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Consultancy: Primary Prevention of Violence against Children in Latin America and the Caribbean – Case Studies, LAC Regional Office, Panama, 6.5 months (Home-Based)

Apply now Job no: 575031
Contract type: Consultant
Duty Station: Panama City
Level: Consultancy
Location: Panama
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, a champion 

By various measures, Latin America and the Caribbean is considered to be the most violent region for children in the world, with high rates of armed violence, sexual violence, and corporal punishment. 1 As recently defined through the International Classification of Violence against Children (ICVAC), violence against children refers to “any deliberate, unwanted and non-essential act, threatened or actual, against a child or against multiple children that results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in death, injury or other forms of physical and psychological suffering.
 
UNICEF, in its current Strategic Plan (2022-2025) and Child Protection Strategy (2021-2030) have prioritized a strategic shift towards universal prevention so that all children grow in a protective environment, and identifies building the evidence base on the impact and cost-effectiveness of primary prevention interventions as one, important part of strengthening child protection systems.2 This exercise will serve to examine primary prevention and compile case studies of successful approaches undertaken by UNICEF country offices (COs) to prevent violence against children in Latin America and the Caribbean. Primary prevention can be broadly understood as involving the provision of services directed at the general population with the aim of stopping violence, preferably before the violence occurs. Conceptualized within a social ecological model, UNICEF’s ambition is to scale up evidence-based prevention approaches to the population level, not only in the core Child Protection sectors of Social Welfare and Justice, but also in Education, Health, Social Protection and other sectors with strong and clear accountabilities to deliver child protection outcomes. This includes universal access to justice, to birth registration, to family and parenting support, to safe schools and to safety online, as well as universal adoption of transformative norms and values.
 
To this effect, UNICEF LACRO seeks the services of an individual consultant to support the compilation of case studies from 4 countries in the region.

How can you make a difference? 

The purpose of this exercise is to examine and document case studies of successful primary prevention approaches undertaken by UNICEF country offices (COs) to prevent violence against children in Latin America and the Caribbean in order to better drive UNICEF’s regional violence prevention programming and advocacy. A secondary aim is to contribute to and drive UNICEF’s global thought leadership on prevention of violence against children, specifically in the areas of armed violence, sexual violence, violence in and around schools, and online/offline peer violence.

Key activities:

The specific tasks and objectives of this exercise are to develop four (4) case studies of evidence-based violence primary prevention interventions across Latin America and the Caribbean. The case studies will seek to achieve the following:
  • Present 4 clear, distinct examples of interventions and strategies that prevent violence against children before it occurs and from reoccurrence, including any existing data and evidence, lessons learned, partnerships, costing and programming implications.
  • Provide details of each intervention in a readable and digestible for a diverse audience including UNICEF CO staff, implementing partners, Government stakeholders and regional donors.
  • Further clarify UNICEF’s conceptual framework and approach to primary prevention of violence against children in the region as part of child protection system strengthening in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The intended users of these case studies are UNICEF country offices, implementing partners, Government, donors and civil society.
 
This consultancy will require travel to the 4 countries, and the documentation and collation of case studies across the 4 countries will rely on the following methods:
  • Comprehensive literature review – prior to visits, review of all relevant programme documentation, strategy notes, available data (quantitative and qualitative), assessments, and/or research used in the design, measurement, and assessment of the intervention at country level.
  • Interviews – virtual and in-person individual and/or group interviews with UNICEF staff and stakeholders using an array of structured, non-structured and participatory approaches.
  • Observational methods – participant-observation, note-taking through site visits at country level during travel to the 4 countries.
The case studies will be documented following methodological principles of consultation, allowing for participation of various stakeholders, and triangulation, with information expected to be analyzed considering a variety of sources and perspectives.
 
The chronological scope includes interventions carried out since the beginning of UNICEF’s Global Child Protection Strategy (2021-2030) and current Strategic Plan (2022-2025). The geographic scope of these case studies includes 4 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Countries will be selected through a transparent process on the basis of the following criteria, including: (1) where UNICEF leads on a violence prevention programming; (2) the prevention programming has an indication of scale; (3) selected interventions are each from different countries; (4) each presents a different, distinct type of programming; and (5), among other criteria to be determined with the consultant.
 
Deliverables:
 

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

  • An advanced university degree in social sciences, with advanced knowledge and experience in child protection. 
  • Proven experience of at least 5 years in interview design and facilitation; excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
  • Knowledge of child protection systems and violence prevention and response strategies required.
  • Strong analytical and conceptual thinking and proven experience in report writing, experience producing case studies an advantage.
  • Excellent organizational skills and be able to cope with various feedback from several stakeholders; ability to cooperate with several specialists and working groups.
  • Fluency in either Spanish or English and proficiency in the other is required. Knowledge of French or Portuguese will be considered an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS). 

 UNICEF competencies: building and maintains partnerships, demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness, drive to achieve results for impact, innovates and embraces change, manages ambiguity and complexity, thinks and acts strategically and works collaboratively with others.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

Administrative details

Supervision: The consultant will work under the overall supervision and guidance of the Child Protection Specialist.

Workplace: The consultancy is home-based. Travel may be involved. International travel may be required, discussed and agreed with the consultant (a separate travel line will be included in the contract).

Duration:  Estimated start date is September 16, 2024, until March 31, 2025.

How to Apply: Application should be submitted online and should include: TMS application form duly completed, Cover Letter, Study certificates and financial proposal (Daily fee or deliverable fee).

Qualified candidates are requested to indicate an all-inclusive (lump sum) fee for the services to be including all associated administrative and travel costs.

Consultants must have their own equipment, tools and materials needed to perform their services. They will use their own laptops/computers, any application or system needed to complete the assignment. They need to provide the full service without using UNICEF resources. The access to UNICEF email and system is restricted to UNICEF staff therefore consultants should not be granted access unless it is imperative to complete the assignment.

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: Eastern Daylight Time
Deadline: Eastern Daylight Time

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