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Europe and Central Asia Region

Functional Area

Programme and Policy

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Social welfare workforce training Consultant

Apply now Job no: 573434
Contract type: Consultant
Duty Station: Bishkek
Level: Consultancy
Location: Kyrgyzstan
Categories: Child Protection

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

In Kyrgyzstan the social welfare workforce includes approximately 200 social workers (Family and Child Support Department
in English, OPSD in Russian) and 900 social assistants for the elderly and disabled under the Ministry of Labour, Social Welfare
and Migration and approximately 3000 social pedagogues under the Ministry of Education and Science. The Government of
the Kyrgyz Republic recently announced 550 new para social workers for child protection who would work under the
supervision of OPSD.
There are no government endorsed in-service trainings for the social welfare workforce. The new cadre of para social workers
as well as other members of the social welfare workforce will be required to work with vulnerable children and families.
Capacity building gaps include knowledge of relevant laws and procedures and the practical skills to work with distressed
child and family clients with complex protection needs. Ad-hoc trainings for para social workers tend to focus on theory and
use lecture type methodologies. There is limited understanding of the need to spend time on checking internal assumptions
and biases which would inform how a para social worker works with clients. There is limited understanding no how to develop
practical and skills-based training; with in-country training often reverting to lectures or discussion of a topic rather than
more innovative approaches.
UNICEF is working with an NGO that is tasked to develop a five-day practical and skills-based training for the para social
workers. This is based on a request from the Minsitry of Labour, Social Welfare and Migration. Additional modules need to
be developed to cover other key learning; though these are still to be decided.

How can you make a difference? 

1. Review the proposed training outline for basic social work skills and finalise it. Agree on and draft training outlines for
the other two trainings;
2. Review the existing UNICEF-Columbia school of social work training on communications skills and community
development and other relevant training manuals and identify sessions for use in Kyrgyzstan;
3. Jointly with UNICEF child protection team and the current NGO implementing partner design a five-day training for
Kyrgyz para social workers. The training needs to include, at a minimum, the following sessions:
 checking one’s own internal assumptions, biases and judgments;
 role of para social worker vis-à-vis OPSD and the limitations of a para social worker role
 community strengths and resources
 define vulnerability
 basics on the stages of case management and key principles
key skills to do the job of a para social worker including: starting a conversation, building a relationship,
identifying strengths, identifying problems, working with a distressed client, listening skills, reflective and active
listening, asking the right questions, identifying risks, conducting referrals
 design a simple form to capture key information and actions by a para social worker.
4. Design the other two trainings;
5. Share all three trainings with the Ministry of Social Welfare for review;
6. Test the basic social work skills training with para social workers and OPSD and use the opportunity to train Master
Trainers;
7. Finalize all three training manuals for facilitator, all handouts and participants handbook / materials;
8. Share final package of materials including a brief consultancy report summarizing steps taken, lessons learned, and
areas for future development.
 

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

  • An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in Social work, youth work, psychology, child protection
    Education, Pedagogy, Child rights

    *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 8 of relevant professional experience in social work or child protection
  • Expert knowledge of developing skills/competency-based training for adults and evidence of associated experience
  • Experience (remote and in-country) supporting a diverse range of UN agencies, NGOs (international and local), academic institutions, governments in the area of workforce wellbeing, MHPSS, child protection, health, education, etc
  • Strong knowledge of social welfare workforce role in the Europe and Central Asia context
  • Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset. 
  • Fluency in English and Russian is required. Knowledge of a local language (Kyrgyz) is an asset. 

Please fill in the financial proposal table Download File Financial Proposal cp.xlsx and full TOR is here Download File ToR 1.docx

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 here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors 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. 

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:  

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. 

Advertised: Central Asia Standard Time
Deadline: Central Asia Standard Time

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