UNICEF Refugee Response Office in Poland is looking for a qualified consultant to strengthen access to justice by standardizing legal services provided by Polish lawyers in various cases and proceedings (criminal, civil, administrative, juvenile), with the special focus on children on the move and other vulnerable groups (children with disabilities, children from minority groups).

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For every child, the right to justice

Purpose of Activity/Assignment

Child friendly legal support is one of the pillars of access to justice for children. In 2018 UNICEF developed Guidelines on Child-Friendly Legal Aid, setting out 12 guidelines on how to provide child-friendly legal services and legal aid in practice. Continuing its support in this area, UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (ECARO) has developed a pioneering Training Package on Child-Friendly Legal Services. UNICEF Refugee Response Office in Poland was established in March 2022, to support families and children displaced by the war in Ukraine and to ensure refugee children have access to essential services, including quality care, health and education. In accordance with the core commitments for children, strengthening child protection systems has been an important part of UNICEFs response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis. UNICEF RRO in Poland has taken measures to address gaps and strengthen the capacity of the national child protection system to respond to the needs of refugee and host community children and to ensure the child rights are in force. One of the important pillars of this work is strengthening the capacities of professionals working in the justice system in order to ensure rights of children who take part in different judicial proceedings are respected.

Since 2024 RRO in Poland has been contributing to regional agenda for justice for children by conducting train of trainers module and pilot training on child friendly legal services for Polish lawyers, with the special focus on children on the move. In continuation of these efforts, UNICEF is planning to develop standards of legal services that would support Polish lawyers in implementation of 12 guidelines in cases involving children. This will ensure that children, especially those in vulnerable situations, such as children on the move involved in various legal proceedings (for instance migration, family and many others) receive professional, child-friendly legal support, advice and representation. In the long term it will also contribute to standardization of services by legal professionals, who would be able to assess children’s needs, communicate with them, ensure their participation in the procedures, as well as their protection from victimization. The role of the legal support for children and their families is now even more important given the planned legal amendments and the discontinuation of the temporary protection which might result in applying for other types of protection and legal uncertainty.

The general aim of this consultancy is to strengthen access to justice by standardizing legal services provided by Polish lawyers in various cases and proceedings (criminal, civil, administrative, juvenile), with the special focus on children on the move and other vulnerable groups (children with disabilities, children from minority groups). This aim will be achieved through designing detailed standards of providing legal services to children by the Polish lawyers, based on the mentioned guidelines.

Scope of Work

To achieve this aim RRO is hiring an experienced legal aid consultant, with an in-depth, technical and practical knowledge of legal support for children and of Polish legal provisions and practice of its implementation.

The consultant will be specifically responsible for the following scope of work:

(1) Developing standards of child friendly legal aid for Polish lawyers, which:

• are based on the Convention on the Rights of the Child and UNICEF Guidelines on Child-Friendly Legal Aid;
• are child-centred, trauma-informed, child rights-based, and aligned with the relevant European and international guidance and standards.
• include guidelines on providing legal services to children in civil, family, juvenile, administrative and criminal and migration cases;
• guarantee inclusiveness of children on the move, children with disabilities, children from LGBT+ groups and other vulnerable groups and their specific needs;
• take into account Polish legal provisions on providing legal services, including within the system of legal aid free of charge, guidelines and ethical codes that lawyers are bound by;
• should be practical, written in simple language, and easy to understand.
• should include detailed recommendations for (but not limited to):
  • scope of services, referral, reception, safety, participation, contact with a child, assessment of the best interest of a child, cooperation with adults (including parents and guardians), confidentiality and data protection
  • competency profiles (skills, knowledge, education, attributes of lawyers providing legal support to children, ethical and safeguarding obligations)
  • training framework (foundational and advanced modules for lawyers; induction; supervision; continuous professional development and capacity-building).

(2) Leading and coordinating the process of consultations and validation of the standards with stakeholders (representatives of public institutions and bar associations) and relevant experts.

(3) Preparation and presentation of the standards during the meetings, events with participation of the key stakeholders.

(4) Ensure visibility of UNICEF – as agreed with relevant focal point of UNICEF RRO.

