Consultancy: Senior Adviser to lead the development of a research agenda on implementing ECD parenting programmes, ECD Section, PD - NYHQ, Requisition # 520114

The primary objective of the consultancy is to co-lead the development of the research agenda on “Implementing Parenting Programmes,” in partnership with UNICEF. As a first step to developing a research agenda, UNICEF, through a partnership with the LEGO Foundation, will organize an initial Parenting Technical Experts Consultation at the margins of the annual LEGO Idea Conference in April 2019, held in Billund, Denmark. The purpose of this convening will be to initiate the design of the research agenda. The finalization of the research agenda will be part of the UNICEF-LEGO Foundation Playful Parenting at Scale grant, which is expected to extend from 2019-2023.

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BACKGROUND & RATIONALE

The aim of this initiative is to develop a prospectus or research agenda on implementing ECD parenting programmes. The ultimate aim of the research agenda is to publish a global academic publication on implementation of parenting programmes globally, which will also feed into the preparation of a Global Parenting Report.

There is significant awareness of the importance of parenting for the development and wellbeing of children, however there is lesser knowledge about how to implement supportive efforts that enable parents (and key caregivers) in this task. There is especially a lack of knowledge of how to implement such programmes to serve the needs of the populations that need them and to move beyond projects to more universal coverage. The goal of universalization is not to scale up a specific programme, tool or set of parenting messages, rather to ensure that support to parents is universally available.  Second, the understanding of parenting is often siloed, either it is considered in the realm of positive parenting to reduce harsh discipline and address issues of violence or seen as equivalent to caregiving. However, parenting is not siloed; it is multi-dimensional. Parents engage with their young children in caregiving, socializing, emotional bonding, stimulation and positive discipline in a joined-up manner. Growing evidence from parenting interventions, including the Care for Child Development (CCD) approach, implemented in a range of countries and contexts has also shown that increased quality primary caregiver play with children during the early childhood years leads to improved learning and health outcomes that persist throughout the life course.  Therefore, the implementation of programmes needs to draw on this naturally occurring multi-dimensionality and integrate playful approaches to support parents. Finally, parenting programmes are delivered through a range of modalities, such a dyadic home visits, parenting groups, on-line and print publication etc. and with several levels of the delivery system involved, from the service provider her/himself, to the content of the programmes, to the policies that support that delivery. In media modalities, it is the tools that parents access and the content therein. Understanding the modalities and contexts (e.g., low resource setting) are important for the improvements in effectiveness of the programmes and scaling them up.  This is particularly important for programming in humanitarian contexts, of conflict, crises, climate change disruptions and migration. The proposed prospectus or research agenda aims to fill these gaps in knowledge on implementation of parenting programmes.

OBJECTIVES

The primary objective of the consultancy is to co-lead the development of the research agenda on “Implementing Parenting Programmes,” in partnership with UNICEF.

As a first step to developing a research agenda, UNICEF, through a partnership with the LEGO Foundation, will organize an initial Parenting Technical Experts Consultation at the margins of the annual LEGO Idea Conference in April 2019, held in Billund, Denmark. The purpose of this convening will be to initiate the design of the research agenda. The finalization of the research agenda will be part of the UNICEF-LEGO Foundation Playful Parenting at Scale grant, which is expected to extend from 2019-2023.

DELIVERABLES

1. Content of the prospectus to be discussed at the Parenting Technical Consultation in Billund

The ultimate goal of parenting programmes is to support parents and key caregivers so that they can practice good parenting and thereby improve the development of their children. To achieve this goal and based on recent parenting related global publications (e.g. Nurturing Care Framework, and UNICEF’s Standards for ECD Parenting Programs in Low and Middle-Income Countries and Systematic Review of Parenting Programs for Young Children in Low Income and Middle-Income Countries), suggestions for the topics of implementation that need further understanding are:

• At the policy level:
• E.g., What policies have been most effective in supporting the scale up of parenting programmes? (with a specific focus on family friendly policies such as parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, etc.) Can the effectiveness factors with respect to the governance, public-private partnerships, and finance be identified?
• E.g., How can responsive caregiving and playful interactions be promoted and sustained alongside health, nutrition and protection messages?
• E.g., Do playful parenting interventions significantly contribute to children’s outcomes above and beyond other arms of the ECD package?
• Going to scale:
• E.g., What are the conditions that make governments and service providers ready to scale parenting interventions?
• E.g., How do parenting programmes get adapted from one context to the next? What are the factors to consider in the adaptation process (e.g. everyday play and parenting approaches across cultures and contexts)? How can these be used to inform and strengthen intervention quality (i.e. identifying what works for which families, family backgrounds, parenting approaches and ways to adapt models as needed)?
• Service Delivery (supply side) level:
• E.g., Which factors are important for changing workforce knowledge, attitudes and behaviors about playful parenting?
• E.g., How are counselling and interpersonal communication skills developed of frontline workers/ community volunteers to enhance the capacity of caregivers to engage in responsive and playful learning interactions with their young children in low income settings?
• E.g. What is the role of technology in playful parenting as an enabler to cost and programme effectiveness?
• Beneficiary level:
• E.g., How to create demand by the beneficiaries for quality nurturing care interventions, with a focus on responsive engagement and playful learning?^[1]
• E.g., How to best engage fathers in responsive and playful learning interactions with their children?
• E.g., How to effectively work with non-traditional families and those impacted by humanitarian crises?
• Programme effectiveness:
• E.g., What types of programmes lead to behaviour change in parenting? What are the best ways to combine the delivery of services with media?
• E.g., How do parenting programmes deliver best on the multiple dimensions of parenting?
• How can the optimal “dose” of a parenting programme be estimated? 
• Programme measurement:
• E.g., What are the most effective tools that can be used at program levels to measure playful parenting (linked to routine monitoring systems)?

*Note – these research questions/topics will be further developed/refined in consultation with the LEGO foundation

2. Key members to be invited to the Technical Consultation, including the core group of experts and a reference group, identified in collaboration with UNICEF (Note: UNICEF will endeavor to obtain feedback/suggestions from the LEGO Foundation).

3. Agenda and background documents for Technical Consultation timely prepared

4. Technical Expert Consultation in Billund successfully conducted, including research agenda prospectus finalized with proposed plan for operationalizing it towards an academic publication

SUPERVISION AND DUTY STATION: The consultant will work remotely under the supervision and direction of the Chief, ECD Section at UNICEF NYHQ.

 FEES : The consultant will be paid upon satisfactory submission of deliverables.

TRAVEL AND SUBSISTENCE ALLLOWANCE: The consultant will be paid travel to Billund, Denmark for a face-to-face meeting and daily subsistence allowance for the duration of the mission.

TIMELINE, DELIVERABLES AND PAYMENT SCHEDULE

  The duration of this consultancy will be a total of 23 days between 1 March 2019 – 31 May 2019.*

*Start date is subject to slight change depending on length of contracting process

Note – Final timeline to be determined and confirmed during inception phase of the consultancy in collaboration with the ECD Specialist and Chief, ECD Section. Some dates might shift slightly.

KEY QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENC

The candidate should possess the following qualifications and technical experience:

• 20+ years professional experience in the field of ECD
• PhD in relevant field (e.g. Developmental Psychology, ECD etc.)
• Extensively published in internationally recognized peer-reviewed journals on parenting
• Extensive experience as editor of internationally recognized peer-reviewed journals and/or publications on parenting