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Purpose of Activity/Assignment

Adoption in Ireland was legalised in 1952 and is currently administered under the Adoption Act 2010. Adoption is delivered through the Child & Family Agency, Tusla, and regulated by the Adoption Authority of Ireland. Since the Adoption Act 2010 became law, the nature of adoption in Ireland – and indeed across Europe – has evolved significantly. Family structures and how families are formed have changed bringing a wealth of diversity to Irish society. This can be seen in the increased use of surrogacy and scientific advances in assisted human reproduction. Further changes have been brought about by the 31st amendment of the Constitution. There has also been new learning from historical adoption practices such as those detailed in the 2021 Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes. While the numbers of children now being placed for adoption in Ireland is low compared to historic numbers, there is anecdotal evidence of a recent increase in children with disabilities within the infant adoption cohort. These increasing areas of complexity facing domestic infant adoption mean that in too many cases the experience of parties concerned in domestic infant adoption, especially the child, are not where the State or its agencies want it to be. To better reflect the evolved nature of domestic infant adoption and deliver the highest quality service to children and their families, reform of adoption legislation, policy and practice is needed.

The Government of Ireland has sought support from the European Commission under Regulation (EU) 2021/240, known as the Technical Support Instrument, which serves as a vehicle for providing targeted assistance to regions facing specific challenges. The Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support (DG REFORM) of the European Commission has contracted UNICEF’s Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (UNICEF ECARO) to provide technical support to Ireland. The overarching goal is to develop an evidence-based best practice framework and reform roadmap to enable the Government of Ireland to reform its domestic infant adoption system to ensure better outcomes for all parties involved, especially the child. The main beneficiary authority of this support is the Adoption Policy Unit, which is part of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.

To successfully achieve the objective of the EU funded project (the “Action”), UNICEF Europe and Central Asia Regional Office (ECARO) is responsible for carrying out the following:

(i) Research on evidence-based best practice for domestic adoption, with a focus on infant adoptions, in EU and non-EU countries.
(ii) Research on the existing domestic adoption system in Ireland, with a focus on infant adoptions.
(iii) The facilitation of learning exchange meetings between the stakeholders in Ireland and best-practice countries.
(iv) The development of a set of evidence-based recommendations for reforming the domestic infant adoption system in Ireland.
(v) The development of a best-practice framework for reforming the domestic infant adoption in Ireland.
(vi) A high-level roadmap setting out the operational process and budget for the reform of the domestic infant adoption system in Ireland.

There will be a UNICEF project team to lead the implementation the Action formed of three UNICEF ECARO child protection specialists and experts that will serve as project managers and operational leaders to oversee and guide technical implementation and ensure that the project activities are in line with UNICEF requirements for quality and effectiveness. Furthermore, the project team will be supported by:

• A Project Leading Domestic Adoption (Global) Expert (hereafter referred to as the “Lead Expert”)
• A National Domestic Adoption (Ireland) Expert (hereafter referred to as the “National Expert”).

The Project team and experts will be accountable to a Project Steering Committee (made up of DG REFORM, UNICEF ECARO and the Adoption and Policy Unit) which meets at least quarterly in order to oversee all planned activities, ensuring effective coordination and engagement, and an Advisory Committee, made up of relevant stakeholders in Ireland with an overall guiding and consultative role.

The Lead Expert will play the lead technical role in the implementation of the project, including providing technical advice and support to the National Expert. These terms of reference are concerned with the role, scope and deliverables required of the Lead Expert. The consultancy requires a child protection expert with good knowledge and experience of domestic adoption in EU and non-EU countries.

Scope of Work

Under the supervision of the UNICEF project team, the Lead Expert will serve as a technical lead in carrying out the research and advising on a set of evidence-based recommendations, leading to the best practice framework and high-level roadmap for the reform of the domestic infant adoption system in Ireland. More specifically, the Lead Expert will carry out the following tasks:

1. Inception report: With support from the project team and National Expert, develop the inception report for the Action, outlining the context, workplan, timeline, methodology, etc.

2. Research into international best-practice on domestic adoption: Carry out a literature review (drawing on academic and grey literature) and semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions (with governments, adoption agencies, civil society groups, practitioners, those with lived experience of adoption and other relevant stakeholders) concerning best practice domestic adoption systems, especially relating to infant adoptions, in both EU and non-EU countries. The research should focus on:

• legal and policy provisions concerning domestic adoption;
• government strategies and guidelines concerning the implementation of domestic adoption systems and services;
• domestic adoption services and practices being delivered by both governments and non-state actors;
• coordination, collaboration and communication mechanisms and tools being used between sectors and agencies to manage the implementation of domestic adoption;
• evaluations and critiques of domestic adoption systems, including the voice of those with lived experience of domestic adoption;
• socio-political-economic changes in countries which are presenting new challenges to domestic adoptions systems and practices, and understanding how countries are adapting to these;
• outcomes for children and families; and
• any other relevant information concerning the research aims.

The findings of the research should be written up as a comprehensive report on international domestic adoption best practice. Note: This activity will happen simultaneously to the assessment being undertaken by the National Expert on domestic adoption practices in Ireland (see below).

3. Provide technical advice and support to the National Expert responsible for undertaking the assessment of current domestic adoption practices in Ireland with a focus on domestic infant adoptions: In particular this will involve supporting the National Expert with the development of the research methodology and tools and analysis of the data and findings. Ensure that the Ireland assessment is fully aligned with the overall goals of the Action, and in particular the international research (Task 2), so as to ensure that both activities inform each other and that findings can later be consolidated under Task 4 and 5.

