Consultancy: Adolescents Equity Profile – Findings Report and Fact Sheet on Saint Lucia

UNICEF ECA and Ministry of Equity of Saint Lucia require the technical assistance of a consultant to conduct the analysis of the existing data and present the results for adolescents in Saint Lucia. Using the findings from the analysis, the consultant will develop a key findings report on adolescents in Saint Lucia and a data fact sheet with key graphic highlights. The consultant will undertake analysis using the primary data sources, including reports and survey datasets, such as latest Survey of Living Conditions (SLC), Multiple Indicators Cluster Survey (MICS), Labour Force Survey (LFS), Populations and Housing Census (PHC), Education Statistical Digest and other (Annex 1). The MICS template for thematic analysis on Adolescents and the snapshot template for the fact sheet will be used and adapted as required.

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BACKGROUND:

Over the years, UNICEF has worked with the Ministry of Equity, Social Justice, Empowerment, Youth Development, Sports, Culture and Local Government and other partners in Saint Lucia to protect the rights of children of all ages – from earliest childhood through adolescence. With the continuous commitment to deliver for all children, in recent years, the efforts to support the unique needs of young people has gained momentum, as the challenges facing them have come more sharply into view. Poverty, violence and disadvantage continue to limit the lives of young people. Nurturing them through these vulnerable years provides the key to unlocking a better future for them and their societies.

To ensure that adolescents, particularly the most vulnerable and marginalized, receive the support they need to reach their full potential, efforts will be required to strengthen their connections to caring adults and their access to quality health, education, social assistance and child protection services.

According to the State of the World’s Children data in 2015, the world is home to approximately 1.2 billion adolescents. Although there is no internationally accepted definition of adolescence, the United Nations defines them as individuals aged 10-19; in effect, those in the second decade of their lives. In the Eastern Caribbean Area (ECA), on average adolescents account for 15 per cent of the region’s population, and for 19 per cent of Saint Lucia.

As the countries begin to shape a new future based on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), there is growing recognition that success will require investing in young people. Realizing the rights of adolescents and advancing their development must be preceded first of all by a keen understanding of their current circumstances based on evidence. Using the latest available data from national systems and surveys, supplemented by research studies where appropriate, is central to the Ministry of Equity and UNICEF work in evidence generation and for monitoring the SDGs with equity. Disaggregating data – looking beyond national averages, will help to identify the adolescents who are still being left behind.

Following an exercise on the mapping of adolescent data in Saint Lucia, it was revealed that a significant amount of information is available in key areas such as health, education, protection and poverty among others (see Annex 1). The analysis and disaggregation of data on adolescents is critical in making visible the heterogeneity of adolescent subgroups and identifying the key issues requiring attention. The data analysis and findings will help decision makers, governments, NGOs, and advocacy organizations identify marginalized adolescents, take appropriate policy and programme decisions, prioritize investments, and where data are insufficient or absent, motivate additional data collection, analysis and programme-oriented research.

This activity will be implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Equity of Saint Lucia and aligns with the UNICEF global initiative called A Young People’s Agenda and the objectives of the OECS YES (Youth Empowered Societies) movement led by the OECS Commission. UNICEF Eastern Caribbean work on adolescents is an area of convergence among programme pillars, undertaken in collaboration among child rights monitoring, lifelong learning, and safety and justice components. 

PURPOSE/SCOPE OF CONSULTANCY:

UNICEF ECA and Ministry of Equity of Saint Lucia require the technical assistance of a consultant to conduct the analysis of the existing data and present the results for adolescents in Saint Lucia. Using the findings from the analysis, the consultant will develop a key findings report on adolescents in Saint Lucia and a data fact sheet with key graphic highlights. The consultant will undertake analysis using the primary data sources, including reports and survey datasets, such as latest Survey of Living Conditions (SLC), Multiple Indicators Cluster Survey (MICS), Labour Force Survey (LFS), Populations and Housing Census (PHC), Education Statistical Digest and other (Annex 1). The MICS template for thematic analysis on Adolescents and the snapshot template for the fact sheet will be used and adapted as required.

