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For every child, the right to protection!

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:
Uzbekistan has placed the protection of children from all forms of violence among its core state priorities, culminating in the 2024 adoption of the Law “On the Protection of Children from All Forms of Violence.” The National Agency for Social Protection (NASP) under the President is mandated to establish a national child helpline under Article 25 of this Law. The country already operates a national toll-free helpline (1146) for cases of harassment and violence against women, run under NASP’s remit and widely promoted as a primary access point for support. Building on the installed base, NASP will initially activate a dedicated child pathway within Helpline 1146 to provide confidential, child-friendly counselling and assisted referrals with clear links to health, education, and law-enforcement services, while laying the groundwork for a potential future standalone child helpline with its own number.

The purpose of this consultancy is to lead the child-protection design and operationalization of the dedicated child pathway within 1146, laying the conceptual and procedural foundation for the potential transition to a standalone child helpline. The consultant will deliver a complete safeguarding and operating model; workforce training, quality-assurance and supervision arrangements; and a full suite of child-safe communication materials for soft launch and national rollout. Inter-agency referral agreements must be practical, implemented in daily workflows, and fully embedded in the case-management system. This consultancy will work jointly with an International Operations and Data Consultant, who will configure the helpline’s telephony and case management systems and lead user acceptance testing. Together both consultants will translate the approved safeguarding and operating procedures into a functional, measurable, and privacy-compliant child pathway within 1146 and, as needed, support the transition to a future standalone child helpline.

Scope of Work:

1. Conduct a needs assessment to identify:

• The most common situations in which children and concerned adults would benefit from the child helpline, with attention to multi-channel access (voice, webchat, text messaging), inclusion (languages; disability accommodations), and caller preferences around anonymity, including any legal or operational constraints on responding to anonymous reports. [Works jointly with the Operations and Data Consultant on channel feasibility and accessibility features.]
• Key stakeholders to engage in referral pathways (social services, health, education, law enforcement, legal aid) and expected service levels and response times.
• The types and anticipated volume of services to be provided by the child helpline (counselling, risk assessment, assisted referral/warm transfer, and follow-up), including peak-load and surge considerations. [Works jointly with the Operations and Data Consultant on volume modeling and shift implications.]
• Staffing structure (number, positions, etc.) taking into account round-the-clock work.
• For a potential standalone child helpline: identify additional governance, workforce, service-hour, number ownership/reservation, and business-continuity needs that go beyond the 1146 pathway.

2. Develop practical tools to support operationalization of the child helpline, including:

• A child-specific safeguarding and operating-procedure suite and protocol (intake/triage and risk thresholds; confidentiality with clearly defined limits; handling of anonymous contacts; self-harm and suicide response; child sexual exploitation and abuse – online and offline; missing child; silent or cannot-speak contacts; safe-callback and no-voicemail protocols; critical-incident reporting; staff code of conduct; staff wellbeing and vicarious-trauma procedures).
• A set of operator scripts (greeting and verification, risk-assessment prompts, de-escalation and crisis-response phrases, safe language for difficult conversations, and guidance for silent or non-verbal callers).
• A knowledge base for helpline operators, including FAQs, key referral information, and the relevant legal and procedural guidance required for accurate and timely responses.
• Inter-agency memoranda of understanding and service-level agreements with agreed escalation timers and feedback loops so referrals are tracked to outcome. [Works jointly with the Operations and Data Consultant to ensure the data fields and workflow steps are reflected correctly in the customer system.]
• Online safety guidance aligned to UNICEF and International Telecommunication Union Child Online Protection for scripts and platform engagement. [Works jointly with UNICEF and NASP Communications and Child Protection on production and with the Operations and Data Consultant to ensure scripts are implemented accurately in interactive voice response and chat prompts.]