4. The facilitation of learning exchange meetings: With support from the National Expert and the project team conduct an analysis of the research findings from Tasks 2 and 3 to identify EU and non-EU examples of good practice which could provide models for best-practice reform within the Irish domestic adoption system. Use this analysis to inform the selection of 2-3 countries for online exchange meetings between Irish authorities and the selected best practice countries. Organize and facilitate the exchange meetings (including one in-person meeting and the others online) to explore how these good practices have been designed and implemented, why they have resulted in good outcomes for children, and how they could be adapted and applied to the Irish domestic adoption system. Document the learning from these exchanges in a report.

5. Develop a set of evidence-based recommendations: With support from the National Expert, consolidate and analyze the data gathered from Tasks 2, 3 and 4 to develop a set of evidence-based recommendations to reform the domestic infant adoption system in Ireland. The report should include a review of relevant international evidence-based domestic adoption best practices along with suggestions/recommendations for how these models/examples could be used as a basis for reforming the Irish domestic infant adoption system. The draft report should be presented in an accessible format to the Advisory Committee and Steering Committee at an interactive workshop for their input and suggestions before being finalized.

6. Develop an evidence-based best practice framework for the reform of the domestic infant adoption system in Ireland: Drawing on the evidence-based recommendations (Task 5), and with support from the National Expert, develop an evidence-based best practice framework for the reform of the domestic infant adoption system in Ireland to ensure the best interests of the child. The best practice framework should include:

• the proposed legal, policy and regulatory amendments required to ensure best practice domestic adoption, along with potential new areas of legislation and policy;
• a comprehensive overview of services and practices required to effectively implement the reformed legal and policy framework for domestic adoption;
• the division of roles, responsibilities, accountabilities, and competences of the various stakeholders involved in delivering services for the domestic adoption system in Ireland;
• coordination, collaboration and communication mechanisms and tools required to ensure intersectoral and interagency collaboration between stakeholders;
• guiding values and principles to ensure the best outcomes for children and families;
• proposed indicators and mechanisms to monitor and measure the implementation of best practice and improved outcomes for children and families;
• the evidence of the EU and global best practices which underpin the framework; and
• any other information deemed necessary for the effective functioning of Ireland’s domestic infant adoption system.

The Lead Expert will present the proposed framework to relevant government and non-state stakeholders, including members of the Advisory Committee, and Steering Committee, and incorporate their feedback as relevant in the final draft.

7. Develop a high-level roadmap for the implementation of the best practice framework: With support from the project team and National Expert, develop a high-level roadmap for the implementation of the best practice framework (Task 6), setting out the operational process for how the Irish domestic infant adoption system will be reformed in practice. The roadmap should include:

• A clear process and timeline of agreed milestones to be met on the journey to reform.
• Roles and responsibilities of designated agencies in implementing the reforms.
• Project management mechanisms to oversee and implement the reforms.
• Coordination and collaboration mechanisms to ensure the smooth running of the reform process.
• Governance arrangements to oversee and be accountable for the reform.
• A communication strategy to engage wider stakeholders and the general public in understanding and supporting the reforms.
• Expected output and outcomes indicators and a clear monitoring framework to measure the success of reform and evaluate its impact.
• A fully-costed budget.

The draft roadmap should be shared with the Advisory Committee for review, and with the Steering Committee for validation and sign-off.

The Lead Expert is expected to work closely in coordination with the National Expert and also have regular calls with the UNICEF project team to review progress, challenges, next steps, etc. Ad-hoc calls may take place as deemed necessary. All progress reports to be submitted in electronic format by email to the UNICEF project team.

Work Assignment Overview

Estimated Duration of the Contract

125 working days between January 2025 and November 2026.

Consultant's Work Place and Official Travel

The Consultant will be remote/home-based.

As part of this assignment, some international travels are foreseen. The consultant will arrange her/his travel as and when they take place, and related costs will be reimbursed per UNICEF travel policy.

Travel Clause

• All UNICEF rules and regulations related to travel of Consultants apply.
• All travels shall be undertaken only upon the prior written approval by UNICEF.
• The consultant must be fit to travel, be in a possession of the valid UN BSAFE certificate, obligatory inoculation(s) and have a valid own travel/medical insurance and an immunization/vaccination card.

Estimated Cost of the Consultancy & Payment Schedule

Payment will be made on submission of an invoice and satisfactory completion of the above-mentioned deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/outputs are incomplete, not delivered or for failure to meet deadlines. All materials developed will remain the copyright of UNICEF and UNICEF will be free to adapt and modify them in the future.

Please submit a professional fee (in USD) based on 125 working days to undertake this assignment, without travel fees as these will be reimbursed as and when they take place.

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

• A relevant Master’s degree (in one of the following fields is required: international development, human rights, social work, sociology, or another relevant social science field).
• At least 7 years of work experience is required.
• Proven experience and knowledge related to the ToR areas is required.
• Demonstrated experience of producing high-quality reports, presentations, implementation plans other documents is desirable.
• Demonstrated experience of working with a range of stakeholders including policy makers, practice-based organizations and non-governmental organizations is an asset.
• Experience of guiding and supporting other consultants and working as part of a team is desirable.
• Excellent qualitative analysis skills are considered as an asset.
• Good quantitative/statistical and analytical skills considered as an asset.
• Excellent interpersonal skills are required.
• Good presentation skills and ability to make complex information concise and accessible is required.
• Good knowledge of domestic adoption systems and practices in different settings is required.
• Ability to be flexible and deliver results under tight deadlines is required.
• Fluency in English (oral and written) is required.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS), and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most marginalized children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family 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:

Please submit

• a full CV,
• a detailed e-recruitment application demonstrating/highlighting your relevant experience for the role under Employment sections, and
• a Cover Letter outlining how you will approach the task.

Additionally, indicate your availability and professional fee (in USD) to undertake the terms of reference above. Applications submitted without a professional fee will not be considered. 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.

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.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants 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.