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, Education

Backround

The Lesotho Nursing Council (LNC) is a statutory body established under the Nurses and Midwives Act No. 12 of 1998. It is tasked with regulating nursing and midwifery education and practice in Lesotho to ensure public safety by preventing unsafe practices by nurses, midwives, and nursing assistants. The LNC provides guidance to its registrants to ensure that they deliver quality, ethical, and competent nursing and midwifery care, complying with the established education, practice standards, and professional conduct.

In 2011, LNC introduced the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) program, aimed at enabling registrants to enhance their knowledge and skills in line with emerging healthcare technologies and disease trends. This program was developed to meet the requirements of the Ministry of Health's Continuing Education Strategy (2010), which mandates regulatory bodies, including the LNC, to establish CPD programs. These programs help registrants continually improve their competencies to provide the highest quality of care to the people of Lesotho.

The CPD framework and its associated CPD Logbook were first developed in 2011 and last reviewed in 2016. However, it is now overdue for a comprehensive review to address emerging trends in healthcare, as well as feedback from the 2022 CPD Evaluation Survey, which involved a sample of healthcare workers, including nurses, midwives, and nursing assistants from public and private health facilities, as well as verifiers from various districts.

The Ministry of Health (MoH), in partnership with the Lesotho Nursing Council (LNC), is committed to advancing the professional competencies of healthcare workers, particularly nurses, through CPD initiatives. This collaboration will enhance the quality of healthcare by offering innovative learning platforms such as learning hubs, simulation centers, and both online and offline training environments.

It is against this background that UNICEF requires the services of a qualified local consultant to support MOH and LNC to review and develop a comprehensive CPD framework that will foster continuous learning and professional development for healthcare workers in Lesotho

Purpose of the Assignment

Under the supervision of Health officer with the guidance of the Chief of Child Survival ,  Director Nursing services, Child health program manager and Lesotho Nursing council the consultant will review and update the existing CPD framework and logbook, which are due for review after five years. This review will be informed by the 2022 CPD evaluation survey findings. The consultant will draft a revised CPD framework to ensure it aligns with emerging trends and meets the professional development needs of healthcare workers in Lesotho including Learning hub, online and offline learning and simulation centers. UNICEF, MOH and LNC will be sharing with the consultant materials necessary for this work.

How can you make a difference? 

Objectives of the consultancy

The consultant will develop a comprehensive Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Framework that will:

1. Establish a structured, sustainable CPD process for healthcare workers, with a specific focus on nurses.
2. Provide clear guidelines for the design, implementation, and evaluation of CPD activities.
3. Ensure the CPD framework aligns with national healthcare policies, international best practices, and emerging trends in healthcare education and practice.
4. Incorporate both online and offline learning platforms to enhance accessibility and flexibility for healthcare workers' professional development.
5. Develop mechanisms for monitoring and assessing the effectiveness of CPD activities and their impact on healthcare quality.

Scope of work

The purpose of the assignment is to seek quality proposal from potential consultant to provide their professional services for development of the CPD framework.

The consultant will conduct:

• Desk Review: Review the existing CPD framework and logbook, along with other relevant regulatory tools and legal frameworks, to understand the current landscape and gaps.
• Inception Report: Submit an inception report detailing the methodology, work plan, and timeline for the review and development of the updated CPD framework.
• Facilitate Technical Working Group (TWG) Consultations: Work with the Technical Working Group to guide the review of the CPD framework and logbook, ensuring all relevant stakeholders are consulted.
• Needs Assessment: Conduct a needs assessment to evaluate the current CPD requirements and gaps through surveys, interviews, and consultations with key stakeholders such as healthcare institutions, nursing associations, and training providers.
  • Best Practices Review: Examine national and international CPD frameworks, guidelines, and practices, particularly those related to learning hubs, simulation centers, and blended learning approaches (online and offline platforms).
  • Development of the CPD Framework: Based on the findings from the needs assessment and best practices review MOH priorities, develop the updated CPD framework, including:
    • Learning objectives and competency areas.
    • Detailed structure of CPD activities (e.g., workshops, courses, simulations, self-directed learning).
    • Guidelines for integrating both online and offline learning opportunities.
    • Criteria for accrediting CPD providers and programs.

Methods for tracking and documenting CPD participation.

• Validation of the CPD framework: Engage with stakeholders (nurses, midwives, nursing assistants, regulators, training providers) to validate the framework and ensure it meets their needs.
• Implementation Plan: Develop a detailed implementation plan, including timelines, resource allocation, and roles, for rolling out the updated CPD framework.
• Capacity Building: Design training materials to ensure effective implementation and sustainability of the CPD framework.
• Final Report: Deliver a comprehensive final report outlining the CPD framework, implementation plan, and recommendations for future CPD initiatives

• WORK ASSIGNMENT OVERVIEW

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

Enter disciplines:

A degree in Nursing, Health Education, Public Health or a related field (Master’s degree 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. 

Relevant Work experience required:

• Proven experience in the design and development of professional development frameworks, particularly in the healthcare sector.
• Familiarity with the Lesotho healthcare system and experience working with government institutions, healthcare organizations, or professional regulatory bodies.
• Expertise in designing both online and offline training modules, including simulation-based learning.
• Strong understanding of adult learning principles and healthcare training needs.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and report-writing skills.
• Familiarity with national and international healthcare training standards and accreditation processes

Language:

Fluency in English

Specialized skills and/or training if needed:

• Expertise in writing technical documents, applying analytical skills.
  • Ability to organize, compile and summarize inputs from different writers, provide clarity using result-based languages.
  • Ability to synthesize complex documents into key messages.

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.

Interested candidates should indicate their ability, availability, and rate (daily/monthly) expressed in USD to undertake the terms of reference. Please indicate an all-inclusive fee (including lump sum travel and subsistence costs, as applicable) to undertake the tasks in the Terms of reference.

Remarks:  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

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.