other partners/donors on the application and understanding of UNICEF policies, strategies, processes and best practices on ECD/ECE related issues to support implementation and delivery of results.Monthly reportEstimated Duration of the Contract

8 months (May 2022 - January 2023)

Individual Contractor's Work Place and Official Travel

The assignment will be home-based in Bratislava, Slovakia. The Individual Contractor is required on a full-time basis for the period of the contract.

The Individual Contractor will have frequent travels to the field. The Individual Contractor will be responsible for organizing their travel. All travel expenses (tickets, accommodation, public transport, meals) will be reimbursed. The maximum amount for travel overall will be EUR 1,500.

Travel Clause

• All UNICEF rules and regulations related to travel of Consultants/Individual Contractors apply.
• All travels shall be undertaken only upon the prior written approval by UNICEF.
• The individual contractor is responsible for his/her travel arrangements. The most economic and direct route is authorized.
• Travel costs will be reimbursed after the completion of mission upon submission of the invoice together with the supporting documentation.
• The individual contractor must be fit to travel, be in a possession of the valid UN BSAFE certificate, obligatory inoculation(s) and have a valid own travel/medical insurance and an immunization/vaccination card.

Estimated Cost of the Consultancy & Payment Schedule

Payment will be made on submission of a monthly invoice and satisfactory completion of the above-mentioned deliverables. Please indicate an all inclusive fixed monthly fee in EUR to undertake this assignment.

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

• Master’s in Early Childhood Development, Education, International development, psychology or related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant work experience in programme planning, management, research in ECD and/or ECE, or a similar field, at the international level with experience in the Slovak Republic or similar context.
• Understanding of global ECD agenda.
• Experience working within refugee setting is an asset.
• Understanding of policies and strategies to address issues related to resilience and conflict situations.
• Experience working with state and NGO partners is strongly desired.
• Experience working in UN organization an asset.
• Fluency in English is required.
• Fluency in Slovak is required.
• Fluency in Ukrainian and/or Russian is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA), and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

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 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:

Please include a full CV and Financial Proposal in your application. Additionally, indicate your availability and monthly rate (in EUR) to undertake the terms of reference above, bearing in mind that the maximum monthly fee for this assignment is EUR 3,500. Applications submitted without a monthly rate will not be considered. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

It should be noted that selected candidate will be responsible for arranging for their own health and medical insurance. This consultancy does not provide any other benefits other than the consultancy fee and 1.5 days leave entitlement per month and the UN official holidays. Selected consultant will be responsible for complying with local tax requirements and any tax liabilities that may arise as a result of the consultancy with UNICEF.

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.