Consultancy for an Individual Consultant to Provide Technical Assistance for the Revision and Finalization of the Early Childhood Development Policy and the Development of a Costed Implementation Plan in the Commonwealth of Dominica

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you. For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection and development. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT:

There is increasing evidence that participation in high quality Early Childhood Development (ECD) programmes has significant impact on a child’s holistic development, strengthens capacity to be successful across the life cycle, and is a key contributor to the achievement of sustainable development. The OECS Strategic Imperative for ECD emphasizes a collaborative approach to early childhood development which includes critical inputs from the sectors of Health, Education and Social Protection as well as Social Policy Development to support the development of boys and girls, 0-8 years old.

The UNICEF Eastern Caribbean Office works closely with 12 countries and territories^[1] in the Eastern Caribbean Area to help governments fulfil their commitments to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child so that every child can grow and develop to reach his or her full potential. We work with all governments and other partners to ensure that by 2021 all girls and boys, especially the most disadvantaged, which includes the poor, children with developmental delays and disabilities, children impacted by migration or natural disasters etc. have every opportunity to improve their educational and developmental outcomes and access equitable, safe and inclusive environments across the lifecycle, including in emergencies.  Emphasis is being placed on equitable and inclusive early childhood services especially for the most vulnerable girls and boys; promotion of inclusive and holistic ECD in safe and interactive  environments for all children and adolescents; and strengthening the institutional capacity for planning, monitoring and disaster risk reduction, including the impact of climate change on children.

Regionally, OECS Ministers of Government have agreed to the harmonisation of services for development and education with commitments to (1) create fair and equitable access to inclusive education and development opportunities for all citizens, and (2) create an environment conducive to lifelong learning by developing, adopting and implementing policies, standards and programmes which are based on human rights values such as universality, participation, non-discrimination, protection and equity.

ECD Sector in Dominica: 

The ECD Sector in the Commonwealth of Dominica has seen growth in the last decade with amendments made in 2002 to the Education Act II of 1997 ensuring that legislation met international standards and that the age for Early Childhood Education (ECE) ranged from zero to eight years.   The amendment guaranteed that the birth to three age group was given attention.   Regulations (S.R.O. No. 49) governing the operations of ECE were also adopted in 2003.   A multi-sectoral council on ECE with the mandate to serve in an advisory and functional capacity was also established by S.R.O. No. 14 of 2005.   In September 2012, Government took the decision to implement Universal Access to Early Childhood Development.   In the first instance, focus was given to increasing access for children of preschool age, three to five years.   As a result, access was made available within government owned primary schools.   Recently, in October 2016, the Government of Dominica approved the establishment of an Early Childhood Development Unit within the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development commencing July 1, 2017 to include the positions of a Coordinator and two Assistant Education Officers, one with responsibilities for early stimulation and the other to lead programming in early education.  The mainstreaming of the Early Childhood Stimulation Programme within the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development was also approved as well as the continued engagement and payment of salaries for nine Roving Caregivers.

At the end of the academic year 2015 to 2016, there were seventy (70) preschools and sixteen (16) daycare facilities registered with the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development with a total of 1650 children.  Seventeen (17) of the preschools are accommodated in government owned primary schools.   Preschool Development Committees assist with the supervision and sustainability of the preschools.

OBJECTIVES OF THE CONSULTANCY: 

The objective of this consultancy is to revise, update and finalize the draft ECD Policy for Dominica, with a costed Implementation Plan that is in-line with the Ministry of Education’s objectives to support the roll out of programme based budgeting, National Development Priorities, and the Education Sector Plans. The consultant will be expected to design and implement an appropriate consultative process for policy development, in accordance with the Caribbean Community’s Regional Guidelines for the Development of Policy, Regulation and Standards in ECD services.

SCOPE OF WORK:

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

Under the Supervision of the UNICEF Early Childhood Development Specialist, and in collaboration with the personnel in the Ministry of Education, Commonwealth of Dominica, the Consultant will:

• Work collaboratively with counterparts to implement inter-sectoral stakeholder consultations (public and private) to identify national priorities and key concerns within the ECD sector;
• Complete a desk review of key background documents, including previous drafts of the ECD Policy and a historical overview of legal and scientific foundations to support Universal Access to ECD in Dominica;
• Give consideration to emerging priorities in the sector – Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); Disaster Risk Management (DRM) in ECD; Developmental delays and disabilities in ECD; the Science of ECD; Investing in ECD, etc;
• Revise, update and finalize  the draft policy document considering key inputs from cross-sectoral stakeholder consultations;
• Review ECD expenditures and budgets since the last 5 years to assess 5-year trend,
• Indicate the proportion of ECD budgets in relation to administrative versus programmatic costs,
• Analyze the proportion of ECD budget against the other educational programmes of the Ministry of Education.
• Utilize available early childhood data to support the development of a costed implementation plan;
• Review Ministry of Education KPIs of programme based budgeting to ensure that the costed implementation plan is aligned with the KPIs.
• Collaborate with counterparts to convene a national consultation to establish consensus on the draft ECD policy and implementation plan;
• Finalize the policy documents and implementation plan with consideration of the outcomes of the national consultation;
• Draft a plan for the first two years of implementation of the policy;
• Present the draft policy and costed implementation plan to relevant ministers and senior officials for feedback;
• Finalize the policy and implementation plan for submission to Cabinet.