Standards should be developed in the stages: (1) First draft for consultations and suggestions of UNICEF and stakeholders, (2) adjusting the draft to comments and suggestions, (3) second round of consultations, (4) validation of the standards by UNICEF and stakeholders, (5) including necessary adjustments and finalization of the standards.

Methodology: The consultant will propose in the inception report a robust methodology that typically includes: (1) desk review: consolidating and synthesizing available data (2) stakeholders’ map and engagement with the key stakeholders (3) structure of the standards (4) consultations and validation process (5) Drafting and Quality Assurance: develop drafts, integrate feedback, ensure clarity, feasibility, and alignment with mentioned rules, guidelines and standards (5) detailed timeline of work (6) risks and mitigation measures.

Ethics & Safeguarding: The consultant must comply with applicable ethical standards, child safeguarding policies, and data protection laws (e.g., GDPR). No direct engagement with children is foreseen within the contract.

Materials: All materials created by the Consultant which bear a direct relation to, or is made in order to perform, the Contract and any intellectual property rights thereof, including but not limited to patents, copyright, and trademarks, shall be solely owned by UNICEF. The Consultant may not distribute any materials (e.g., photography, video) without written consent from the Head of Office of UNICEF office engaging the Consultant and subject to the conditions set out in such written consent. The Consultant may not communicate at any time to any other person, entity, Government or authority external to UNICEF, any information known to the Consultant by reason of his/her/their association with UNICEF that has not been made public, except with the prior written authorization of UNICEF; nor will the Consultant at any time use such information to private advantage.

The Consultant agrees that all UNICEF Data, together with all rights (including intellectual property and proprietary rights), title and interest to such UNICEF Data, will be the exclusive property of UNICEF, and the Consultant has a limited, nonexclusive license to access and use the UNICEF Data as provided in the Contract solely for the purpose of performing its obligations under the Contract. The Consultant will use its reasonable efforts to ensure the logical segregation of UNICEF Data from other information to the fullest extent possible. The Consultant will comply with any guidance or conditions on access and disclosure notified by UNICEF in respect of UNICEF Data.

Supervision of UNICEF RRO: Throughout the contract duration, the consultants will have regular contact with UNICEF Refugee Response Office in Poland to review progress, challenges, and next steps. Ad-hoc calls may take place as deemed necessary.

The consultant will collaborate with RRO staff and other consultants recruited by UNICEF Refugee Response Office in Poland where needed.

Language: All drafts, reports and standards should be submitted in electronic format by email in Polish.

Estimated Duration of the Contract

28 working days between 15 March 2026 and 30 September 2026.

Consultant's Work Place and Official Travel

This consultancy is home based with meetings in Warsaw. No travel is foreseen.

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 indicate for which consultancy you are applying and  submit a professional fee (in USD) based on the corresponding number of days to undertake this assignment.

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education: A master’s degree in law required
• Work Experience:
  • At least 7 years of proven experience in providing legal services in Poland in cases involving children, preferably directly for children.
  • In-depth technical knowledge and experience in Polish procedures involving children (civil, criminal, administrative, family, juvenile, etc.);
  • Proven expertise in developing and drafting analyses, recommendations, or standards;
  • Demonstrated experience working with governmental partners and public agencies;
• Relevant Knowledge and Expertise:
  • Excellent understanding of the Polish legal system, including provisions regulating children’s involvement in proceedings and legal ethics.
  • Strong understanding of psychosocial needs of children, trauma-informed services, and intersectoral cooperation;
  • Strong understanding of child-friendly justice and legal services principles;
  • Excellent knowledge of the CRC and relevant international/EU frameworks;
  • Ability to translate complex legal and psychological concepts into practical guidance;
  • Strong facilitation skills;
  • Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills;
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills;
  • Ability to work flexibly and deliver under tight deadlines;
  • Fluency in English and Polish (required).
  • Completion of professional legal training (highly desirable)

Please submit a full CV and a financial proposal (in USD) in your application. Applications submitted without a professional fee will not be considered. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

This position has been assessed as an elevated risk role for Child Safeguarding purposes as it is either a role with direct contact with children, a role that works directly with identifiable children’s data, a safeguarding response role, or an assessed risk role. Additional vetting and assessment for elevated risk roles in child safeguarding (potentially including additional criminal background checks) apply.

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 promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

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.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:  

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason. 

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF’s Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.