Consultancy: Consultant – Technical Note: Inclusive Child Protection Systems-Children on the move – Child Protection Section, Programme Groups, NYHQ/Remote – Req # 545406

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, hope.

 

Consultancy Title: Consultant-Technical Note: Inclusive Child Protection Systems-Children on the move

Section/Division/Duty Station: Child Protection, Programme Group/PD/ NYHQ

Duration: 3 months

 

About UNICEF

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world’s leading children’s rights organization would like to hear from you. For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children’s survival, protection and development. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.

BACKGROUND

UNICEF Strategic Plan (2022-2025) and UNICEF Child Protection Strategy (2021-2030), identify strengthening inclusive child protection systems as one of the three core programming strategies to ensure that every child is protected from violence, exploitation, abuse, neglect, and harmful practices.  UNICEF’s child protection systems strengthening (CPSS) evaluation in 2018 noted that the balance between issue-based work and systems approaches to CPSS had not been fully articulated, and that there was a need for conceptual clarity and shared understanding around CPSS among UNICEF staff at various levels, and with partners. In response, a Child Protection Systems Paper Series was developed to elaborate UNICEF’s approach to analyzing and strengthening child protection systems, with attention to critical aspects such as priority interventions, benchmarking, programme-impact pathways, and the desired relationship between issue-based and systems approaches.

Since 2017, UNICEF has implemented multi-country programming focused on strengthening the national child protection systems response to children on move in East Asia and the Pacific, the Horn of Africa, West and Central Africa, Middle East and North Africa, East and Central Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. In 2020 and 2021, an evaluation of the Horn of Africa programme noted that UNICEF should set realistic targets for system-strengthening programmes, recognizing that change is iterative, and it takes a long time to build or change systems. A subsequent programme review recommended the contextualization and clarification of the systems approach at national level.

The Covid-19 pandemic impelled the inclusion of migrant and refugee children in national child protection systems providing a catalyst for the accelerated action of international actors and government counter parts alike. In response, UNICEF and UNHCR have been collaborating to develop an assessment tool to establish the extent of inclusion of refugee children in national child protection systems within the framework of the UNHCR/UNICEF Blueprint Joint Action. Going forward UNICEF and IOM are planning to convene member states to explore the inclusion of migrant children in child protection systems and derive consensus on appropriate recommendations.

The purpose of this assignment is to elaborate the elements of the CPSS framework and document how child protection programmatic approaches contribute to including children on the move in national child protection systems responses including local and community interventions.  The assignment will describe how UNICEFs CPSS conceptual framework including the intermediate outcomes comprised of the legal framework, governance structures, continuum of services, management and oversight, resources, child participation and data collection, bench marking and priority interventions, translate to address specific vulnerabilities relevant to migrant and refugee children. The assignment will consider the level of maturity of the CPSS and the various contexts where UNICEF works including humanitarian and development, emergency responses, protracted displacement and the sudden onset of large movements.

Terms of Reference / Deliverables

The consultant will support UNICEF to develop a Technical Note on inclusion of children on the move in child protection systems including identifying integrated programmatic approaches, opportunities and entry points across the intermediate outcomes or elements of a child protection system in line with the established conceptual framework, transnational and cross border arrangements. The note should include concrete examples, cases studies and experiences from UNICEF and other stakeholders. The note will support country offices, government counterparts, civil society organizations, and other partners to leverage resources and capacity dedicated to children on the move to strengthen the child protection system. The note will build on UNICEFs Global Programme Guidance on Children on the move, the six policy asks, lessons learnt and best practices in multi-country and national programming interventions, evaluation findings and recommendations, and the UNICEF-UNHCR assessment tool on refugee inclusion in child protection systems (under development).

Deliverables:

– Identify and develop a summary of relevant documents, research reports and papers that elaborate the child protection systems intermediate outcomes and elements as they relate to inclusion of refugee and migrant children, and document impediments impacting IDP children, opportunities for cross border case management and continuity of care. Output- Desk review including list of reference documents and materials.

-Develop a survey including identified key informants -regional offices, select country offices and partners. Output- Questionnaire, No of Interviews with key informants

-From the desk review and key informant interviews develop a 2-pager outlining how children on the move are included in each element of the national child protection system. Output-2-pager on Inclusion

-Identify cases studies, country and regional examples that highlight inclusion of children on the move in child protection systems focused on various operational contexts including transit and destination countries, return contexts, fragile, developing, humanitarian and high-income contexts among others. Output- Summary of country, regional and multi-country case studies, examples and best practices

-Develop a structure/outline for the Technical Note.  Output-Technical Note outline

-Develop the draft Technical Note Output-Draft Technical Note-max 10 pages (Arial 10)

-Support consultation and review of the draft note Output-No of meetings, Notes-recommendation for review

-Final Draft. Output-Technical Note

-Presentation and Dissemination           

-Output 3 Webinars and meetings

Qualification:

(1) Education

Master’s degree in political science, international development, law, refugee studies, migration studies, public policy or other social science field is required. Experience implementing child protection systems strengthening, migration and refugee programming and knowledge of humanitarian coordination architecture will be an added advantage

2) Work experience

• Minimum 8 years of progressively responsible, professional work experience at the national and international level in the provision of technical advice and/or program development, design and/or management is required.
• In depth knowledge on child-related migration and displacement issues are required.
• Work experience in both development and humanitarian settings would be an asset.

3) Competencies

• Relevant experience in related areas (as identified above) in a UN system agency or organization is an asset.
• Fluency in English (written & verbal) is required. Fluency in French (written & verbal) would be an advantage.

Knowledge of an additional UN Language (Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Spanish) is considered an asset.

Requirements:

• Completed profile in UNICEF’s e-Recruitment system and provide Personal History Form (P11) Upload copy of academic credentials
• Financial proposal that will include:
• your daily/monthly rate (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference.
  • travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR.
  • Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.
  • Indicate your availability
• Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF.
• At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.
• Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed satisfactory deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

U.S. Visa information:

With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4.  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. View our competency framework at: Here

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, race, sexual orientation, nationality, culture, appearance, socio-economic status, ability, age, religious, and ethnic backgrounds, 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, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.