Consultancy – Diagnostic toolkit to assess administrative data systems on children in alternative care, Data & Analytics (D&A) Section, DAPM NYHQ (home based)

Consultancy Title: Diagnostic toolkit to assess administrative data systems on children in alternative care

Section/Division/Duty Station: Data &Analytics (D&A) Section/DAPM/ NYHQ

Duration: 06 September 2021 to 3 December 2021 – 30 days

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:

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

Despite its importance, high-quality and reliable information for reporting and decision-making on issues involving children living in alternative care is still lacking in many countries. In light of this, there is a need to develop tools and provide guidance to help countries strengthen their routine data collection systems to monitor the safety and well-being of children in such arrangements and for administrative record-keeping. In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in exploring ways to better utilize existing administrative data for monitoring and reporting. Strengthening the quality and coverage of such records is therefore an important and useful investment. To begin addressing this, a first step for any country entails gaining an improved understanding of the existing administrative data system and its functioning, as well as assessing opportunities and investments needed to strengthen available information systems.

The Data and Analytics section is seeking a consultant to develop a diagnostic toolkit that can be used to assess the capacity of statistical systems to collect, collate, analyse and disseminate administrative data on children living in alternative care. The toolkit will allow countries to identify needed improvements and priorities for investment. ‘Alternative care’ in this context refers to residential care, family-based care (foster care and kinship care) and adoption.

Terms of Reference / Deliverables:

Scope of Work:

It is expected that the toolkit will be modelled after an  existing tool on assessing administrative data systems on justice for children. The toolkit will need to take into consideration and build on other existing assessments and tools and its development will include consultation with stakeholders in an effort to coordinate and harmonize (where relevant and feasible) to avoid any duplication of existing/ongoing work by others. The primary focus of the toolkit will be on assessing the capacity and maturity of a country’s administrative system for routine data production and use.

It is anticipated that the toolkit will consist of a self-assessment questionnaire to be jointly completed by the relevant stakeholder institutions. The questionnaire should cover the following thematic components: Legal and normative framework for data and statistics on alternative care; governance and planning; data infrastructure and resources; completeness of data on alternative care; data transmission; standardized data and practices in relation to alternative care; administrative data quality assurance; and data use, demand and dissemination. The questionnaire should include an assessment of the extent to which a country collects data on a minimum core set of indicators for routinely monitoring some key aspects of alternative care (to be provided to the consultant).

The questionnaire will need to be accompanied by a detailed set of instructions outlining how the toolkit was developed, thematic components used for assessment, who should complete the questionnaire, scoring the toolkit and interpreting results. It will also need to include guidance on the recommended approach for completing the toolkit (e.g., stakeholder workshop agenda).

The consultant will also need to draft guidance/recommendations for countries that have completed the toolkit that outlines some concrete steps/strategies they can undertake to strengthen their data system and improve administrative data on children in alternative care.

The consultant is also expected to develop a maturity model for administrative data systems on alternative care, modelled and adapted after an  existing maturity model on justice for children.

Qualifications

1) Education
Master’s degree or higher in social sciences, development studies, social work, public health or a related field

2) Work experience
• Minimum 8 years relevant professional work experience in conducting research is required
• Strong technical and analytical writing skills in English is required
• Familiarity and knowledge of data from administrative systems, preferably in relation to residential care, is required
• Ability to work independently in a timely manner
• Attention to detail
• Ability to meet deadlines
• Fluency in English
• Previous experience working with UNICEF or other UN partners is 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 (can be downloaded here: https://www.unicef.org/about/employ/index_consultancy_assignments.html 
  • 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 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:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

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.