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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, Protection

UNICEF works to promote and protect the rights of children in Botswana to ensure that children’s rights to survival, development, protection and participation, are realized through access to quality social services, the adoption of healthy and protective behaviours, and by promoting active participation. The Botswana Country Office follows a life cycle-based approach by focusing on two critical windows of opportunity in a child’s life: firstly, childhood, spanning children’s lives from conception to the age of 9 and secondly, adolescence/youth covering the age range from 10 to 24.  A third component focuses on social policy, highlighting the need to protect social sector spending in times of crisis and inclusive, shock-responsive social protection systems. The Country programme aims to prioritize the most vulnerable children who are at risk of being left behind, including children living with disabilities, those living in remote rural areas and those that have been affected by HIV.

Visit this link for more information on working with UNICEF Botswana

How can you make a difference? 

PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The purpose of this assignment is to contract a consultant who will develop multisectoral standard operating procedures (SOPS) for a child friendly justice system. The SOPs will also include referral mechanisms for cases of children encountering the law, whether as children in conflict with the law, victims of crime, witnesses of crime or for civil matters, including adoption among others. The SOPs will reflect on the roles of different players in the child justice system including children and their families, social workers, educators, health workers, the police, prosecutors, magistrate, and judges.

SCOPE OF WORK

Working under the supervision of the Child Protection Specialist in UNICEF Botswana Country Office and in close consultation with the Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services, the Ministry of Child Welfare and Basic Education and the Department of Social Development under Ministry of Local Government and Traditional Affairs the objective of the consultant will develop SOPs for a child friendly justice system that will be used to guide the children and their families, social workers, educators, health workers, the police, prosecutors, magistrate and judges on ways to receive, investigate and refer cases of children in contact with the law in Botswana. The consultancy is expected to take 60 working days spread over 3 months and the scope of work includes:

1. Producing an inception report that includes the methodology and timelines that will be validated by a technical working group.

2. Conducting interviews and focus group discussions with key stakeholders including civil society organisations and relevant ministries and departments and using the findings to inform the development of the SOPs.

3. Working with the relevant ministries and stakeholders, develop an in-depth standard operating procedure that is multi sectoral and all inclusive (Cater for children with different disabilities).

4. Developing referral mechanism for cases of children from the initial reporting of a case to the completion of the case.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SOPS ARE AS STIPULATED BELOW.

a) Consideration of the Best Interest of the Child

b) Upholding Children’s Rights

c) Adopting a Child-friendly Approach including child friendly referral mechanisms

d) Protection of Privacy and Confidentiality

e) Inclusivity of all children

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

 The Consultant is expected to adhere to the following reporting requirements. He/she will be reporting to the Contract Supervisor (Child Protection Specialist) and Ministry of Justice (Research Director) on biweekly basis through e mails, teams or zoom calls.

 The Consultant will be reporting his/her progress through calls and emails as a mode of communication to the Child Protection Specialist.

 Following consultations with the TWG the Consultant will submit all the agreed contract deliverables through email and these documents should be in word unless when he/she is submitting final versions where he/she must submit both word and PDF versions.

 The consultant will conduct consultations with relevant stakeholders through various means including face to face meetings or Teams/Zoom meeting which will be organised by the Contract Supervisor together with the Ministry of Justice (Research Director). Further, based on his/her inception report, he/she may be provided with the list of names of relevant staff members with their positions and email addresses in case he/she wants to do some follow ups.

 It is the responsibility of the contract supervisor and the Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services to organise, in collaboration with the Consultant, regular virtual meetings to facilitate consultations and assess progress made towards achieving agreed deliverables on time. Reporting will be on biweekly basis. It is expected that this biweekly reporting arrangement will provide periodic updates on the progress, challenges, and plans towards timely completion of agreed deliverables.

Outputs/Deliverables:

 The Consultant should submit the following agreed deliverables.

o Inception Report detailing methodology to be used and realistic timelines,

o Reports of meetings held with the technical working group.

o Draft and final SOPs informed by key informants and approved by the TWG.

o Draft and final referral system for children’s cases  

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

• A master’s degree in law, social work, criminal justice or related field.  A PhD will be an added advantage.
  *A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree. 
• A minimum of at least 10 years of proven relevant experience developing standard operating procedures or similar documents in the Botswana context or in similar context elsewhere.
• Experience in child protection and child friendly justice system.
• Excellent analytical, report-writing and research skills and the ability to engage with diverse stakeholders.
• Experience working with government institutions in the field of justice.
• Experience with UN agencies will be an added advantage.
• Experience working in Botswana is an added advantage
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered 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 committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. To create a more inclusive workplace, UNICEF offers paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. Click here to learn more about flexible work arrangements, well-being, and benefits.

According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. In its Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy 2022-2030, UNICEF has committed to increase the number of employees with disabilities by 2030. At UNICEF, we provide reasonable accommodation for work-related support requirements of candidates and employees with disabilities. Also, UNICEF has launched a Global Accessibility Helpdesk to strengthen physical and digital accessibility. If you are an applicant with a disability who needs digital accessibility support in completing the online application, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

Remarks:  

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.