Job description

Purpose of consultancy:

Background and Rationale

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is committed to achieving a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person's potential is fulfilled. Central to its mandate is the promotion of gender equality and the elimination of gender-based violence (GBV), ensuring that the most vulnerable populations—particularly women and youth—have access to life-saving reproductive health services and protection mechanisms. By partnering with national governments, UNFPA seeks to strengthen community-based systems that empower individuals to claim their rights and foster resilient, inclusive environments that "leave no one behind."

The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has been instrumental in improving human capital outcomes for poor Filipino households through conditional cash transfers and social services. As participating families progress toward self-reliance and prepare for program exit, there is a critical need to strengthen community-based leadership to sustain these developmental gains. Parent Leaders (PLs) have emerged as vital figures in this transition, serving as "community connectors" who safeguard the well-being of children, women, and other vulnerable sectors. Their sustained presence allows them to model gender equality, prevent gender-based violence, address child protection concerns, and mobilize support for families at risk. 

As the program continues to strengthen community-based support systems and prepare households toward self-reliance and program transition, there is a need to develop a 4Ps Parent Leaders Handbook that will serve as a practical guide for Parent Leaders in performing their roles as community advocates, support partners, and leaders in promoting positive social and gender norms, social protection, gender equality and inclusion, child protection, and community participation.

To support the development of the Handbook, the engagement of a Consultant is necessary to facilitate the development process, including content development, consultations, workshops, and finalization of the Handbook.

Objectives:

The consultancy aims to facilitate the development of a Parent Leaders Handbook that will serve as a guide for Parent Leaders in performing their roles and responsibilities in the community and in supporting program implementation.

Specifically, the Consultant shall:

  • Facilitate the development and validation of the Parent Leaders Handbook; 
  • Conduct consultations and focus group discussions with 4Ps PLs and stakeholders to identify behavioral drivers and barriers related to GBV reporting and referral, access to and utilization of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) information and services, child protection, and youth engagement;
  • Develop modules and content related to leadership, community engagement, shifting harmful social and gender norms, SRHR promotion, child protection, gender equality, social inclusion, and community support mechanisms, ensuring that the content are technically sound and based on available evidence and best practices documented in various settings and contexts; 
  • Lead the drafting, consolidating, and finalizing of the Handbook; 
  • Ensure that the Handbook is practical, user-friendly, and appropriate for the Parent Leaders; 
  • Coordinate and facilitate the pilot-implementation of the draft Handbook in selected sites to test usability, relevance and effectiveness;
  • Lead the documentation and validation of pilot results, including feedback from users and stakeholders, to inform refinement of the Handbook; 
  • Prepare the final material and layout-ready content of the validated Parent Leaders Handbook for publication and dissemination.

Scope of work:

A. Duties and Responsibilities of the Consultant

Under the overall leadership of DSWD and technical guidance of UNFPA, the Consultant will undertake the following:

1. Inception and Planning

  • Conduct initial consultations with DSWD and UNFPA to agree on the Handbook framework, scope, and workplan;
  • Develop the Handbook outline, including proposed chapters, modules, and key learning topics.

2. Research and Consultations

  • Review the related literature, available technical guidance, and existing evidence on the issues/challenges and documented best practices for the effective, scalable, and sustainable engagement and mobilization of parents, parent-leaders, households and community leaders to promote and drive positive social norms change in various settings and contexts;
  • Conduct focus group discussions (FGDs) and stakeholder consultations with 4Ps Parent Leaders, program staff, and relevant stakeholders to inform content development;
  • Identify key behavioral drivers, gaps, and practical needs of Parent Leaders.

3. Content Development: Develop and draft the Parent Leaders Handbook, covering key areas such as:

  • Roles and responsibilities of Parent Leaders
  • Leadership and community organizing
  • Social and gender norms transformation
  • Communication and facilitation skills
  • Child protection and safeguarding
  • Gender equality and social inclusion
  • Family and community support mechanisms
  • Referral pathways and coordination
  • Ethics and professional conduct
  • Community volunteerism and advocacy

4. Validation and Refinement

  • Conduct pre-testing of the draft Handbook in selected sites;
  • Facilitate validation workshops and consolidate feedback from stakeholders;
  • Revise and finalize the Handbook based on inputs and findings, ensuring its technical soundness and consistency with the available evidence and best practices in various settings and contexts.

5. Finalization and Capacity Support

  • Prepare the final, layout-ready Handbook, including tools, templates, and practical guides;
  • Develop complementary SBC materials (e.g., advocacy primers, job aids), as agreed;
  • Conduct orientation sessions for Parent Leaders on the use of the Handbook.

B. Expected Outputs/Deliverables

The Consultant shall deliver:

  • Inception Report (including workplan and Handbook framework/outline);
  • Review of related literature, available technical guidance, and existing evidence on the issues/challenges and documented best practices for the effective, scalable, and sustainable engagement and mobilization of parents, parent-leaders, households and community leaders to promote and drive positive social norms change in various settings and contexts;
  • Concept notes for consultations, pre-testing, validation, and orientation activities;
  • Documentation of FGDs, consultations, and pre-testing results;
  • Draft Parent Leaders Handbook (First Draft);
  • Revised Handbook (Second Draft);
  • Final Parent Leaders Handbook (layout-ready manuscript);
  • Complementary SBC materials (as agreed);
  • Presentation during Validation/Finalization Workshop;
  • Orientation session for Parent Leaders;
  • Final Completion Report.

Please note that if the consultant determines that additional experts or personnel are needed to complete all deliverables in this project, all associated expenses, including travel costs, professional fees, and any other related expenses, will be covered by the consultant.

