Individual Consultancy: Technical assistance for further strengthening the work of Chisinau Municipality's Social Assistance sub-sector

UNICEF Moldova is seeking the support of an Individual Consultant to provide technical assistance to Chisinau Municipality to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the work of the Social Assistance's sub-sector.

Under the overall assignment to provide Technical assistance for further strengthening the work of Chisinau Municipality General Departments of Social Assistance and Health, of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports, and of Child Protection, UNICEF Moldova is looking for an Individual consultant for the Assessment of Chisinau Municipality Social Assistance sub-sector.

The overall objective of the Consultancy is to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the efficiency and effectiveness of the Municipal Department of Social Assistance and Health.

Key recommendations from the assessment are captured in an already developed comprehensive methodology and Roadmap with short, medium and long-term actions, but which need to be adjusted.

The specific objectives of this consultancy are:

1. Assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the Municipal General Department of Social Assistance a its capacity to deliver comprehensive child and adolescent related services as prescribed by national strategies and vis a vis international norms and standards. The assessment will review comprehensively the mandate and functions of each respective department and will map the range of services provided, including the availability of relevant municipal sector specific strategy and action plans and their alignment to national and global strategies and norms, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The assessment will further review the potential positive or negative impact current settings of service provision have on the overall child and adolescent wellbeing and whether the services meet respective children and adolescents needs, especially those of most vulnerable groups.  
2. Analyse the effectiveness and efficiency of cross-sectoral collaboration for maximizing the impact of delivery of services by different sectors, including identifying key barriers and bottlenecks for effective functioning and/or adequate collaboration within and between departments.
3. Analyse the budget planning and monitoring process for each sector with focus on analysing the level of allocations and expenditures, including possible trends and fluctuations, retrospectively over a period of 5 years, and assess the relevance and alignment of allocations and expenditures with the respective municipal sector strategy, if available. The analysis should cover a review of each sector budget structure, internal distribution and specific cost areas as defined and classified in the Municipality of Chisinau.  The analysis should also review and assess the overall budgeting process, its relevance to child related needs, compliance to methodological guidance and cost estimation of relevant services as defined by line ministries and its equity dimensions.
4. Assess institutional capacities to collect and use for planning and monitoring relevant disaggregated data, including to support budgeting and cost estimation of services. The analysis should assess respective department’s monitoring and evaluation (M&E) capacity and M&E practices with focus on processes and skills ensuring proper monitoring of national and municipal child-related policies and services. The review should comment on the data availability, disaggregation and quality and will assess respective data collection tools and monitoring frameworks.
5. Based on the assessment, develop specific sets of short, medium and long-term recommendations for strengthening of the respective department services, including planning and budgeting and service delivery processes. Key recommendations will be captured in a comprehensive Roadmap for strengthening the respective Municipal Department work, and will also include recommendations for specific, legislative and regulatory changes (as required), developing of quality assurance processes, equity approaches and need based financing of services within a strengthened M&E framework.

Details of how the work should be delivered

The consultancy aims at supporting the Chisinau General Departments of Social Assistance and Health, and of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports to improve their efficiency and effectiveness aimed at ensuring equal and inclusive access of all children and adolescents including most vulnerable (children with disabilities, Roma children, street children, poor and rural children) to quality education, health, child and social protection services.

To ensure an inclusive, informative and participatory analysis a cross-sectoral Working Group will be established, with representatives of all municipal General Departments, line ministries, civil society, youth councils, Parents’ Associations, UNICEF and others as required. Comprehensive consultation with children, adolescents and their families should be planned as well.

To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the selected Consultants under the guidance of UNICEF will:

• Review and adjust if necessary the methodology and work plan for the assignment, including recommended data collection instruments (e.g. questionnaires and/ or interview guides) and other related documents. A draft will be submitted to Chisinau Municipality and UNICEF for approval.
• Conduct briefing and de-briefing meetings with UNICEF Moldova, Chisinau Municipality, Municipal General Department of Social Assistance and Health, and other partners as required;
• Review and adjust if necessary the desk review of relevant documents and reports;
• Conduct field visits to Chisinau (Moldova) and at least 3 suburbs, and meet with selected partners and stakeholders;
• Draft a clear, accessible and usable report on the findings of the assessment, including key findings, lessons learned and recommendations for way forward, and draft the Roadmap for further strengthening the Social Assistance and Health Department in Chisinau Municipality;
• Hold consultations with Interim General Mayor of Chisinau, the Cross-sectorial Working Group, UNICEF and other partners on the draft assessment, and integrate their feedback into the report and Roadmap;
• Prepare the final version of the report with all key findings and recommendations (including prioritization of key strategic recommendations, final draft of related Roadmap, human resources and communication strategies;
• Present and validate the respective report in a multi-stakeholder technical meeting of the public bodies and civil society in view of gathering participants’ feedback and advocating for the implementation of the assessment recommendations.

Definition of supervisory arrangements:

The Social Assistance Consultant will report to the Social Policy Specialist of UNICEF Moldova.

Work location and travel involved:

The work will require local travel in mutually agreed locations including in Chisinau. The consultant is expected to cover costs, arrange and schedule such visits, including transportation. The UNICEF office will facilitate introductions to key informants.

Consultant will make and pay for own international travel arrangements for arriving to Moldova including visa costs, insurance, any taxes etc., if applicable.

Qualifications and experience

• Advanced University Degree in Social Sciences, Public Policies, Development or related field;
• At least 7 years of professional experience in conducting evaluations;
• At least 5 years of experience in quantitative and qualitative research in social assistance, child protection or other social field or human rights area;
• Proven knowledge of Child and Human Rights Based Approach and Result-based Management;
• Excellent analytical and report writing skills;
• Demonstrated experience of work with the Government of the Republic of Moldova in undertaking research, evaluations, reviews in the social field is a strong asset;
• Excellent mastery of English and/or Romanian (the translation will be arranged by the Contractor and translation costs included in Financial proposal).

For more details on deliverables and minimum requirements, please refer to attached Terms of reference (ToR)

 2019_09_ToR Social Assistance Chisinau Municipality_published.pdf

HOW TO APPLY: Your online application should contain two separate attachments: Technical Proposal and Financial Proposal (templates below). Please secure the Financial Proposal *.pdf document with a password on document view; the password will be requested only from technically qualified candidates.

 Technical proposal_Individual_Consultancy.docx

 Financial Offer_Individual Consultant_Annex 1.xlsx

Applications for this assignment must be received no later than: 29 October 2019

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.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

Remarks:

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