UNICEF Zimbabwe is inviting applications for an individual consultant to conduct a review of HIV testing services guideline for children and adolescents guidelines

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, an opportunity

NICEF has been operating in Zimbabwe since 1982. We are a team of passionate professionals committed to the protection and fulfillment of children’s rights.

Supporting the Government’s vision of a prosperous and empowered upper-middle-income society, the 2022 to 2026 UNICEF Zimbabwe country programme is aimed at contributing to sustainable socioeconomic development that provides all children, including adolescents, with opportunities to fulfil their potential, lead a healthy life, access quality learning and protection and meaningfully participate in society.

For more information about UNICEF Zimbabwe please click here

You can also access and explore all new UNICEF vacancies and create job alerts via the UNICEF Zimbabwe website link below:

https://www.unicef.org/zimbabwe/work-us

How can you make a difference?

UNICEF Zimbabwe is seeking to hire an innovative and enthusiastic individual consultant to conduct a review of HIV testing services guideline for children and adolescents guidelines.

PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The goal of this assignment is to review the Guideline on HIV Testing Services for Children and Adolescents in support of the AIDS & TB Program of Ministry of Health and Child Care (MOHCC).

BACKGROUND

HIV testing is a critical entry point to prevention, treatment, care and support services. It is imperative that children have access to appropriate diagnostic and counselling services to ensure early identification and referral for treatment and care. Uninfected but HIV exposed infants and children may benefit from intensified follow-up, care and prevention measures to reduce chances of infection. Children requiring Post Exposure Prophylaxis may also be identified.

Health Service Providers offering HIV Testing Services for children and adolescents are commonly presented with various ethical and legal dilemmas. They have responsibility to ensure that they have accurate knowledge and understanding of these standards in order to protect the best interests of children at all times.

“The provision of services to children/adolescents should reflect an appropriate balance between the rights of the child/adolescent to be involved in decision-making according to his or her evolving capabilities and the rights and duties of the parent/guardians for the health and well-being of the child.” HIV and AIDS and Human Rights, International Guidelines, United Nations, 1998. The Government of Zimbabwe has clear policies and guidelines to ensure that children have access to HIV Testing Services which adhere to national and international legal and ethical standards. The guidelines were last reviewed in 2014. There is need to review and revise the guideline in line with the latest international, regional and national developments regarding children and adolescents as well as HIV and AIDS testing, prevention, treatment, care and support.

The purpose of these guidelines is to provide national standards that must be adhered to by all institutions, organizations and individuals for the provision of high quality HIV testing services (HTS) for children and adolescents in Zimbabwe. The guidelines support expansion of HTS, using different service delivery approaches. They contribute to an efficient scale up of prevention, care, treatment and mitigation programmes. Strengthen the link between health facility and community and ensures the continuum of care for children and adolescents living with HIV.

ASSIGNMENTS:

UNICEF, in support of AIDS and TB Program, MOHCC, is seeking consultancy services from a mid or senior level consultant with vast experience in Anti-Retroviral Therapy, elimination of Mother to Child Transmission, HIV Testing Services Programme and its linkages, Children and adolescent service programming and related work, to review the Guideline on HIV Testing Services for Children and Adolescents in support of the AIDS & TB Program of Ministry of Health and Child Care (MOHCC).

Below are the objectives of the assignment:

1. Conduct a week long consultation workshop with key stakeholders identified by UNICEF and MOHCC.
2. Produce a revised (Third Edition) HTS guidelines for children and adolescents

(All materials produced to be submitted to MoHCC - AIDS &TB in soft and hard copy).

The consultant is required to conduct the following activities;

• Conduct a consultative meeting/ writers workshop with key stakeholders (meeting to be convened by MoHCC).
• Capture all the meeting deliberations and recommendations regarding review of the guidelines
• Draft the revised HTS guidelines for children and adolescents
• Present the draft HTS guidelines for children and adolescents to a technical team
• Incorporate comments and submit documents to MoHCC to produce the final HTS guidelines.

Major tasks and deliverables:

Tasks/Milestone:****Deliverables/Outputs:****Timeline and payments schedule1. Attend an inception meeting with MOHCC and develop inception reportInception Report3 days

15%2. Facilitate consultative workshop with key stakeholders identified by UNICEF and MOHCCWorkshop report with

incorporating deliberations and recommendations regarding review of the guidelines6 days

35% payment3. Prepare a draft revised HTS guideline + PowerPoint presentation (PPT) summaryDraft revised guideline + PPT summary of the revised version in a validation meeting6 days

30% payment4. Prepare a final revised HTS guideline + PPT of the updates based on inputs from the draft presentation meeting, for approvalFinal report + updated PPT with recommendations of a HIV testing and counseling guidelines with 5 days

20% paymentTo qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Education:

Advanced university degree in public health, HIV, paediatric/adolescent health, social sciences, epidemiology, or related field

Experience:

At least 8 years of professional experience at national and international levels, including field experience and expertise in HIV programming with a focus on HIV Testing Services, Adolescent and children programming

• Strong knowledge and experience in the development, review and revision of national guidelines.

• Technical field experience with data collection and pathway analytics would be an asset

• Experience working in Zimbabwe will be an asset

Desirable

Experience working in related field in Eastern and Southern Africa, is desirable

Languages

English. Knowledge of a local language will be an added advantage

The detailed consultancy terms of reference is downloadable via this link TORs_HTS Review.pdf

If interested and available to undertake the individual consultancy, please submit your application online and attach the required documents including the technical proposal and an all-inclusive financial proposal incorporating an approximate travel days for field (local) travel.

Technical proposal: CV, Cover letter and proposal. The Technical Proposal should articulate an understanding of the TOR and include the proposed Tasks/Milestones, Deliverables/Outputs, Timeline and level of effort by deliverable. The similar table provided in the TOR is indicative. Applicants may use the indicative table as a guide or deviate as per the proposed approach. The proposal should also cost-effectively propose the international and/or local travel proposed by the applicant to undertake the assignment.

Financial proposal: To be submitted separately, the Financial Proposal should include the costs (providing a daily rate as justification) for each task, including consultant fee, proposed travel costs and perdiem, communications costs and any other proposed cost.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

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.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.