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Purpose of Activity/Assignment

The purpose of this assignment is to support the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MoLSA) in developing a comprehensive child protection and family support law that strengthens and unifies the national child protection system. The consultants will provide expert technical inputs throughout the legislative drafting process, ensuring alignment with national policies, international standards, and best practices. Under the supervision of UNICEF’s Child Protection team in the Refugee Response Office and in collaboration with the UNICEF Europe and Central Asia Regional Office (ECARO), the consultants will work closely with key national partners, including the Inter-ministerial Coordination Group (ICG) and the international expert to contribute to the development of high-quality legislation and its accompanying Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA). The consultants will be responsible for delivering the specific assignments outlined in these Terms of Reference.

Context

The Czech Republic has made significant strides in aligning its child protection policies with international human rights standards, yet its system remains fragmented and in need of comprehensive reform. While the country has demonstrated its commitment to upholding children’s rights by ratifying key international treaties and aligning its policies with the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and EU standards, its child protection system remains fragmented and in need of reform. Responsibilities are divided among multiple ministries, creating service delivery challenges and prioritizing at-risk children over prevention and family support. Despite past reforms in legislation, funding, and social services, structural weaknesses persist, including a lack of standardized practices and accountability. Addressing these challenges requires a comprehensive legal framework that unifies and strengthens child protection and family support services, ensuring effective governance, accountability and the prioritization of children’s best interests.

In response to challenges within the national child protection system, the Government of the Czech Republic has recognized the urgent need for reform. To facilitate this, the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MoLSA) sought support from the European Commission under Regulation (EU) 2021/240, known as the Technical Support Instrument. The European Commission - Reform and Investment Task Force (SG REFORM) of the European Commission has engaged UNICEF’s Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (UNICEF ECARO), in collaboration with the UNICEF Refugee Response Office in the Czech Republic, to provide technical support (as a part of a multi-country project). In November 2024, UNICEF launched the “Development of a Comprehensive Child Protection and Family Support Law in the Czech Republic” project to help address key challenges and establish a unified, child-centred legal framework. The project aims to enhance support for vulnerable children and families, equip professionals with updated tools, and implement legal and organizational changes.

UNICEF, in collaboration with SG REFORM of the European Commission, will provide essential technical inputs to assist the Government of the Czech Republic in drafting comprehensive new child protection and family support legislation, alongside a comprehensive Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA), to be submitted to the Government of the Czech Republic for approval. This process will ensure the inclusion of all key components necessary for the legislative framework, guaranteeing alignment with international child protection standards, such as the UNCRC, as well as EU regulations and best practices. Additionally, UNICEF will contribute to the creation of a comprehensive Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA), analysing the potential impacts of the proposed reforms on governance, service delivery, and financial sustainability. This will be complemented by a communication and public relations plan designed to facilitate the law’s rollout and nationwide acceptance, ensuring stakeholders, including policymakers, social service authorities, NGOs, and the public, are fully informed and engaged throughout the process. UNICEF will work closely with the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MoLSA) to ensure the new child protection legislation is based on a comprehensive and evidence-based fiscal analysis, highlighting both current and future funding needs necessary to sustain the reforms. The newly drafted law and accompanying RIA will not only strengthen child protection services but also ensure that the Czech Republic's practices are in line with international standards, ultimately contributing to a more efficient and effective child protection system.

A UNICEF Core Group will lead the implementation of the Action, consisting of two UNICEF child protection specialists from ECARO and UNICEF Refugee Response Office in the Czech Republic, who will serve as project managers and operational leaders to ensure the technical implementation aligns with UNICEF’s quality and effectiveness standards. To support this process, UNICEF seeks to hire three high level national experts (referred to as "national consultants" or "consultants"): two legal experts and one specialist in child protection and social services. Together, they will form a technical team to provide expert support to MoLSA, UNICEF, the Inter-ministerial Coordination Group (ICG), and other key national partners. Their primary role will be to contribute technical inputs to the development of the new legislative package on child protection and family support, including the accompanying Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA). The consultants will play a critical role in ensuring the new legislation is comprehensive, high-quality, and aligned with international best practices. These consultancies require experts with high level extensive knowledge and experience in child protection legislation, family law, social services policy, regulatory frameworks, and international standards related to child rights and welfare. Additionally, expertise in legislative drafting, impact assessments, and the implementation of child protection systems within the Czech Republic.

Scope of Work

The team of three experts will formulate and develop technical inputs for the initial draft of legislation, focusing on the objectives, scope, and key provisions for child protection and family support, ensuring alignment with international standards and best practices. Given the complexity and multidisciplinary nature of child protection and social services, the drafting process will incorporate insights from relevant stakeholders, including feedback on the draft legislation and the findings of the Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA). The final documents must reflect diverse perspectives and effectively address identified concerns. To support MoLSA’s coordination and communication with decision-makers regarding the implementation of the new legislation, the team will present key findings at agreed meetings and events. In consultation with UNICEF and the TSI Project Steering Committee (PSC), the team will analyze stakeholder feedback, refine the draft legislation, and develop technical inputs to ensure clarity, coherence, and effectiveness in addressing child protection and family support needs.

