Re-advertisement of National Consultancy - Review of National Integrated Early Childhood Development Policy 2007 Namibia, Windhoek, Namibia (for Namibia Nationals only) Non-Staff Workflow

Contract

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Background

Government of the Republic of Namibia introduced its first National Early Childhood Development (ECD) Policy in 1996. It reflected the Government’s commitment to ensuring the sound and healthy development of the nation’s children and was seen to be ahead of its time in promoting a multi-sectoral and holistic approach to early childhood development and care.

The 1996 National ECD Policy was reviewed and adopted in 2007 as a National Integrated Early Childhood Policy. The review was necessitated by the need for an early childhood policy that gives cognizance to the profound socio-economic forces especially HIV/AIDS which have impacted on the lives of young children, their families and their communities, leaving an unprecedented number of orphans and other vulnerable children in its awake. The policy review process at the time took into account a number of national policies, plans and programmes that have positively impacted on early childhood development.

Justification

The proposed task is to review the National Integrated Early Childhood Development (NIECD) Policy for 2007, to ensure that the new developments and knowledge experienced as well as lessons in the sector of Integrated Early Childhood Development (IECD) are incorporated in the revised ECD policy. Such key developments amongst others are: the promulgation of the Child Care and Protection Act No 3:2015, which stipulates the process of registration of Early Childhood Development Centres; the Sustainable Development Goals that have embraced young children’s development, seeing it as key to the transformation that the world seeks to achieve by 2030; the Cost of Inaction of ECD study in Namibia which highlights how inaction in ECD affects young children in Namibia, the revised IECD Framework for Action that provide guidance on implementation of ECD services; and other legal frameworks on ECD.

Furthermore, the review is motivated by a need to ensure IECD programme cover all aspects of the Nurturing care of a child and this calls for an integrated approach to ECD programme delivery. The IECD Policy plays a role in ensuring that the different roles of government, development partners and civil society organizations are clearly articulated for proper implementation and monitoring. It is thus against this rationale that UNICEF is seeking a Consultant to support the MGEPESW to review the NIECD Policy based on the National documents such as 5th National Development Plan (NDP5), Child Care Protection Act No3:2015 and all others.

How can you make a difference?

Purpose:

The purpose of the consultancy is to review the NIECD Policy based on the National documents such as Fifth National Development Plan (NDP5 2017/18 – 2021/2022), Child Care Protection Act No.3 of 2015 and all others which will help the Government of the Republic of Namibia and national partners involved in the provision of integrated early childhood development (IECD) services to implement a comprehensive integrated multi-sectoral response to early childhood development.

Key Tasks and deliverables:

The Consultant will undertake the following tasks and activities:

• Review various national, regional, global literature on Early childhood development and relate to the Namibian situation on the status of the implementation of the National integrated Early Childhood Policy of 2007.
• Assess existing gaps in programming of IECD Policy in line with new developments resulting from the adoption of the global and continental development agenda; the Sustainable Development Goals, Africa Agenda 63 and other related international and national documents and propose possible and appropriate guidelines/ strategies and or initiatives to address ECD in a comprehensive manner.
• Undertake a thorough analysis of the existing implementation and effectiveness structures and stakeholders and make appropriate recommendations for enhancement; to ensure all IECD stakeholders and structures are well designed to deliver effective service on the well-being of all the Namibian children 0-8 years.
• Conduct interviews and consultations with various key stakeholders across to establish the gap and what needs to be in the new policy.
• Develop a new National IECD Policy inclusive of an M&E framework and costed implementation plan following a participatory approach.

Key Activities

Deliverables

Timeline

1. Inception report

• Inception meetings with key ministries and a collective inception validation meeting
• Desk review of national and global IECD strategic documents to inform policy review
• Inception report with a work plan and timeframe on the process of reviewing the policy document and drafting a new policy, highlighting the methodological approach, stakeholders to be consulted and mapping of existing documents for implementation review
• Detailed report with steps to be followed including stakeholders/bodies to be interviewed and mapping of existing materials.

1 month

2. Analysis of stakeholders and existing IECD structures

• Consultations/interviews with agreed number of stakeholders to assess existing implementation, effectiveness, structures and stakeholders and make appropriate recommendations for enhancement.

