RE-ADVERTISMENT: Int. Consultant - support the CRC and Ministry of Finance and Social Welfare in the analysis of implementation VAC

This opening expired 2 years ago. Do not try to apply for this job.

UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund

Open positions at UNICEF
Logo of UNICEF

Application deadline 2 years ago: Thursday 15 Jul 2021 at 21:55 UTC

Open application form

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

Individual international consultancy to support the Child Rights Council and Ministry of Finance and Social Welfare in the analysis of implementation of the Strategy for the Prevention and Protection of Children against Violence 2017-2021

  1. Background and Context

The right of every child to be protected from all forms of violence (physical, sexual, psychological violence and neglect) is set out in the CRC and other international human rights treaties and standards. In particular, Article 19 of the CRC calls for legislative, administrative, social and educational measures to be put in place to protect the child from all forms of violence and abuse.

Montenegro is committed to ending violence against children (VAC) and has made significant strides in the past decade to align its legal and strategic framework with international standards on the protection of children from violence. Since 2017, it has gained recognition as one of the pathfinding countries in in the Global Partnership to End Violence against Children. This commitment has been reflected in the country’s ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (the Lanzarote Convention) in 2010; and of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (the Istanbul Convention) in 2013.

However, the situation on the ground is quite concerning as 66 per cent of the child population were estimated to have experienced violent discipline in 2018. For children with disabilities this situation is even worse with 83 per cent estimated to have suffered the same fate. Twenty-five per cent of 15-year-olds participating in the OECD PISA assessment reported being bullied at least a few times a month. A 2017 study undertaken by UNDP indicated that 42 per cent of women have been exposed to some form of violence during their lifetimes. Only 12 per cent of cases are thought to be reported because women fear retribution from their abusers and do not trust institutions to protect them. Exposure of children to domestic violence is known to have serious and lasting consequences for their social and emotional development. The EU Progress Reports for 2019 and 2020 highlighted gender-based violence and violence against children as issues of serious concern, as well as limited awareness on access to justice and protection mechanisms. UNICEF data shows that those challenges particularly apply to Roma and Egyptian children, refugee and migrant children, and their families, who face systemic discrimination, exposure to violence, gender-based violence, child marriage and other forms of exploitation, due to limited awareness, stigma and existing gaps in the system.

The adoption of the Strategy for the Prevention and Protection of Children from Violence 2017-2021 represented a further commitment to systematically improve the legislative and institutional frameworks related to the protection of children from violence, abuse, and neglect. The overall objective of the Strategy was to strengthen the national system by introducing a multidisciplinary response to the prevention of violence and to the protection of the physical and mental health of children who are exposed or at risk of violence. It also envisaged care and services for children who are victims of violence. In recognition of the need for an intersectoral approach, the Strategy was developed under the leadership of the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, with participation of Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Human and Minorities Rights, the Ministry of Information and Telecommunication, the Ombudsperson’s Office, with contributions from civil society. In 2017, the Government of Montenegro established a task force composed of representatives of the Ministries of: Labour and Social Welfare, Education, Health, Justice, Culture, Interior and a representative of the NGO sector to monitor the implementation of the Strategy (specifically, its action plans). Given that realization of the Strategy’s measures included a cross-sectoral approach at both local and national level, coordinators of implementation rotate, with each ministry acknowledging its responsibility and role in protecting children from violence and monitor the implementation of the Strategy. The task force participated in drafting the annual reports on the implementation of the Strategy with different ministry as coordinator each year.

With the current Strategy expiring at the end of 2021, the Ministry of Finance and Social Welfare agreed with UNICEF to conduct an analysis of implementation of the Strategy for the Prevention and Protection of Children against Violence 2017-2021 with the aim of providing a systematic insight into the implementation process and the achieved results and make recommendations for the planned development of the new Strategy.

Within the scope of this consultancy the international expert is expected to work jointly with a national expert who will provide support in conducting the analysis, especially in terms of collecting a data and field work with stakeholders and provide training for the relevant Government staff on theme-specific issues such as planning, monitoring, reporting and evaluation.

  1. Purpose and Objectives

The purpose of this assignment is to provide an independent analysis of the implementation of the Strategy for the Prevention and Protection of Children against Violence 2017-2021, with an aim to set a baseline for the development of a new Strategy. The analysis will assess the effectiveness of the implemented strategy measures taking into account the current country context and recent changes in the organization and work of institutions relevant for the implementation of the Strategy. The analysis and its findings will also be used to provide information and insights for the development of annual work plans of the Ministry of Finance and Social Welfare and Child Rights Council in the area of child protection.

More specifically, the objectives of the analysis will be to assess:

• Progress made toward the achievement of the expected results and performance indicators defined in the current Strategy;

• Relevance of the strategy measures in the evolving context of changing socio-economic developments and realities in Montenegro;

• Effectiveness of the strategy in achieving the specific goals in the domain of violence against children;

• Successful implementation of the cross- sectoral component of the Strategy and cross-sectoral enforcement of the new Strategy with regard to improvement of the gender component;

• Progress made by ministries and other state bodies in institutional capacities and resources to maintain results over time.

