By continuing to browse this site, you agree to our use of cookies. Read our privacy policy

Parental Engagement Curriculum for Children with Special Needs Consultancy , Beirut Lebanon (45 working days)

Beirut

  • Organization: UNICEF - United Nations Children’s Fund
  • Location: Beirut
  • Grade: Consultancy - Consultant - Contractors Agreement
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Public Health and Health Service
    • Education, Learning and Training
    • Children's rights (health and protection)
  • Closing Date: Closed

Lebanon Education section is looking for a national or international consultant who under the supervision and overall guidance of the Education Chief the consultant will be working on developing parental engagement/education curriculum for the caregivers of children with disabilities.

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, Education

Rationale:

Stimulating home environments and relationships are vital for nurturing the growth, learning and development of children. The quality of child-caregiver interaction may be compromised when a child has a disability. Several studies have shown that there are differences in parent-child interaction —parents or caregivers of children with disabilities usually dominate interactions more than parents or caregivers of children without disabilities. Some children with disabilities have high support needs as a result of disabling health conditions and impairments and this dependency, in addition to other social and economic barriers, can place considerable stress on caregivers. Caregivers may be isolated in communities that hold negative attitudes and beliefs towards disability. They may experience poverty and lack needed economic support; have limited access to information needed to provide appropriate care for their children; and have limited social supports (32). These factors can have a detrimental effect on the physical and mental health of mothers and fathers and their ability to respond to the child’s developmental needs.

However, an emphasis on barriers and problems risks overlooking the joy and satisfaction that can come from having a child with disability. Children with disabilities are usually loved and valued by their parents and siblings, and parents in particular may develop many new skills and capacities through their caring roles. Considering that family settings are generally the first learning and protective environments for children, guidance and orientation are critical for families following the immediate identification of a developmental delay or disability in order to promote positive interactions. In addition to a child’s immediate family, his or her neighborhood, community and societal structures also need to be considered .

Background:

UNICEF provides education and other services to children with disabilities through two tracks a) for children with moderate and severe disabilities, support package of education and rehabilitation services is provided through specialized NGOs b) for children with mild disabilities, and whenever possible, moderate disabilities, education and other necessary services are provided through mainstream education partners as part of our inclusive education package.

Both programs have a parental education component, conducting sessions for the parents on different topics – child rights, positive parenting, taking care of children with disabilities, etc. However, there is no unified curriculum, so each partner determines the content of the sessions with their technical team.

How can you make a difference?

The objective of this consultancy is to develop a parent curriculum tailored to children with disabilities. The consultancy has two components:


1. To review the existing parental curricula (for parents in general, not those parents of children with disabilities) and toolboxes in Lebanon and MENA region (e.g IRC and DRC parent education curricula, and customize these for children with disabilities (e.g. positive discipline with a focus on children with disabilities);

2. Develop additional content specifically for parents of children with disabilities (for example, how to provide care and stimulation for children with specific disabilities; how to advocate for your child’s right to inclusion).

There is great importance placed on the development of inclusive education in Lebanon and ensure quality education for all children, including children with disabilities and learning difficulties. UNICEF aims to promote the well-being of children and adolescents through improving parents’ stress management skills, positive parenting practices, and strategies for supporting children and adolescents with psycho-social needs.

The tasks will include:

1-  Desk review of the existing curricula

2-  Technical proposal of the proposed curricula (objective, main topics and subtopics)

3-  Development of the draft curriculum

4-  Validation workshops in Beirut and feedback collection

5-  Finalization of the curriculum

6-  Development of facilitator’s guide

7-  Training of partner organization on the curriculum

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

  • An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in Education (preferably with focus on education for children with disabilities) or other relevant Social Science discipline.
  • A minimum of proven technical expertise and work experience of at least 8 years in the area of parenting, disabilities ECD, curriculum, education and relevant fields
  • Experience in developing and writing curricula
  • Proven experience in the education or Child Protection sector
  • Proven experience of work in MENA region is highly desirable
  • Excellent knowledge of English is required, Arabic is desired
  • Strong communication and working with people skills
  • Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.
  • Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

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.

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.

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.

The application will be reviewed under the best value for money principle, thus only applications with financial proposal will be considered (including the total fees in USD) 

This vacancy is now closed.
However, we have found similar vacancies for you: