International consultant on Juvenile Justice, Port Moresby, PNG

The objective of this consultancy is to provide technical assistance to DJAG-JJS to build the capacity of JJOs and VJJOs on case management and juvenile support services, in line with the new regulatory frameworks on juvenile justice.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, Juvenile justice

The Government of Papua New Guinea (PNG) has over the past few years strengthened the legal and policy framework for juvenile justice in PNG.  A new Juvenile Justice Act has been adopted in 2014 to increase the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 10 years old and to enhance the protection for children in conflict with the law. Complementing this Act are the new Juvenile Justice National Plan (2018-2022) and Juvenile Justice Regulations which has been completed and awaiting final approval. 

The Office of Juvenile Justice Services (JJS) has overall responsibility for the implementation of the Juvenile Justice Act. It is based at Community-based Corrections in the Department of Justice and Attorney General (DJAG). The office is staffed by the Director of the JJS and support personnel at their headquarters in Port Moresby and by juvenile justice officers (JJOs) in provinces where they have been deployed.  The JJS has to date appointed 14 JJOs across PNG's 22 provinces. In provinces where JJOs are yet to be recruited, juvenile justice functions are carried out by Probation Officers in addition to their regular duties. 

The responsibility of JJOs include:

• providing juveniles with support, counseling and basic information about their rights at all stages of the justice system, including attending police interviews and court hearings;
• conduct timely social case assessments of juveniles' background and circumstances as soon as they enter police custody, and providing advice and recommendations to the police and courts to inform decision-making about diversion, bail, and sentencing of a juvenile (pre-sentencing reports);
• promoting the development of diversion and community-based sentencing options for juveniles by enlisting support from provincial and local-level governments, civil society groups, churches and community members;
• collating and disseminating local and national juvenile justice data and statistics;
• mapping of community-based programs and services appropriate for juveniles;
• supervising juveniles on community-based sentences, and providing referrals to appropriate community services and programs;
• facilitating the reintegration of juveniles back into their community following their release from correctional and juvenile institutions;

While most JJOs have university qualifications in social work, many have limited experience in case management of juveniles and have yet to be trained on their expanded roles under the new Juvenile Justice Act.  Moreover, with only one JJO or probation officer designated to handle juvenile cases per province, many juveniles are not receiving appropriate support services at the different stages of the juvenile justice system, as required by law. JJOs are often unable to perform all their mandated roles due to insufficient time and challenges reaching juveniles outside of urban centres. Without the full support of JJOs, many juveniles are susceptible to violation of their rights in the justice system, including violence at the hands of the police, detention with adults, denial of bail, and overuse of remand.  Few juveniles have access to appropriate diversionary alternatives and rehabilitative measures. For juveniles released from detention, there is limited assistance for after-care and follow-up after their release.

UNICEF is supporting DJAG to address the above-mentioned barriers, particularly through  capacity-building of JJOs to implement the Juvenile Justice Act, which is a key priority of the government under the Juvenile Justice National Plan (2018-2022).  DJAG has recently drafted Operational Instructions for Juvenile Justice Officers based on the new Juvenile Justice Act, and is keen to commence JJO training on these reforms. Plans are also underway by DJAG to train and authorise Volunteer Juvenile Justice Officers (VJJO)  to help augment the capacity of Juvenile Justice Services and perform some of the tasks of JJOs, as permitted by the Juvenile Justice Act

Purpose / Objectives

The objective of this consultancy is to provide technical assistance to DJAG-JJS to build the capacity of JJOs and VJJOs on case management and juvenile support services, in line with the new regulatory frameworks on juvenile justice.

This activity contributes to the achievement of the UNICEF Country Programme Document (2018-2022), Child Protection Programme Outcome, By 2022, girls, boys and women in PNG have increased access to and utilize essential package of preventive and responsive protection services that promote their safety, well-being and access to justice.  In particular,  the activity comes under Output 2, Activity 8, of the GoPNG-UNICEF Child Protection Rolling Workplan (2018-2019), ˜Improving access to justice for children  support training and capacity-building of Juvenile Justice Officers and Volunteer Juvenile Justice Officers to deliver case management and juvenile justice services in 6 focus provinces.

How can you make a difference?

The contract will be for a period of 77 working days (estimated 32 days home-based and 45 days in country) with the following deliverables and timelines:

Support JJS to strengthen and integrate case management into its standard operating procedures.

a. Enhance the draft Operational Instructions for Juvenile Justice Officers to integrate case management, adjust for consistency with the new juvenile justice regulatory frameworks, and streamline content into user-friendly format.

1. Examine the PNG Juvenile Justice Act, Juvenile Justice Regulations, draft Operational Instructions for JJOs, Police Juvenile Justice Policy and Protocols, and other relevant regulatory frameworks provided by JJS.
2. Revise the draft Operational Instructions for JJOs as appropriate, for consistency with other regulatory frameworks on juvenile justice. 
3. Integrate case management into the draft Operational Instructions for JJOs through creation of a short section on case management and, as needed, through integrating the case management approach into other relevant sections.
4. Edit and streamline the Operational Instructions into a user-friendly format.

b. Develop a Case Management Handbook that will inform and instruct JJOs how to administer juvenile cases, along with forms needed at the different stages of case management.

Support JJS to develop a training toolkit for JJOs, based on the new Operational Instructions for Juvenile Justice Officers and other juvenile justice regulatory frameworks, and related training needs of JJOs.

a.      In close consultation with JJO trainers, draft a 5-day training manual for JJOs in the form of a Facilitators/Trainers Handbook. The trainer's handbook should incorporate case studies and case scenarios as learning activities, and  include a training programme, lesson plans, pre- and post- tests, and evaluation forms. 

b.      Draft a Participants Handbook, as a companion resource to the Trainers Handbook.

Support JJS and JJO trainers to prepare and deliver the 5-day training for JJOs and VJJOs.

a.      Conduct training sessions for JJO trainers to familiarize them with the trainer's handbook and to prepare them to conduct the training for JJOs and VJJOs.

b.      Co-facilitate the 5-day training for JJOs and VJJOs, and support JJO trainers in delivering the training modules

c.      Conduct a debriefing meeting with Juvenile Justice Services and JJO trainers to assess the training and recommend improvements for future training.

Expected Deliverables

 Payment will be based on satisfactory completion of tasks and submission of deliverables duly authorized by the Supervisor, as follows:

The end of contract will be on 23 November to allow for contingencies and ample time for processing payment.

3. Performance review and supervision:

Direct supervisors are: UNICEF Child Protection Specialist and DJAG Director of Juvenile Justice Services.

Regular weekly briefings (Skype or Face-to-Face) will be held between the consultant, the Director of Juvenile Justice Services,  and UNICEF Child Protection Specialist to monitor progress, exchange information, identify support requirements, and make necessary work adjustments.

Performance indicators: submission of deliverables on timely manner; quality of the outputs; level of professionalism; and communication skills. 

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

• Bachelor's degree in social work, law or related field. Advanced university degree in social work or related field.
• Minimum of six years of professional social work practice in a developing country.  International work experience in the region or PNG is desirable.
• Minimum of five years experience in case management of juveniles, including assisting juveniles at police, courts, and communities, and drafting social inquiry reports or case assessments of juveniles.
• Strong skills in drafting policies and procedures and in advising government officials.
• Strong facilitation and training skills and demonstrated skills in drafting training manuals and resources.
• Excellent English communication skills, verbal and written.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. View our competency framework at http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

UNICEF 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.

Remarks:

Interested applicants are required to submit their price proposal as follows;

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process

Policy/Administrative issues

Conditions

• The consultant will be responsible to bring all necessary laptop and computer accessories.
• Under the consultancy agreements, a month is defined as 21 working days, and fees are prorated accordingly. Consultants are not paid for weekends or public holidays.
• Flight costs for most direct economy class, local transport costs and any other costs related to this work will be covered by UNICEF and will not be included as part of the consultancy fees.
• Please note the air tickets under UNICEF contract shall be re-routable, refundable type (economy class and most direct route). The consultant will be responsible for own travel insurance.
• Consultants are not entitled to payment of overtime. All remuneration must be within the contract agreement.
• No contract may commence unless the contract is signed by both UNICEF and the consultant.
• Consultant will be required to sign the Health statement for consultants/ individual contractor prior to taking up the assignment, and to document that she/ he has appropriate health insurance.
• The Form 'Designation, change or revocation of beneficiary must be completed by the consultant upon arrival, at the HR Section.
• As per UNICEF policy, payment is made against approved deliverables. No advance payment is allowed unless in exceptional circumstances against bank guarantee, subject to a maximum of 30 per cent of the total contract value in cases where advance purchases, for example for supplies or travel, may be necessary
• The candidate selected will be governed by and subject to UNICEFs General Terms and Conditions for individual contracts.