International Technical Support to Design Communication Package for Early Childhood Development (ECD) in Kiribati, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu

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.

For every child, [insert tagline]

UNICEF Pacific's 2018-2022 multi-country programme includes a goal to support PICs to ensure that every child up to age of school entry receives essential services for early childhood development (ECD). Another goal is to support PICs to ensure that every parent and caregiver practices and provides nurturing care for the full development of their children. When realized, these outcomes for children will create a solid foundation for the PICs to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 target to ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education by 2030.

In efforts to work towards this objective, in 2019 UNICEF Pacific held a Pacific C4D for ECD conference in Suva. Following this and additional consultations with programmes, a Pacific Regional Communication for Development (C4D) Strategic Framework was developed, providing an evidence-informed set of targets and strategies for UNICEF Pacific to manage and use for strategic and effective communication for ECD across all UNICEF programmes for 14 countries, in a harmonized, coordinated, efficient and integrated approach.

We envisage that UNICEF Pacific will use this C4D Strategic Framework as a starting point for action and a working document that can be updated as needed. The framework, at this point an internal UNICEF document, is complemented by strategic C4D in ECD implementation plans for selected priority countries such as Kiribati, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.

Engaging individuals and communities to create positive behavioral and social change is central to the work of UNICEF on ECD in the Pacific. Behavioral and social change interventions will be most impactful for children when they are delivered through the many touch points that people interact with daily. This requires reaching out to people as individuals, as family and community members, as media consumers, and as the benefactors of protective laws and support services. It also means delivering interventions through the most appropriate facilitators, messengers and channels to various segments of people.

ECD requires comprehensive support to address gaps in awareness and knowledge about early brain development and nurturing care, improve demand for ECD services, motivate positive social and behavior change at the individual, family, community, and institutional levels, and ensure that enabling policies are in place that support young children and their families.The goal is to promote nurturing care, which refers Nurturing carerefers to a stable environment created by parents and other caregivers that ensures children's good health and nutrition, protects them from threats, and gives young children opportunities for early learning, through interactions that are emotionally supportive and responsive.

It is also important to ensure a coherent approach on communicating messages to parents, emphasizing that children develop in a holistic manner. Government ministries usually communicate to parents and the public on a variety of issues, including for example, promotion of breastfeeding, vaccination, positive discipline, and early learning. Often these are delivered as separate communication initiatives, without necessarily reinforcing each other and emphasizing that children need to develop across developmental domains to achieve their full potential. Effective communication strategies for ECD cut across sectors and support a holistic approach to advocacy, social and behavior change.

How can you make a difference?

UNICEF Pacific office is providing targeted support in ECD to Kiribati, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu, which has some of the poorest child development outcomes in the region. Kiribati has a national ECD coordination committee, while Solomon Islands and Vanuatu are in the process of establishing these coordination mechanisms. All three countries are in the process of mapping out ECD services and policies and conducting consultations across a multitude of stakeholders, with a view to complete a multi-sectoral ECD policy and action plan by end-2020.

The purpose of the assignment is to develop communication resources and materials that inform and empower communities and families to provide nurturing care to young children.

Attached is a detailed Terms of Reference sharing detailed information regarding this assignment.TOR ECD C4D Materials Development.pdf

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

NOTE: UNICEF is open to receiving proposals from an individual consultant or a team of consultants. In the case of a team of consultants, UNICEF will only contract the team leader who is expected to be fully responsible for the satisfactory completion of all deliverables mentioned in this ToR.

Qualifications

Experience and Skills

Languages

Competencies

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

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 be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

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

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organization. To apply, click on the following link http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/?job=530619