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Vacancy Announcement: Consultant

Consultancy Title: Disability Inclusive Child Protection

Section/Division/Duty Station:, Child Protection Section, Programme Division / New York HQ

Duration: December 1, 2024 to July 31, 2025

Home/ Office Based: NYHQ/ Remote

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. 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: 

UNICEF’s child protection work is grounded in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international human rights treaties and instruments, including the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. UNICEF is currently working to expand and strengthen disability inclusive child protection – in line with the increased focus on children with disabilities within Child Protection programming in UNICEF’s Child Protection Strategy 2021-2030, and the commitments in UNICEF’s Disability Inclusion Plan and Strategy (DIPAS) 2023-2030 to disability inclusive programmes.

The purpose of this consultancy is to support UNICEF’s Child Protection Programme Team (CPPT) in Headquarters on integrating disability inclusion into their work and so into UNICEF’s global Child Protection work, via specific child protection workstreams identified as key entry points, high impact opportunities, or priority actions for advancing disability inclusive child protection.

Key partnerships are with other UNICEF teams, including the Disability Inclusion team in HQ, as well as Regional and Country Offices, other UN agencies, NGOs and civil society networks.

Scope of Work: 

1.   Providing technical support to the Primero team and UNICEF country offices for piloting Child Functioning Module (CFM) prototype, including review and assessment of the pilot for planning next phase of roll-out

2.   Provide technical expertise and support to improve data, monitoring and reporting in line with commitments made in UNICEF Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy (DIPAS) and related technical guidance

3.   Provide technical inputs on disability inclusive child protection, for strategic planning with Child Protection Team, Disability Inclusion Team, and Programme Group

4.   Provide support for dissemination of the Disability Inclusive Child Protection Systems Strengthening (DI-CPSS) Resource in designed and published form, internally and externally.

5.   Provide support for dissemination of Disability Inclusive Child Protection resources, and resources to support disability inclusive child protection, to support disability inclusion in CP across thematic priorities (such as Child Protection System Strengthening, Harmful Practices, Child Protection in Humanitarian Action, Gender-based Violence, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support, Children Affected by Armed Conflict) including to COs and ROs 

Terms of Reference / Deliverables

1.   Develop inception report with a workplan and timeline to deliver the products listed in the consultancy - Inception report        

10 December 2024

2.   Primero – Pilot Child Functioning Module (CFM) prototype at CO levels in collaboration with internal partners, including technical support provided to COs and Primero team        

      Develop and finalize the implementation plan for piloting the Child Functioning Module (CFM) prototype for Primero/CPIMS+ in 5 Country Offices in consultation with primero team and respective country office teams.

15 January 2025

- To develop costed “service package” for COs, and develop and deliver training and guidance for users as part of implementation of the pilot.

31 July 2025

3.   Primero – Review and assess the pilot for planning and develop generic plan and template for next roll-out phase (phase 2) and publish         

- Review and assessment of CFM prototype pilot, including synthesis report

15 April 2025

- Deliver report for planning Phase 2 of roll-out

30 April 2025

- Generic plan, template, and guidance for Phase 2 roll-outs.

15 May 2025

- Assessment and implementation strategy for data migration.          

30 June 2025

4.   Deliver targeted technical support on data, monitoring and reporting for child protection workstreams including for harmful practices, MHPSS, CAAC, GBVIE, PSEA and CHPA

      - A short report (5 pages) on progress of disability inclusion in different child protection workstreams in line with the child protection DI action plan. This will be done through review, analysis, and inputs on disability inclusion in child protection data and narratives coming from the 2024 annual reporting and programme monitoring for all child protection workstreams      

31 March 2025

5.   Dissemination and support for roll-out of Child Protection Systems Strengthening & Social Service Workforce Strengthening resources as they relate to children with disabilities all workstreams including for harmful practices, MHPSS, CAAC, GBVIE, PSEA and CHPA

      Two webinars with COs, ROs and HQ

- For dissemination of the DICP Technical Guidance for Data Monitoring Reporting

30 April 2025

- For capacity building of HQ, RO and CO Staffs to implement guidance

31 May 2025

6.  Technical support on implementing disability inclusion in child protection’s identified priority areas of work (in line with DIPAS and CPPT DIPAS Action Plan) for all child protection workstreams: including Harmful Practices, MHPSS, CAAC, GBViE, PSEA.

- Develop short technical guidance and provide inputs to the HQ, RO and COs on 2024 annual review, programme planning, strategy development in line with DIPAS and CPPT DIPAS Action Plan) for MHPSS, GBViE, CAAC PSEA workstreams

15 January 2025 and 31 May 2025

- Develop workshop materials and methodologies for the GBV-Disabilities workshop planned for early 2025.

15 February 2025

Develop two small guidance notes on disability inclusion in the context of FGM and ECM (max five pages each)

31 March 2025

- 2 webinars FGM/ECM and disability inclusion for all FGM and ECM partners (UNFPA and UNICEF partners) in 17 COs based to disseminate the guidance notes

15 May and 30 June 2025

Qualifications

(1) Education

• Masters level. An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: social science, social work, international development, human rights, psychology, sociology, international law, or another relevant social science.

Language Proficiency:

• Proficiency in English is essential. Knowledge of another UN language/s highly desirable.

(2) Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

• A minimum of five years of professional experience in child protection programme planning and management in the areas of disability inclusion is required.
• Experience working in a developing country is considered an asset.
• Relevant experience in programme development in child protection and disability inclusion areas of child protection systems, social service workforce, alternative care, and so on, in a UN system agency or organization is considered an asset.
• Experience in both development and humanitarian contexts is considered an added advantage.

Requirements: 

Completed profile in UNICEF's e-Recruitment system and

• Upload copy of academic credentials
• Financial proposal that will include/ reflect :
  • the costs per each deliverable and the total lump-sum for the whole assignment (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 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.  

Individuals engaged under a consultancy 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. Consultants 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.