3. Develop an outreach and communication strategy to raise awareness and promote the child helpline, ensuring:

• Child-friendly materials (translation to be provided by the National Agency for Social Protection), clear privacy and safety messages, and targeted outreach for children with disabilities, in alternative care, and deprived of liberty. [Works jointly with UNICEF and NASP Communications on creative production and media placement.]
• Clear, accessible information materials for adults who may need to report violence or seek help on behalf of a child, ensuring consistency with safeguarding messages and referral pathways.
• A two-phase launch plan (soft opening for quiet testing, then national campaign), with media safeguarding rules consistent with Child Helpline International standards. [Works jointly with UNICEF and NASP Communications and with the Operations and Data Consultant so technical prompts and recorded messages match approved language.]
• For a potential standalone child helpline: outline branding, key messages, and risk-mitigation considerations for a future separate number, ensuring continuity from 1146 and no confusion for children.

4. Build the capacity of helpline counsellors (operators) on the operationalization of the child helpline, including:

• A structured curriculum (rights and participation; trauma-informed practice; active listening; online harms; disability inclusion; documentation and data protection; self-care). [Works jointly with the Operations and Data Consultant to align any system-use steps and data-entry screens with training content.]
• On-the-job coaching during go-live and a calibrated quality-assurance rubric (empathy, risk assessment, accuracy, documentation) to support consistent practice.
• A brief trainer guide and trainee handbook with case scenarios and safe phrases for difficult conversations.

5. Establish a supervision system and conduct capacity building for prospective supervisors of helpline counsellors (operators), covering:

• A supervision model with a clear cadence (for example, weekly one-to-one, monthly group case reviews, and critical-incident debriefs).
• Tools for supervisors (session templates, checklists for safeguarding and documentation, escalation prompts).
• Live and recorded quality reviews with fair sampling rules and feedback protocols that emphasize learning and wellbeing.
• A short skills-building workshop for supervisors and a three-month coaching plan to embed the new practices. [Works jointly with the Operations and Data Consultant to ensure any review forms or fields referenced in supervision are available in the customer system.]

6. Support the analysis of data collected during the first quarter of the child helpline’s operation and provide recommendations to adjust services, including:

• Review and interpretation of performance and protection indicators (answer rate, wait time, abandoned calls, distribution of risk levels, timeliness of escalation, completion of warm transfers, verified service uptake) and user experience insights, highlighting any implications for a potential standalone child helpline (for example, scale, continuity of records, branding and access, and inter-agency readiness). [Works jointly with the Operations and Data Consultant, who prepares the cleaned dataset and dashboard views; jointly agrees on indicator definitions and any disaggregation required.]
• A short policy and learning brief that translates findings into concrete service improvements and system-level recommendations for partner agencies, and – should NASP decide to proceed – sets out decision-ready options and phased milestones for transitioning to a standalone child helpline with its own number (including no-regrets actions, key dependencies, and an indicative resource envelope). [Coordinates with UNICEF and NASP Communications and Child Protection to reflect any messaging adjustments for the next outreach wave.]

7. Implementation monitoring and oversight support
Throughout the assignment, the consultant will engage regularly with NASP, UNICEF and the Operations and Data Consultant to ensure coherence across safeguarding, operational, and technical streams. This includes participation in structured progress discussions (for example, weekly sessions during design and rollout, and monthly reviews thereafter), providing expert guidance on the application of safeguarding standards, and jointly resolving implementation challenges or bottlenecks. The consultant will document key decisions, risks, and lessons learned to inform adjustments during rollout and to guide planning for a potential standalone child helpline.

Work Assignments Overview - Deliverables/Outputs - Timeline
1. Conduct needs assessment to identify (a) common situations where children/concerned adults would use the helpline, (b) key stakeholders for referral pathways, and (c) the types/volume of services to be provided, and d) staffing structure - 12 days home-based 23 Dec 2025

1.1 Needs Assessment Report (with standalone readiness implications) 
1.2 Service Blueprint for the child pathway within 1146, noting no-regrets design choices for a future standalone helpline 
1.3 Stakeholder & Referral Map 

2. Practical tools (Operational Guidelines; safeguarding and operating procedures; operator scripts, FAQs, inter-agency MoUs/Service Level Agreements) - 30 days home-based 13 Feb 2026

