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, protection from any harm.

Since the beginning of the EU accession process in 2008, Montenegro made significant progress in the justice sector reforms. By implementing a comprehensive Juvenile Justice System Reform for more than a decade, Montenegro made considerable and sustained progress in alignment of its legislation and practice in child justice with relevant UN and European instruments. The reform contributed positively to the country’s progress in the EU accession process and led to positive results in the area of rule of law, democratic governance and social inclusion.

Montenegro developed a solid policy and legal framework for children and children’s access to justice, has intersectoral coordination mechanisms in place and has strengthened the capacities of child justice professionals. Despite the great progress achieved, the Government of Montenegro has recognized that the reform focus should be expanded towards broader children’s access to justice issues in order to ensure full protection of the rights of all children who participate in, mainstream criminal and civil justice processes.

Montenegro adopted specialized legislation on dealing with children in conflict with the law and children victims and witnesses of crime, i.e. the Law on the treatment of children in criminal proceedings which is in line with international standards. in December 2024, the Government of Montenegro adopted the revised Law on legal aid which introduced mandatory specialization of defence lawyers on child rights.

Regarding children involved in civil proceedings, there are still many challenges in putting the child’s best interests and the right to be heard at the heart of proceedings involving custody contact, divorce and separation, placement into residential care and other issues related to alternative care. Montenegro does not have specialized court or fully specialized professionals to handle cases involving children in civil/family law related proceedings. This presents considerable challenge as judges who are dealing with divorce cases, guardianship rights, deprivation and limitation of parental rights etc. require specialization on child rights and child friendly proceedings. Social workers and lawyers lack the necessary training to specialize in children's rights, limiting their capacity and skills to adequately support children throughout all proceedings, including the knowledge on determination of the best interest of a child in adoption cases, deprivation and limitation of parental rights.

Given the above, as recognized by the state holders, it is necessary to provide further capacity building of judges in civil law cases dealing with divorce cases, guardianship rights, deprivation and limitation of parental rights and social workers on the determination of the best interest of a child in cases concerning children.  

How can you make a difference? 

Purpose of the Assignment

The objective of this assignment is to provide technical assistance to the respective institutions, i.e. Ministry of Justice, Judicial Training Centre, Institute for Social and Child Protection in the process of capacity building of professionals dealing with child rights in civil court cases, with the focus on adoption and deprivation and limitation of parental rights. 

The objective of to raise knowledge and understanding of the best interest of justice professional and social workers when dealing with children in family law cases, in line with international standards, with particular focus on adoption and determination and limitation of parental rights towards their children.

The International Consultant is expected to perform tasks under the direct supervision of UNICEF Child Protection Officer.

Work Assignment Overview                                                                                                                                               Tasks/Milestone:                                        Deliverables/Outputs:                      Timeline
To review and make reference to: new Amendments to the Family Law of Montenegro; Law on Social and Child protection; Law on protection of domestic violence; the Law on free legal aid; the Guidelines on child friendly legal aid, (2016); Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC); General Comments No.12 (children's right to be heard); General Comment no 14  (the right of the child to have his or her best interests taken as a primary consideration); European Convention on the Exercise of Child Rights; Council of Europe`s Guidelines on Child Friendly Justice (4 days)	Desk review completed and submitted	by 10 July 2025
To communicate with respective officials from the relevant institutions and UNICEF to receive in-depth guidance to develop training programme, material and agenda; (3 days); Development of training material and examples from practice to be discussed at the training (3 days)	Training material and agenda developed.	By the end of August 2025
Two days training for selected judges, social workers and defence lawyers (2 days).	Two-day trainings held	by end October 2025
Workshop for selected number of social workers on the best interest of a child in adoption cases and cases concerning deprivation and limitation of parental rights. Specific cases from practice will be discussed (2 days)	Two- day workshop held	By end November 2025

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

Education

• Master’s degree in law or other relevant fields.
• PhD will be considered as an advantage.

Experience

• Ten (10) or more years of experience and expertise in access to justice area.
• Experience in developing training’s material and delivering training to justice professionals from the justice and child protection field.
• Knowledge of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and relevant international (UN and CoE) standards, access to justice and child friendly justice
• Knowledge of European Court of Human Rights case practice on child rights;
• Knowledge of the context of Montenegro in particular child access to justice, legal and institutional framework relevant to child protection and application of child-friendly justice standards will be considered as an advantage. 
• Previous work experience with UN/UNICEF or other international organizations will be considered as an advantage. 

Language

• English knowledge;
• Knowledge of Montenegrin/Serbian/Bosnian will be considered an asset.

Other

• Excellent writing skills, presentation skills, strong strategic and analytical skills.
• Ability to work with different stakeholders.
• Demonstrates tact and high sense of responsibility and discretion.
• Demonstrates integrity and high ethical standards.
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Payments

The payments will be made in two equal instalments upon successful completion of the deliverables and submission of invoices.

UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/outputs is incomplete, not delivered or for failure to meet deadlines.

Mandatory e-learning

Upon conducting the recruitment process and prior to the signing of the contract, the consultant will be required to complete the following online courses. All certificates should be presented as part of the contract.

1. Ethics and Integrity at UNICEF

2. Prevention of Sexual Harassment and Abuse of Authority (PSEAA)

3. Sexual Exploitation Abuse (PSEA)

Consultants and Individual Contractors must complete the following course before commencement of any travel on behalf of UNICEF.

• BSAFE security training

Any consultant or individual contractor who is issued a UNICEF email address must complete the following courses no later than 30 days after signature of contract:

• Fraud Awareness

• Information Awareness Security Course (only for consultants/individual contractors with a UNICEF email address)

The above courses can be found on Agora through the following link: Summary of Mandatory Learning for UNICEF Staff .

Course completion certificates should be shared and retained with the human resources unit of the hiring office.

Selection methodology:

All applicants will be screened against qualifications and requirements set above. Candidates fully meeting all the requirements will be further evaluated based on the criteria below.

The proposal will be evaluated against the following criteria:

A) Technical criteria – Technical evaluation process / Maximum points: 70

1.   Technical Criteria – please select:

 Interview assessment OR Desk review of CVs -70 % of total evaluation– max. 70 points

•    Education: 20 points

•    Previous experience and submitted example of previous relevant work: 20 points

•    Technical questions at the interview: 30 points

Only candidates who obtained at least 70% of points from the technical part (who will score at least 49 points) will be qualified for considering for financial proposal evaluation

B) Financial criteria – evaluation of financial proposal - Maximum points: 30

The applicants are requested to submit their financial proposal consisting of a professional fee only for the services to be provided.

•    Financial scores will be calculated using the formula [lowest offer / financial offer of the candidate x 30].

Costs indicated are estimated. Final rate shall follow the “best value for money” principle, i.e., achieving the desired outcome at the lowest possible fee. Consultants will be asked to stipulate all-inclusive fees, including lump sum travel and subsistence costs, as applicable.

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.

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.