Work Schedule Arrangements:

The consultancy entails a commitment to accomplish the project, commencing promptly upon contract approval. This includes consultation workshops and meetings with UNFPA and its strategic partner: DSWD. The rest of the processes can be efficiently carried out via virtual means, facilitating a flexible home-based work environment.

Duration and Delivery dates, Proposed Payment Schedule and how work will be delivered (e.g. electronic, hard copy etc.):

The consultant will be paid on a per deliverable basis, following the schedule below:

Payment Deliverables Percentage
1st Payment

Upon submission and acceptance of:

  • Inception Report (including detailed workplan and Handbook framework/outline);
  • Review of related literature, technical guidance, and available evidence;
  • Concept notes for consultations and FGDs;
  • Completion of initial consultations/FGDs and documentation;
  • Draft Parent Leaders Handbook (First Draft). 
 20%
2nd Payment

Upon submission and acceptance of:

  • Pre-testing of the draft Handbook and documentation of results;
  • Conduct of validation workshop(s);
  • Revised Parent Leaders Handbook (Second Draft).
 30%
3rd Payment

Upon submission and acceptance of:

  • Final Parent Leaders Handbook (layout-ready manuscript);
  • Complementary SBC materials (as agreed);
  • Presentation during Validation/Finalization Workshop;
  • Orientation session for Parent Leaders on use of the Handbook;
  • Final Completion Report.
 50%
TOTAL: 100%
  1. The first payment of 20% will be made upon receipt and acceptance of the first deliverable as per the table of deliverables (electronically);
  2. The second payment of 30% will be made upon receipt and acceptance of the second deliverable as per the table of deliverables (electronically);
  3. The remaining 50% will be made upon approval and acceptance of the third and final deliverable as per the table of deliverables (electronically).

A detailed project timeline, including specific deliverables and their associated deadlines, will be mutually agreed upon by the consultant and UNFPA. This timeline will be outlined in an inception report to be submitted by the consultant at the commencement of the engagement.

Place where services are to be delivered:

Final site selection will be undertaken in coordination with DSWD and UNFPA. Activities are expected to take place in Metro Manila for national-level engagements, and in Catanduanes, Camarines Sur and Eastern Samar for provincial-level implementation.

Location of Activities:

Activities Place
National Consultation and Validation  Metro Manila
Community FGDs Eastern Samar and Catanduanes and Camarines Sur
Orientation to Parent Leaders on the Handbook Eastern Samar/ Catanduanes and Camarines Sur

Please note that UNFPA will cover travel-related costs for the consultant (one person) only, including airfare, land transportation, daily subsistence allowance, and fieldwork-related expenses (e.g., consultations, validation activities, and training sessions), in addition to the professional fee. Any travel costs for additional personnel engaged by the consultant shall be borne by the consultant.

Monitoring, Supervisory, and quality check arrangements:

The UNFPA Gender/GBV Programme Team and DSWD-4Ps will work hand in hand to monitor the progress of all deliverables and the entire consultancy.

Supervisory Arrangements:

The project will be under the overall management of UNFPA-Gender/GBV Unit with day-to-day technical backstopping from DSWD-4Ps. The consultant is expected to work closely with both parties involved.

UNFPA and DSWD-4Ps will have frequent interactions with the consultant at various stages to:

  • Brief the consultant and provide clarity on the assignment; the process, and the deliverables;
  • Provide key documents relevant to the deliverables;
  • Introduce and facilitate the consultant to work with key stakeholders and counterparts if necessary; and
  • Provide feedback and get agreement on the next steps of the assignment.

Required expertise, qualifications, and competencies, including language requirements:

The following experience and qualifications are required for the IC:

Education:

  • Advanced university degree in social sciences, such as social work, sociology, public health, child development, development studies, social policy, social protection, economics, or other related fields relevant to the assignment. 

Experience and Competencies:

  • At least 2  years of relevant professional experience in developing training manual, toolkits, module, handbook, or community capacity building, particularly in community-based social development contexts; 
  • Strong track record in leading end-to end- knowledge product development, including research (e.g., FGDs, consultations), content development, validation, and finalization of user-centered materials;
  • Proven experience working with government systems, social protection programs, or large-scale community-based initiatives, preferably within the Philippine context (e.g., 4Ps or similar programs);

gender equality, GBV prevention and response, social and behavior change (SBC), and social norm change, with a particular focus on engaging parents in transformative, rights-based programming.

  • Strong understanding of the socio-cultural and institutional dynamics surrounding GBV,gender-based power relations, and sexual and reproductive health rights in the Philippine context.
  • Extensive experience in designing and facilitating participatory processes, including workshops, consultations, training sessions, and validation exercises with diverse stakeholders;
  • Demonstrated ability to translate complex technical concepts into practical, user-friendly materials tailored for community volunteers or non-technical audiences;
  • Experience in pilot testing, usability assessment, and iterative refinement of learning or guidance materials is highly desirable;
  • Strong background in SBC, community organizing, child protection, gender and development, social inclusion, and leadership development; 
  • Excellent analytical, writing, documentation,  facilitation, and communication skills. 

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Licensed Social Worker or relevant professional certification is an advantage;
  • Prior experience working with UN agencies, Government agencies international organizations, or donor-funded programs;
  • Familiarity with Philippine policy frameworks on GBV, child protection, and social protection systems;
  • Experience in developing social and gender norms change tools and materials, SBC materials, job aids, or advocacy tools is highly desirable.

Please note that should the consultant determine that additional experts or personnel are required to complete the deliverables, all associated costs—including travel, professional fees, and other related expenses—shall be borne by the consultant.

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Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify. Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.