2.1 Operational Guidelines
2.2 SOP & Safeguarding Suite
2.3 Operator scripts
2.4 Knowledge base for helpline operators, including FAQs
2.5 Inter-agency MoUs/SLAs 

3. Develop an outreach and communication strategy to raise awareness and promote the child helpline - 8 days
home-based

3.1 Outreach & Communications Strategy
3.2 Two-phase Launch Plan 

30 Mar 2026 (strategy & plan)

Mar 2026: Soft launch

Apr 2026: National campaign

4. Build the capacity of helpline counsellors (operators) on operationalization of the child helpline

4.1 Training Package: 10 modules (rights & participation; trauma-informed practice; active listening; child sexual abuse and exploitation (online/offline); online harms; disability inclusion; documentation & data protection; self-care) - 30 days
4.2 Counsellor Training Delivery - 20 Mar 2026 (package ready)
4.3 Go-live Coaching: 10 days remote/onsite during first 2 weeks of operations - By 31 Mar 2026 (training delivered)
4.4 QA Rubric & Calibration - First 2 weeks post-go-live (coaching)

5. Establish a supervision system and conduct capacity building for prospective supervisors - 12 days 30 Apr 2026

5.1 Supervision System
5.2 Supervisor Training (Certificate) and coaching plan 
home-based and in-country

6. Support analysis of first-quarter data and provide recommendations to adjust services, highlighting implications for a potential standalone child helpline and, if NASP decides to proceed, setting out decision-ready options and phased milestones for the transition - 7 days home-based By 31 Jul 2026

6.1 Q1 Analysis Report
6.2 Short Policy/Learning Brief with prioritized improvements to services and referral pathways 

7. Implementation monitoring and oversight support - 5 days By 15 August 2026

5.1 Kickoff and workplan alignment
5.2 Regular coordination and progress review meetings with NASP, UNICEF and the Operations and Data Consultant (up to 10 hours total, including weekly sessions during configuration and monthly thereafter)
5.3 Action points and follow-up tracker maintained throughout the assignment 

Travel is required.

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

Minimum requirements:

[Include the vacancy requirements aligned to the category and level of the position. You can see examples in the branded VA example.]

• Education: Master’s or higher in Social Sciences, including Social Work, Psychology, Law, Sociology etc.
• Work Experience:
  • Ten or more years in child-protection service delivery, including direct counselling and assisted referrals for children and adolescents.
  • At least three years designing or operating child helplines or crisis lines, with clear responsibility for operating procedures, quality assurance, and supervision.
  • Proven record of developing safeguarding and operating procedures.
  • Demonstrated leadership in workforce training and coaching (designing curricula, delivering training, calibrating quality-review rubrics, and providing on-the-job coaching).
  • Solid experience establishing supervision systems (one-to-one supervision, group case reviews, live and recorded quality reviews, debriefing, and wellbeing).
  • Strong track record authoring child-safe communications (interactive voice response scripts, agent micro-prompts, web and social copy, posters/leaflets, frequently asked questions, media talking points) and running safeguarding reviews with communications teams.
  • Experience facilitating inter-agency agreements with social services, health, education, law enforcement, and legal aid, including workable escalation timers and feedback loops.
  • Practical knowledge of data protection and privacy for children (what to collect, why, and how to minimise risk). Note: no system configuration is required for this role.

• Skills: 
  • Excellent writing and editing skills aimed at children and caregivers; ability to produce clear, accessible, inclusive, and disability-aware content (plain language, trauma-informed tone, appropriate reading level).
  • Strong facilitation, coaching, and feedback skills; able to model sensitive conversations and safe phrases.
  • Ability to design and calibrate quality-assurance tools that are fair, teachable, and tied to improved outcomes for children.
• Language Requirements: 
  • Excellent English.
  • Russian is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

This position has been assessed as an elevated risk role for Child Safeguarding purposes as it is either a role with direct contact with children, a role that works directly with identifiable children’s data, a safeguarding response role, or an assessed risk role. Additional vetting and assessment for elevated risk roles in child safeguarding (potentially including additional criminal background checks) apply.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

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.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:  

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. 

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason. 

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF’s Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.