Inclusion of cross-cutting areas:

1. Quality and Equity: How are the needs of “at risk" and vulnerable children and their families being addressed?
2. Universal or Targeted interventions: How are current systems being implemented? Recommendation should be given through analysis of Human, Financial and Physical considerations.
3. Governance, Policy and Standards: What are the policies and other frameworks guiding the developments in the sector? Consider issues of adoption of good practices in ECD in this area of focus
4. Monitoring and Evaluation : Availability and implementation of protocols , the implementation of a Results and Monitoring Framework, clearly  defined M&E indicators, systematic management of data to track progress.

DELIVERABLES:

The Consultant will be responsible for:

• Drafting relevant discussion papers, power point presentations, etc.
• Drafting the revised ECD Policy and costed Implementation Plan.
• Leading stakeholder consultations across sectors.
• Leading the National consultation.
• Drafting the final Policy and costed Implementation documents
• Preparation of a budget analysis review of the ECD sector.
• Leading the ministerial presentations.
• Preparation of final documents for submission to Cabinet.

COMPETENCIES:

The Consultant is expected to have research capacity and a high level of analytical and synthesis skills, together with personal and professional ethics, integrity, and basic skills in human rights and gender equity analysis.

• Ability to apply knowledge of the CRC, Human Rights informed approaches, Sustainable Development Goals in ECD etc.
• Demonstrated excellence in written English; superior verbal and interpersonal communications skills
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively essential, with a clean record for timely delivery of high quality products
• Advanced proficiency in the use of Microsoft applications and related software including internet navigation, must own a laptop and be readily accessible via email.
• Proven track record in conducting research, sector reviews/evaluations, policy analysis etc.

QUALIFICATIONS:

An advanced level degree  and a  minimum of six (6)  years  of  professional experience at the national, regional /  international level in any of  the  following related fields -  Education; Early Childhood Development; Social Development;  Social Policy Development / Reform and Analysis; Planning; Monitoring and Evaluation. 

EXPERIENCE:

• Experience in the development of implementation systems and processes at the national, regional / international level.
• Experience in programme based budgeting.
• Knowledge and Practical experience in analyzing available data/information to make recommendations for effective and sustainable interventions.
• Familiarity with the Caribbean Community and understanding of the political, cultural and socio-economic conditions in OECS countries.
• Experience and good knowledge of systematic issues in ECD in the Caribbean.

DURATION OF CONTRACT:

The contract duration will be for a period of four (4) months to commence upon completion of the contracting process. Based on the experiences gained from the execution of similar activities in other OECS countries, it is anticipated that this project will require approximately fifty (50) working days, to be distributed across the four (4) month period and inclusive of travel and consultation days 

OFFICIAL TRAVEL:

If the Consultant does not reside in Dominica it is anticipated that the consultant would be required to visit the country at least two (2) times. Overseas travel to Dominica will be included in the contract fee giving consideration to the prevailing conditions of the contract. Consultants will be responsible for their own travel arrangements which will be made in consultation with Ms. Veda George, Ministry of Education, Dominica and Shelly-Ann Harper, UNICEF ECD Specialist.

A detailed, estimated cost of travel (airfare, ground transportation and Daily Subsistence Allowances) must be included in proposals.

ESTIMATED BUDGET: 

The fee for this assignment is negotiable within the standard range for professionals.

PAYMENT:

The Consultant will be paid in a phased approach based on satisfactory completion of the required deliverables. This is negotiable based on the financial proposal.

CONDITIONS OF SERVICE:

Prior to commencing the contract, the following conditions must be met:

The Individual Consultant will be required to submit samples of previous relevant work, a statement of good health, accompanied by a recent Medical Certificate which indicates that the Consultant is fit for work and travel.  In addition, the Consultant is required to certify in the Health Statement that he/she is covered by medical/health insurance. The statement includes confirmation that he/she has been informed of any inoculation required for the country or countries to which travel is authorized. He/she takes full responsibility for the accuracy of the statement

PROPERTY RIGHTS:

UNICEF shall hold all property rights, such as copyright, patents and registered trademarks, on matters directly related to, or derived from, the work carried out under this contract with UNICEF.

RECOURSE:

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. Performance indicators against which the satisfactory conclusion of this contract will be assessed include: timeliness/quality of submission and responsiveness to UNICEF and counterpart feedback.

HOW TO APPLY:

Prospective Consultant s should apply through UNCEF's E-recruitment system, no later than 30 June 2017. The application package should include:

1. A cover letter with express of interest
2. A detailed Curriculum Vitae
3. A duly completed United Nations Personal History form (P11)
4. A Financial Proposal with the expected cost and detailed budget. Estimated travel costs should be included if necessary.

ONLY SUITABLE PROPOSALS WILL BE ACKNOWLEDGED