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​The UNICEF Turkmenistan Country Programme 2026–2030 prioritizes strengthening the child protection system, with a focus on preventing violence against children, strengthening family support, and advancing Social and Behavior Change (SBC) approaches. Recent data indicates that 66.5% of children aged 1–14 experience violent discipline (MICS 2024), reflecting persistent social norms that tolerate harsh parenting practices. At the same time, caregivers often lack access to practical parenting support, while frontline professionals require enhanced capacity to engage families on non-violent parenting.

In response, UNICEF, in collaboration with national partners, is implementing the Parenting Month Campaign and aims to test Parenting Support Groups format, a 3-month pilot initiative to:

• strengthen professional capacity
• test parenting support groups as a community-based intervention
• promote positive parenting through SBC approaches

This pilot will generate practical learning to inform future parenting support programming and broader child protection and family support efforts.

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

The purpose of this consultancy is to support the design, implementation, and documentation of parenting support groups and the related SBC campaign, ensuring quality delivery, consistency across pilot sites, and generation of practical evidence for future scale-up.

In close collaboration with UNICEF Turkmenistan, the selected consultant will be responsible for designing and implementation of:

• A 2-day workshop for the national partners on facilitation and monitoring of the parenting support groups with the focus on positive parenting content, group facilitation skills, safeguarding, and appropriate follow-up and service linkage considerations.
• A practical facilitator guide, including recommendations and methodology for facilitation and  3-session parenting group curriculum with the focus on prevention of violence against children.
• Pre/post knowledge tools and session feedback templates.
• Supervision and technical support to selected facilitators in the pilot locations (expected total number to be confirmed with UNICEF and partners).
• Documentation of qualitative feedback from facilitators and participants after each session, summarize observations, participant engagement, emerging challenges.
• Social media messaging on the subject, consisting of 5 videos.
• Promptly alert UNICEF to any safeguarding or other sensitive concerns arising during implementation, in line with agreed protocols and appropriate channels.
• A final workshop/meeting to summarize the results of the pilot. Highlight good practices and successful facilitation approaches.
• Final report consolidating all observations, engagement insights, and challenges with practical recommendations.

Scope of Work:

1.  June – Design, Preparation and Capacity Building
2.  July-August – Launch, Implementation and Monitoring
3.  September – Analysis, Learning and Reporting

• Analyze data and qualitative findings from all pilot locations
• feasibility and acceptability of parenting support groups
• quality and practicality of the facilitation approach
• differences across delivery platforms and settings
• lessons for future adaptation
• Prepare and facilitate a final workshop/meeting with partners to:
• present findings
• validate lessons learned
• highlight good practices
• Develop a final report, including:
• summary of implementation
• key findings and insights
• challenges and limitations
• practical recommendations for future adaptation and possible expansion -up
• Provide inputs for future programme design within UNICEF CPD 2026–2030

The duration of this consultancy is 37 days date of contract signature. Expected delivery is May 30-September 30, 2026.

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.

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.

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.

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