• Potential adjustments to the strategic measures and directions for the next strategic cycle.

In addition to this, the assignment will include a capacity development component focused on strengthening the capacities of relevant Government staff to design monitoring and evaluation tools for child related strategies and policies.

The primary beneficiary of this assignment will be the Child Rights Council, the Ministry of Finance and Social Welfare and other relevant Ministries with responsibilities in the child protection domain. Secondary users will be the UNICEF Montenegro CO.

The consultancy should provide an independent analysis of the collective performance in the area of protection of children from violence with a learning lens, focusing on the ability of the central/local level government to implement the activities defined by the Strategy for the Prevention and Protection of Children against Violence 2017-2021. It should assess the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability and impact of the measures implemented. In addition, it should entail both identification of gaps in approach and capacities as well as best practices, models and enabling factors that can be replicated. Recommendations that stem from the analysis will serve to inform the future strategic cycle development.

The findings on the implementation of the Strategy and forward-looking analysis with recommendations will include an evaluative framework to be used as a basis the next strategy, which should include a Theory of Change, Monitoring & Evaluation framework and stakeholder analysis. This framework should be developed in a participatory and user-centred manner taking into account the insights deriving from the stakeholder analysis.

The analysis will also generate new ideas on how to strengthen the child protection system in the context of recent developments of issues such as online and peer violence. Attention should be given to the wide dissemination of findings as well as the facilitation of trainings or workshops, which will enhance the learning component of the assignment.

The learning initiative will be used to further improve the commitment and capacities of relevant government structures for strategic and evidence-based planning in the area of child protection and child rights in general, through strengthening strategy design, monitoring, reporting, and evaluation while highlighting examples of effective and sustainable interventions.

  1. Methodology and Technical Approach

The methodology will be based on a mixed-method approach and entail:

• desk review all existing UNICEF tools and frameworks relevant for the assignment, as well as analyses of various sources of information including annual reports, project reports, reviews of monitoring practices and data from key response programmes/projects from the three country offices;

• interviews and consultations to collect data from the field based on the assessment methodology (interviews/focus groups/surveys/case file audit/review, with the following key stakeholders: MFSW, MoI, MoJHMR, MoH,MoE, ISCP, professionals of Centres for Social Work, Ombudsperson’s Office, NGOs. Meetings/interviews/focus groups will be scheduled with the support of MFSW, ISCP and UNICEF. If needed, interpretation services will be provided by UNICEF. If considered relevant, the consultant may use UNICEF platforms such as U-Report in order to gather views by adolescents and young people on violence issues.

• analysis of findings and prepare a draft analysis of the implementation of the Strategy and a PowerPoint presentation summarizing the key findings and recommendations for feedback by MFSW, ISCP and UNICEF.

• presentation of draft analysis to key stakeholders at an event for comments and validation. The event concept will be agreed with the MFSW, ISCP and UNICEF.

• preparation of a training program and facilitation of training sessions for relevant government staff on theme-specific issues such as planning, designing, monitoring, reporting and evaluation of strategic documents in the area of child protection.

Deliverables should be produced in English. UNICEF Country Offices will organize translation and interpretation into local languages.

The consultant is expected to work from home and Montenegro. Key informant interviews/focus groups will be carried out online and in person. The Consultant will host the interviews/training sessions.

Further details are provided in the section below “Activities and Tasks”.

  1. Key Deliverables and Timeframe

Under the direct supervision of the Child Protection Officer in UNICEF Montenegro Office, the consultant is expected to complete the following tasks with the following tentative breakdown of working days:

Task

Location

No. days (for the team of experts in total) and timeline

To review the Strategy for the Prevention and Protection of Children against Violence 2017-2021, relevant data/statistics, legal and policy documents, reports, including annual reports on the implementation of the Strategy, to familiarize themselves with the country context and, in the light of international standards (CRC, CRPD, Recommendations of the CRC Committees for Montenegro etc.), to develop a detailed assessment methodology and data collection instruments (e.g. interviews/focus groups/surveys/case file audit/review) and submit to UNICEF for consultations with the MFSW and ISCP finalization and approval.

Home-based

7 working days (by

15 September 2021)

Collect data from the field based on the assessment methodology (interviews/focus groups/surveys/case file audit/review, with the following key stakeholders: MFSW, MoI, MoESCS MoJHMR, MoH, MoE, ISCP, professionals of Centres for Social Work, Ombudsperson’s Office, NGOs. Meetings/interviews/focus groups will be scheduled with the support of MFSW, ISCP and UNICEF. If needed, interpretation services will be provided by UNICEF.

In Montenegro

7 working days

(by 15 October 2021 )

To prepare a draft analysis of the implementation of the Strategy and a PowerPoint presentation summarizing the key findings and recommendations for feedback by MFSW, ISCP and UNICEF. The draft analysis is to include the evaluative framework (Theory of Change, Monitoring & evaluation framework and stakeholder analysis). The report should have up to 40 pages, excluding bibliography and annexes. An executive summary needs to be developed (up to 5 pages).