1 month

3. Conduct a desk review of 2001 policy implementation

• Desk review and secondary analysis of available data on the status of the implementation of the National integrated Early Childhood Policy of 2007 in Namibia conducted.

1 month

4. Reviewed ECD policy

• New draft National IECD Policy, including an M & E framework
• Validation meeting for the revised policy
• Final policy following incorporation of feedback from validation meeting

2 weeks

5. Develop implementation plan

• Implementation plan developed through consultative strategic and technical meetings

3 weeks

6. Consultancy report

• Final Consultancy report

Report must include:

• • Best practices and lesson learned
  • Assessment of existing gaps in programming of IECD Policy through a participatory approach.
  • Recommendations

1 week

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

Desired profile

• Master’s degree in Early Childhood Development, Education, or closely related field. A PHD in early childhood development is an added advantage
• A minimum 10 years of progressive work in ECD policy programme management and policy development.
• Experience in Early Childhood Development in the Namibian context is an added advantage
• Have an extensive experience in ECD at a global level
• Fluency in English and writing skills
• Excellent proficiency in computer and information technology skills, including word processing, electronic presentations, spreadsheets, email and the internet including highly proven capabilities of keeping electronic records and producing reports

Work relationships:

Day-to-day, the Consultant will work closely with the ECD Officer at UNICEF, and report to the Chief of Child Survival and Development (CSD) and the Director of Community Development, MGEPESW. The activity as a whole will be overseen by the EU/UNICEF/GRN project steering committee made up of officials from the MGEPESW, Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture, Ministry of Health and Social Services, the EU Delegation in Namibia and UNICEF. The Consultant will provide progress update to the Chief CSD and Director of Community Development 1-2 times a month.

Terms and Conditions:

The Consultant will be contracted by UNICEF through a competitive hiring process.

Conditions:

• The Consultant will work on their own computer(s) and will be home-based other than the minimum of 2 x in-country visits.
• The Consultant will be allocated an office space at the MGEPESW with occasional meetings/working time at UNICEF as may be necessary, if based in Windhoek. Please note in light of COVID-19, remote work/working-from-home is preferred. S/he will have access to UNICEF printing/photo-copying facilities for routine small-scale photocopying.
• The Consultant must be eligible to work in Namibia and is responsible for arranging required visa to Namibia.
• UNICEF shall be entitled to all property rights, including but not limited to patents, copyrights and trademarks, with regard to material which bears a direct relation to, or is made in consequence of, the services provided to the Organization by the consultant. In certain cases, UNICEF may be prepared to share intellectual property rights, requiring at a minimum, that UNICEF must be acknowledged in all use and publications of the data generated under the present consultancy, and retains the right to use the data for further analysis and publication with acknowledgement of any research institution concerned.
• Financial proposals must be inclusive of all costs including to-country and in-country travel. Please note that applications without financial proposal will not be considered.
• The Ministry of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication and Child Welfare and UNICEF reserve the right to terminate the contract should the work not be satisfactory.
• A monthly remuneration will be paid on submission of satisfactory deliverables. Deliverables will be reviewed for completeness and quality by both UNICEF and MGEPESW before any payment can be made.

The Consultant will be expected to provide proof of medical insurance cover at contracting stage. A full list of UNICEF’s Standard Terms and Conditions will be shared at contracting stage.

Risks

A sudden increase in COVID-19 cases may lead to renewed movement restrictions, which may affect travel for meetings and therefore impact timelines for assignment completion. Candidates are encouraged to plan for online consultations/interviews. Contract manager will have regular meetings with the consultant to assess progress. The Consultancy timeline of 5 months already accounts for potential COVID-19 related delays.

How to Apply

Qualified candidates are requested to apply online and access UNICEF vacancies at

http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/

send their CVs, letter of interest clearly indicating how their qualifications and experience match the requirements, a technical proposal that demonstrates understanding of the Terms of Reference and overall approach to undertake the work, and a financial proposal. The financial proposal must be all-inclusive. UNICEF will not cover any cost not included in the financial proposal (other than the cost of meetings with partners or as already stipulated under ‘Terms and Conditions’). Samples of relevant previous work may be requested at a later stage.

Please note that applications without either a technical proposal or a financial proposal will NOT be considered.

Closing date: 29th September 2021

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's 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.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

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:

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.