KEY EXPECTED RESULTS:

1. Graphs and/or tables on relevant indicators related to adolescents’ health, education, social protection safety/justice, unemployment, poverty and other topics including key disaggregation are developed. This deliverable will contribute as input to Adolescents Equity Profile Findings Report and Fact Sheet.
2. Saint Lucia Adolescents Equity Profile – Findings Report with analytical results;

3. Saint Lucia Adolescents Equity Profile – Fact Sheet with visual graphs and key messages.

As part of the quality assurance process the Ministry of Equity, UNICEF and other partners in Saint Lucia will review the deliverables and share comments for inclusion/response at all stage.

WORK ASSIGNMENT OVERVIEW:

DURATION OF CONTRACT:

The planned overall duration of this consultancy is 3 months, with expected start on 16 July 2018 and completion by 30 September 2018. A total of 30 working days are estimated for completion of the assignment and expected deliverables.

LOCATION:

Consultant's own location

CONTRACT SUPERVISOR:

The consultant will report directly to the Monitoring & Evaluation Specialist, UNICEF Office for the Eastern Caribbean Area based in St. Lucia.

OFFICIAL TRAVEL:

This consultancy does not require travel.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE:

• A minimum of a Master's Degree in statistics, sociology or other social sciences. 
• A minimum of at least 10 years of experience conducting analysis using datasets from major socio-economic household surveys (LSMS, MICS, LFS).
• Strong analytical skills and proven experience in data analysis using datasets of major socio-economic household surveys;
• Advanced skills in statistical analysis software, especially SPSS;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English required;
• Ability to work independently and respond to feedback in a timely manner.   

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.

Payment Schedule:

The consultant will be paid in three installments upon satisfactory completion and submission of each deliverable:

Deliverable 1: Graphs and/or tables on relevant indicators related to adolescents

Deliverable 2: Saint Lucia Adolescents Equity Profile - Findings Report

Deliverable 3: Saint Lucia Adolescents Equity Profile - Fact Sheet

The amount of installments will be calculated based on the estimated duration (# days) of each deliverable and consultancy fee daily rates (US$ per day) as per the work schedule above.

CONDITIONS OF SERVICE:

Before commencing work, a consultant or individual contractor shall submit a statement of good health and take full responsibility for the accuracy of that statement, including confirmation that he or she has been informed of the inoculations required for the country or countries to which travel is authorized. Consultants and individual contractors shall assume all costs that may occur in relation to the statement of good health.

Consultants and individual contractors are required to certify that they are covered by medical/health insurance.

RECOURSE:

UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/outputs is 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.

PROPERTY RIGHTS:

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

TRAININGS:

Prior to the signature of the contract, consultants/individual contractors must submit certificates of completion of the following mandatory trainings as part of the hiring documentation:

1. The Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) e-learning course is mandatory for all UN Funds and Programmes Personnel including volunteers and contractors. This self-paced course can take you about 90 minutes to complete and can be found at: https://agora.unicef.org/course/info.php?id=7380
2. When traveling on UNICEF business, the Basic Security in the Field (BSITF) and the Advanced Security in the Field (ASITF) trainings are mandatory. UNDSS trainings are available at: https://training.dss.un.org

HOW TO APPLY:

Prospective consultants should apply through UNICEF’s E-recruitment System by accessing the following link: http://jobs.unicef.org and typing in the job number 513924 in the search engine, no later than COB (EST) on 29 June, 2018. The application package should include the following:

1. A cover letter, indicating the proposed daily rate for the consultancy fee;
2. A detailed Curriculum Vitae (CV)
3. 1 sample of relevant analytical work (provide publication title, and website link if available).

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.

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

Annex 1: Mapping Data Sources on Adolescents, Saint Lucia[1]