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Individual Consultant - To Conduct a rapid assessment of the playful parental engagement programme in four states, (Adamawa, Jigawa, Kano, and Sokoto) 2 Months (Remote)

Apply now Job no: 575686
Contract type: Consultant
Duty Station: Abuja
Level: Consultancy
Location: Nigeria
Categories: Education

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, Education

 In Nigeria, UNICEF works in a complex humanitarian and development setting to fulfill and protect children's rights in partnership with the government, civil society, children, and families.  UNICEF Nigeria is one of the largest UNICEF Country Offices globally - click the link to learn more about UNICEF in Nigeria: https://www.unicef.org/nigeria/

How can you make a difference?

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

The first five years of a child’s life is a critical period for their cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development. The experiences during this period have a major impact on their future. Research has shown that a child’s newly developing brain is highly plastic and responsive to change as billions of integrated neural circuits are established through the interaction of genetics, environment, and experience. Optimal brain development requires a stimulating environment, adequate nutrients, and social interaction with attentive caregivers. Unsafe conditions, negative interactions, and lack of educational opportunities during these early years can lead to irreversible negative outcomes, which can affect a child’s potential for the remainder of his or her life.

Early Childhood Care Development and Education (ECCDE) is one of the best investment options to build human capital and the national economy and promote sustainable growth. Quality ECCDE yields a significant return on investment as the child transits to primary, secondary and tertiary levels of education. These returns impact not only the child’s individual development but also that of their families and communities.

To support ECCD in Nigeria, UNICEF Nigeria partnered with Universal Basic Education Commission to implement a playful parental engagement programme in eight states, which aims at enhancing parent-child interaction and promoting child development through play. The programme is focused on equipping parents with playful learning strategies and fostering a supportive environment for their children's cognitive, emotional, and social development. Particularly, UNICEF extends its support to parents of the most marginalized children, including children with disabilities, to raise awareness of and demand for quality ECCDE and skills for playful parenting by working with parent and community groups, which include Mothers Associations, Fathers Groups, school-based management committees.
 
The programme’s outputs include:
 
1) Increasing parents/caregivers’ knowledge of the importance of children’s early years, including both formal early childhood education and engagement with responsive caregivers.
 
2) Effecting tangible behavioral change in their parenting practices, play-based engagement with their children, and demand for early learning services
 
3) Enabling parents to develop new knowledge, attitudes, positive social norms, and recommendations for practices that can contribute to the quality development of early children aged 3-5 years.
 
To further improve the effectiveness of the programme and inform future phases, UNICEF seeks a consultant who conduct a rapid assessment of the implementation of the programme.
 
Scope of Work:
 
This consultancy is for conducting a rapid assessment of the playful parental engagement programme in four states with the following assignments:
  • Examine and document the programme’s immediate effect on parents and community members by collecting and analyzing qualitative and quantitative data related to improvement of parental knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding playful engagement with their children.
  • Assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the programme. This includes the assessment of 1) the quality and accessibility of programme resources and training materials and 2) the effectiveness of programme delivery and parent engagement methods.
  • Identify the strengths and areas for improvement in the current programme design and implementation against other similar programmes in similar contexts.
  • Provide actionable recommendations to enhance the effectiveness and scalability of the programme.
 
Work Assignments Overview Deliverables/Outputs Delivery deadline Estimated Budget
Develop inception report, which includes detailed work plan, research methods, and timelines for the assignment. Inception Report 30 September 2024 (3 days) 10%
Conduct a desk review of programme documents, reports and data, as well as relevant research on playful parental engagement. Desk review report
9 October 2024
(5 days)
30%
Consult and interview with relevant stakeholders including parents, community members, teachers, trainers, and government officials, and collect and analyze quantitative and qualitative data. Draft Assessment Report
31 October
(14 days)
40%
Finalize and submit a comprehensive report, including the assessment findings, analysis, and actionable recommendations, submitted in both Word and PowerPoint formats
Draft Assessment Report and
Final Assessment Report
10 November 2024
(8 days)
20%

if you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here Download File Low value TOR_ Parental Engagement Programme (Remote).pdf

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

  • Advanced University degree is required in designing and implementing education research and evaluation.
  • A minimum of 6 years of experiences in supporting the implementation of ECCDE, early childhood, and parenting programmes and policy.
  • Technical knowledge about ECCDE and parental engagement.
  • Good understanding of ECCDE context and culture in sub-Saharan Africa.
  • Strong qualitative and quantitative research skills and good understanding of qualitative and quantitative design and methods.
  • Good report writing skills.
  • Familiarity with the global landscape of playful learning and parental engagement programs is an asset.
  • Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset. 

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. 

Applicants must submit their financial and technical proposals along with this application. Applications without these will not be considered. Use this form to provide your financial proposal. 

Download File All-Inclusive Financial Proposal Form-Current.docx

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. 

Advertised: W. Central Africa Standard Time
Deadline: W. Central Africa Standard Time

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