Home-based

15 working days (by 15 November 2021)

To present the draft analysis to key stakeholders at an event for comments and validation. The event concept will be agreed with the MFSW, ISCP and UNICEF.

In Montenegro

2 working days (25 November 2021)

To finalize the analysis of the implementation of the Strategy based on the feedback received at the validation event.

Home-based

2 working days (1 December 2021)

Prepare the training program for the capacity building sessions for relevant Government staff on theme-specific issues such as planning, monitoring, reporting and evaluation of strategic documents in the area of child protection.

Home-based

2 working days (by 08 December 2021)

Facilitation of training sessions for relevant Government staff on theme-specific issues such as planning, monitoring, reporting and evaluation of strategic documents in the area of child protection.

In Montenegro

5 working days (by 15 December 2021)

TOTAL WORKING DAYS

40 working days

  1. Management and Organisation

Management: The consultant will be supervised by the Child Protection Officer at UNICEF Country Office in Montenegro.

Organization: International Consultancy, individual, is required, meeting the criteria described below. UNICEF email account is not required.

Schedule: The consultant will be engaged over the period from 20 August 2021 until 20 December 2021 for a maximum of 40 working days.

  1. Qualifications and Background

The Consultant is expected to have the following qualifications/specialized knowledge/experience required to complete the task:

Education:

• Advanced university degree in legal, social work, social policy or a similar technical field

Experience:

• At least 10 years of professional experience in child protection, particularly in relation to issues related to violence against children;

• At least 3 years of experience in policy development and policy analysis in child protection

• Experience in conducting similar research and assessment;

• Thorough knowledge of international standards in the area of child protection and violence against children;

• Familiarity with the social welfare and child protection systems in South-East Europe;

• Experience in delivering capacity building training programmes,

• Experience in research and data analysis on child protection and violence against children,

• Previous work experience with UNICEF will be considered as an asset.

Language:

• Fluency in English is required, while fluency in local language will be considered as an asset.

Other:

• Proven ability to work and collaborate in a team and maintain excellent collegial and respectful working relations.

• Capacity to research, evaluate and synthesize information.

• Ability to present data in an interesting, engaging and effective way.

• Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines.

• Facilitation skills especially using online platforms.

• Excellent writing skills.

• Strong interpersonal and communications skills – ability to convey information, produce clear, substantive reports, identify policy recommendations.

  1. Budget and Remuneration

• Consultancy fee

The candidates are requested to submit their financial offer consisting of a daily fee for the services to

be provided, as applicable.

• Payment schedule

The payments will be made upon successful completion of the deliverables and submission of invoices.

 Upon submission of deliverables 1-5 – 50%

 Upon submission of deliverables 6-7 – 50%

• Recourse

UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/outputs is incomplete, not delivered or for failure to meet deadlines.

  1. Application procedure

• To apply for the vacant position please submit P-11 form through “apply” button as well as a technical proposal outlining qualifications/specialized knowledge/experience that makes the candidate suitable to complete the task, and outlining understanding of the TORs, the consultancy assignment and tasks, as well as specifying concrete examples for the requirements given under section 7. Qualifications and Background of this ToR.

• Candidates are requested to submit a financial offer as a separate document consisting of daily professional fee and, if required, online platform subscription costs for meetings and training sessions.

  1. Selection Method

All applicants will be screened against qualifications and requirements set above. Candidates fully meeting all the requirements will be further evaluated based on the criteria below.

The proposal will be evaluated against the following criteria:

A) Technical criteria – Desk review of CVs and Technical Proposal / Maximum points: 70

  1. Technical Criteria - max. 70 points

• Education: 20 points

• Previous experience: 20 points

• Technical proposal: 20 points

• Other: (Language/IT skills, etc.): 10 points

Only candidates who obtained at least 70% of points from the technical part (who will score at least 49 points) will be qualified for considering for financial proposal evaluation

B) Financial criteria – evaluation of financial proposal - Maximum points: 30

The applicants are requested to submit their financial proposal consisting of professional fee for the services to be provided.

• Financial scores will be calculated using the formula [lowest offer / financial offer of the candidate x 30].

  1. Remarks:

Upon conducting the recruitment process and prior to the signing of the contract, the consultant will be required to complete the following online courses. All certificates should be presented as part of the contract.

  1. Ethics and Integrity at UNICEF

  2. Prevention of Sexual Harassment and Abuse of Authority (PSEAA)

  3. Sexual Exploitation Abuse (PSEA)

Consultants and Individual Contractors must complete the following course before commencement of any travel on behalf of UNICEF.

• BSAFE security training

Any consultant or individual contractor who is issued a UNICEF email address must complete the following courses no later than 30 days after signature of contract:

• Fraud Awareness

• Information Awareness Security Course (only for consultants/individual contractors with a UNICEF email address)

The above courses can be found on Agora through the following link: UNICEF Mandatory Training/Learning Courses.

Course completion certificates should be shared and retained with the human resources unit of the hiring office.

Added 2 years ago - Updated 2 years ago - Source: unicef.org