Consultancy: Adolescent Development Programme

The Adolescents Development and Participation (ADAP) Section, UNICEF Thailand Country Office is seeking an individual consultant to provide technical support to develop innovative initiatives and build up on existing programming with focus on adolescent development.

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.

Nature of Consultancy:

UNICEF’s overall mandate is to advance the rights of girls and boys including adolescents through national capacity development and policy dialogue. The ADAP through the country programme 2017-2021 is aiming to contribute to the outcome that enable adolescents, especially the disadvantaged to increasingly practice key behaviour for healthy development and participate in decision-making at all levels to accelerate the realization of their rights. In this context, the ADAP section of Thailand Country office is seeking for a suitable consultant to provide technical assistance to coordinate as expert in the field on behalf of UNICEF with Department of Children and Youth, Department of Juvenile Observation and Protection, Office of Vocational Education Commission and NGOs to enhance their capacities to coordinate and strengthen the adolescent component of the programme.

Purpose of Assignment:

UNICEF Adolescents Development and Participation Section is mandated to by its country programme plan and specific work plans agreed with various ministers of the Royal Thai Government to promote healthy development of adolescents in the country. This includes working with selected government agencies and key stakeholders having increased evidence, understanding and skills to incorporate the voices of adolescents in their decision making while developing adolescent sensitive policies, strategies, and plans. Which in turn should facilitate provision of package of services which promote key behaviors for healthy development of the most disadvantaged.  

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and UNICEF’s new Strategy for Health 2016-2030 recognizes adolescents as one of the priority target populations and commits to address key adolescent health issues by advocating for adolescent’s rights to health; influencing government policies; strengthening service delivery; and empowering communities, including adolescents.  Adolescents are also a key group of population that the Royal Thai government is giving close attention to in the changing scenario of the population in the country. Investing in adolescents is key to the future of many upper middle income and developed countries.

The proposed consultancy is to provide technical support to key partners; Department of Children and Youth, Department of Juvenile Observation and Protection, Office of Vocational Education Commission to develop innovative initiatives and or building up on existing programming with focus on adolescent (age 10-19 years)development.

Work Assignment:

Under the supervision of Chief ADAP, the consultant will perform the following tasks:

1. Provide technical support to key partners such as Department of Children and Youth, Department of Mental Health, Office of Vocational Education Commission (OVEC) and selected NGOs to advance the agenda of adolescent healthy development by enhancing their capacities to strengthen the adolescent component of existing programme and or new initiatives.

• Develop strategies to strengthen the adolescent programme especially for disadvantaged adolescents with a focus on inclusion and scale up based on the evidence and recommendations from the comprehensive sexuality education review, Adolescent Situation Analysis (SITAN) and UNICEF Country Programme Development (CPD).
• Develop and facilitate knowledge generation and learning initiatives for decision makers and key influencers to capacitate them to develop and provide packages of services to promote behaviours that lead to healthy development of adolescents.
• Support to organize and conduct regular partnership coordination consultations and support development of adolescent health and development initiatives (innovations, pilots and or strengthening existing initiatives).
• Carry out regular visits to partners to strengthen partnership on adolescent programme.

2. Provide support to the ADAP section and key partners regarding the process of tracking results for adolescents.

• Support the section to facilitate and complete the review of Youth Friendly health service in the country.
• Support and coordinate with line ministries for finalizing and integrating Adolescent Country Tracker – indicators for tracking results (ACT) in the adolescent development programme plan of the respective ministerial plan.
• Support in projects development that is intended to advance skills and rights-based inclusion of disadvantaged adolescents in areas that affect their lives and their communities.
• Provide regular verbal and written updates to UNICEF regarding progress and identified challenges to implementation, with recommendations of potential course of action to address specified challenges.

3. Assist the section in any other task which may emerge as priority.

Deliverables and Work Schedule:

Deliverables: 1. Monthly report of the progress of the tasks assigned

Remarks:  Quarterly tasks will be planned and reporting requirement will be indicated

Deadline:  5th of every month

Deliverables: 2.  Reports/ minutes of the meetings key  counterparts, stakeholders 

Remarks:  As per requirement

Deadline:  As per the meeting schedule and before end of the month

Deliverables:  3.  Partnership document for OVEC: A draft proposed partnership plan linked to Adolescent health strategy and review of the Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) with OVEC

Remarks:  Linked to January report

Deadline:  January 2017

Deliverables: 4.  Field trip and monitoring reports

Remarks:  As per field visits

Deadline:  Linked to respective monthly report

Deliverables: 5.  Annual report

Deadline:  Consolidated annual report of key achievements and completion of tasks

Note: All the reports will be submitted in English

End Product:

• Monthly consultancy report based on the assigned task: This will be linked to the consultancy fee.
• Annual report: a consolidated annual report of key achievements and completion of tasks including documentation of process of development and implementation of new partnerships, examples of good practice and other planned documentation.

Estimated Duration of Contract:  11.5 months preferably from September 2017

Official Travel: Approximately a total of 15 days of travel to any of the provinces with in Thailand as per the requirement of the programme.

Qualifications or Specialized Knowledge/Experience Required:

• Advanced University Degree in Health, Social sciences, or Development management.
• Minimum three years of professional work experience working in developmental sector with an expertise on programme development and monitoring.
• Solid knowledge and experience working with adolescent/young people, health, and life skills development will be an advantage.
• Prior experience working with UN agencies or other international development organization will be an advantage.
• Proven experience in understanding adolescents participation and gender is a must.
• Excellent writing and editing skills in English and Thai.
• Good interpersonal and communication skills.

Interested candidates are requested to submit CV or P11, full contact information of minimum 2 references, availability, and proposed monthly professional fee in THB by 31 August 2017.

  FORM P11.doc

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Only short listed candidates will be notified.