(FOR LAO NATIONAL ONLY) Individual Consultancy: National consultant to support the development of the National Alternative Care Guideline for children in Lao PDR and training modules.

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,

UNICEF in Vientiane, Lao PDR is looking for a Lao National Individual Consultant to develop a National Alternative Care Guideline for Children in Lao PDR, including Minimum Standards on residential care and training modules for relevant government stakeholders. The national consultant will work in tandem with the international consultant who is working remotely. The incumbent will work from an office of the Department of Social Welfare at the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare in Vientiane.

Duration: 11.5 months from (26 Oct. 2020 – 11 Oct. 2021)

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

The consultant is expected to deliver the following:

• Support MOLSW and UNICEF Child Protection in organizing and orientation the alternative care guild line survey form to the government staff and conducting a field visit to collect necessary data for the development of the guidelines, including logistics, administration, coordination with central and local authorities and scheduling.
• Document the discussion and interviews by writing and audio recording. Translate raw data into English for the international consultant’s review.
• Work in tandem with the UNICEF international consultant to analyze the data and write a summary data collection and analysis report to be submitted to UNICEF and MOLSW.
• Provide technical inputs to the draft guidelines and make sure the social, cultural and economic context of Lao PDR is reflected. Compile inputs from stakeholders to finalize the guidelines.
• Support MOLSW and the UNICEF international consultant in organizing the working group discussion for relevant stakeholders, including the Government, NGOs and UN agencies to review the guidelines.
• Support MOLSW and UNICEF team to organize a high-level launch event.
• Support MOLSW and the UNICEF international consultant in organizing a series of consultation meetings with relevant stakeholders, including sub-national authorities and academic partners to develop a training module for MOLSW on the newly developed guidelines.
• Work with the UNICEF international consultant to develop training modules and make sure the modules are target-friendly and use examples from the Lao context.
• Under the guidance of MOLSW and UNICEF, produce a designed guideline and training module.
• Support MOLSW and UNICEF team to produce recorded training video series.
• Support MOLSW and UNICEF to organize at least one training of trainers (TOT).

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

Qualifications and Experience

• Advanced University Degree in Law, Development, Social Science, Social Work, Public Policy or related areas
• At least two years of experience working in child protection, child development, social policy and social development.
• Experience of supporting researches, developing national guidelines, organizing events, coordinating with the Government and international organizations and developing and implementing trainings.

Knowledge and Skills

• Solid knowledge of the social, political and cultural context of Lao PDR and experiences in working in ASEAN countries;

• Knowledge of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the UN Guideline for Alternative Care 2010 and other relevant international and regional standards and guideline;
• Understanding of the situation of children without parental care and children living in institutions in Lao PDR.

Languages

Fluent English and Lao, both written and spoken.

The deadline for applications is Friday, 16 October 2020.

1. Submission of applications:

Interested candidates are kindly requested to apply and upload the following documents:

• Letter of Interest (cover letter)
• CV or Resume
• Performance evaluation reports or references of similar consultancy assignments (if available)
• Financial proposal: All-inclusive lump-sum cost including travel and accommodation cost for this assignment as per work assignment.

2. Assessment Criteria:

A two-stage procedure shall be utilized in evaluating proposals, with evaluation of the technical proposal being completed prior to any price proposal being compared.

Applications shall therefore contain the following required documentation:

1. Technical Proposal, including a cover letter, updated CV, and copies of 2 relevant evaluations performed earlier by the consultant.

2. Financial Proposal:

Based on a monthly payment submission.

No financial information should be contained in the technical proposal.

For evaluation and selection method, the Cumulative Analysis Method (weight combined score method) shall be used for this recruitment:

a) Technical Qualification (max. 100 points) weight 70 %

• Degree Education in 30 (30 points)
• Knowledge of 20 (20 points)
• Experience in 40 (40 points)
• Quality of past work (e.g. understanding, methodology) (10 points)

b) Financial Proposal (max. 100 points) weight 30 %

The maximum number of points shall be allotted to the lowest Financial Proposal that is opened /evaluated and compared among those technical qualified candidates who have attained a minimum 70 points score in the technical evaluation. Other Financial Proposals will receive points in inverse proportion to the lowest price.

The Contract shall be awarded to candidate obtaining the highest combined technical and financial scores, subject to the satisfactory result of the verification interview.

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.

The functional competencies required for this post are…

View our competency framework at:

http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

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.

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.