In collaboration with MoLSA, legal experts, and other relevant stakeholders, the team will prepare the RIA document to accompany the draft law. Both the legislative drafting and RIA processes will adhere to the Government Legislative Rules and the General Principles for Regulatory Impact Assessment, including the Procedural Rules and Methodology for Regulatory Impact Assessment.

The team of experts will work closely with UNICEF, the PSC, and the Inter-Ministerial Working Group (IWG) to ensure the development of high-quality, inclusive, and effective outputs. All technical inputs and deliverables will be discussed and reviewed with UNICEF to align with the organization’s goals, standards, and expertise. The team will also actively engage with the IWG, consulting its members to integrate cross-sectoral priorities and address key challenges. Once finalized, all deliverables will be presented to the PSC for validation to ensure alignment with the project’s overarching objectives and approval for implementation.

More specifically, the team of experts shall:

• Analyze relevant expert documentation and studies on child protection reform efforts from the past decade, with a particular focus on the outcomes of the project Supporting Child Protection System Reform in the Czech Republic, including the General Principles (Versions 2.0 and 2.1) and Implementation Document (March 2024 version).
• Develop technical inputs for the initial draft of legislation, addressing key provisions for child protection and family support while ensuring compliance with international standards and best practices.
• Engage with UNICEF, national and subnational authorities, legal experts, and relevant stakeholders to review and refine technical inputs into the draft legislation, ensuring alignment with EU frameworks and addressing identified gaps.
• Establish a structured framework for the RIA, defining methodologies to assess the proposed legislation's economic, social, and administrative impacts, based on the analysis of financial processes within the child protection system and the estimated financial impacts of proposed legislative changes, developed by the fiscal experts’ team to ensure alignment with the financial dimensions of the reform.
• Collect and analyze stakeholder input on the legislative framework and RIA findings to ensure an inclusive and balanced assessment.
• Evaluate the anticipated effects of the draft legislation, including benefits, risks, and potential implementation challenges.
• Compile and present the legislative framework and RIA findings, offering actionable insights and recommendations to inform decision-making on the new legislation.
• Ensure that the technical inputs to the legislative framework and Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) are informed by feedback from consultations with children and youth conducted by MoLSA.
• Participate in discussions and workshops on the draft legislation and RIA, reviewing and integrating feedback from key stakeholders.
• Attend ICG meetings to present and discuss progress and outcomes of the legislative and RIA processes.
• Ensure compliance with Legislativní pravidla vlády | Vláda České republiky and Dokumenty a metodiky | ria.vlada.cz when preparing supporting documents for the draft legislation and RIA.

The team of experts will develop a detailed methodology and work plan as the first deliverable, outlining the proposed approach and implementation timeline. National experts will collaborate closely with the international consultant, ensuring alignment between national priorities and international standards. They will participate in a visioning exercise with UNICEF and the international expert to define the law's objectives. Ad-hoc regular meetings will review progress, address challenges, and plan next steps, ensuring integration of international best practices. National experts will consult with the international consultant as needed and contribute to drafting, revising, and refining documents. In addition, they will collaborate with the financial experts’ team to ensure the integration of the financial analysis into the RIA, using their findings to accurately reflect the financial impacts of the proposed legislative changes.

Work Assignment Overview

Estimated Duration of the Contract

48 working days between July and November 2025

Consultant's Work Place and Official Travel

The Consultants will be home-based in Prague.

Estimated Cost of the Consultancy & Payment Schedule

Payment will be made on submission of an invoice and satisfactory completion of the above-mentioned deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/outputs are incomplete, not delivered or for failure to meet deadlines. All materials developed will remain the copyright of UNICEF and UNICEF will be free to adapt and modify them in the future.

Please submit a professional fee (in EUR) based on the working days above to undertake this assignment.

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

• Master’s degree in Social Work, Sociology, Child Protection, law or a related field.
• At least 10 years of professional experience in child protection, social services, and social policy, with expertise in areas such as alternative care, family support services, services for children who are victims of violence, and social protection mechanisms.
• Extensive knowledge of the existing child protection and social services system, as well as relevant legislation in the Czech Republic.
• Strong understanding of European and international standards on child rights and child protection.
• Solid understanding of the systemic approach to child protection, including multi-sectoral coordination and service integration.
• Proven ability to analyse and synthesize findings from a wide range of reports and assessments, consolidating recommendations for cross-sectoral legislative development.
• Previous experience working with governmental institutions at the national, regional, and/or municipal levels is an asset.
• Native-level fluency in Czech.
• Strong teamwork and collaboration skills.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS), and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most marginalized children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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:

Please submit a full CV and a Cover Letter in your application. Applications without a professional fee (in EUR) will not be considered. 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.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software.