Home-based local consultancy (with travel): Social housing expert, Italy (170 days)

UNICEF Refugee and Migrant Response in Italy is looking for a local consultant to develop and integrate a component on social housing into the National Care Leavers Pilot Programme (Sperimentazione Nazionale Care Leavers - SNCL) as part of the testing of the Child Guarantee in Italy

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For every child, results

Compared to the EU average (23.4%), Italian children and adolescents are more at risk of poverty and social exclusion (30.6%).  As of 2020, 13.6% (more than 1.3 million) Italian children and young people under the age of 18 live in absolute poverty.  According to 2019 data, 25.7% of Italian youth aged 18 to 24 are currently neither in education, nor in employment, or training. Furthermore, the most recent available data show that 27.111 children are living out of parental care in 2017, 52% of which are in foster care while the remaining 48% are in institutional care. Moreover, the disparity in the level and access to services between different areas of the country is alarming. 

Starting in 2015, the European Union began the development of a Child Guarantee, meant to ensure that all children in Europe who are at risk of poverty, social exclusion, or are otherwise disadvantaged, have access to essential services of good quality in the areas of healthcare, education, childcare, housing and nutrition. In July 2020, the European Commission, through the Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, started the third phase of the Child Guarantee entrusting UNICEF’s Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia with the task of implementing pilot projects to counter inequalities and child poverty in four European countries, including Italy. In March 2021, the European Commission issued a Proposal for a Council Recommendation on the establishment of the EU-wide Child Guarantee to combat child poverty and social exclusion of the most vulnerable children, and for Member States to ensure they have access to free healthcare, free education, free childcare, decent housing and adequate nutrition. The Child Guarantee sits in the framework of another milestone document issued in 2021 by the European Commission, the EU Strategy on Children’s Rights, which will guide the action of EU Institutions and Member States in the protection, inclusion and participation of children in the European Union.

In Italy, the Child Guarantee is being tested under the oversight of an interinstitutional Steering Committee, composed by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies (MLSP), the Presidency of the Council of Ministers - Department for Family Policies, and UNICEF. During this pilot phase, a comprehensive research on policies, programmes, services, budgets, and mechanisms addressing child poverty and social exclusion will be conducted, together with the testing of models of intervention for the support of children particularly at risk of poverty and exclusion. These include foster care and other alternative care solutions for particularly vulnerable children, support of care leavers towards autonomy, skills building for adolescents to support their school to work transition, support to vulnerable families and the contrast to educational poverty.

Considering the central role of alternative care in the testing of models and the already ongoing efforts from the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies in providing support to adolescents and youth leaving institutional care, UNICEF in agreement with MLSP plans to support care leavers’ transition towards autonomy through the development and pilot of a housing component to be included into the National Care Leavers Pilot Programme, established with the law 205/2017 and implemented nationwide since 2018.

How can you make a difference?

Under the guidance of UNICEF’s Child Protection Specialist and of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies (Direzione Generale per la lotta alla povertà e per la programmazione sociale) and in close coordination with the technical assistance of the Istituto degli Innocenti, the Consultant will work on the integration of a component on social housing into the already existing structure of the National Care Leavers Pilot Programme and in supporting its initial implementation in selected municipalities, as part of the pilot phase of the EU Child Guarantee.

The consultant will work withthe Ministry of Labour and Social Policies on further strengthening the support provided to care leavers through the National Pilot Programme, by developing and integrating into the existing structure, a component focused on social housing – intended as all different options of affordable housing based on sharing, mutual support and/or social and community solidarity for people at risk of poverty or social exclusion with housing needs – for adolescents and youth leaving care and organizing and carrying out trainings for the entire cadre of Tutors of the SNCL on social housing. At the same time, the Consultant will be in charge of accompanying and supporting the testing of this component in selected municipalities (Atripalda, Bologna, Roma, Piana di Lucca – municipalities to be confirmed), through the training of social workforces, initial mapping of the existing resources – including estate and properties in the availability of each municipality – and needs of the care leavers in the specific context, and accompanying and supporting them through the initial implementation phase. Finally, the Consultant will review the documentation based on the initial testing and systematize and align it with the already existing documents to facilitate its integration within the National Care Leavers Pilot Programme.

Specifically, the following results will be achieved:

• An initial mapping of existing practices on social housing in Italy and in other EU Countries is conducted to identify promising initiatives to be replicated;
• A handbook on social housing for social workforce and the Tutors of the SNCL, coherent with the already existing Programme material, is developed and validated with MLSP;
• The cadre of Tutors of the SNCL is trained – based on the developed handbook and a training package – to support care leavers in their transition towards housing autonomy through social housing solutions;
• Mapping of housing resources and care leavers’ specific housing needs in selected Municipalities are developed and validated with Municipal authorities;
• Social workforce of the selected municipalities is trained – based on the developed handbook – on how to integrate social housing in the offer of services already available for care leavers;
• Social workforce and the Tutors of the SNCL in selected municipalities are accompanied in the initial integration of social housing in their offer of services and in the National Pilot Programme;
• A component on social housing is developed and aligned to be integrated in the SNCL for its potential scale-up nationwide.

Contractual arrangements:

• Duration: The contract will be for 170 days, within 11.5 months between June and 2021 and May 2022.
• Location: The consultancy is home-based in Italy with potential travel within the country, depending on COVID-19 travel restrictions. The Consultant will be responsible for organizing their travel. All travel expenses (tickets, accommodation, public transport, meals) will be reimbursed. The maximum amount allocated for travel will be USD 2,600 or EUR 2,132. 
• Payment: The consultant will be paid upon timely and satisfactory submission of deliverables as per the above table. 
• Travel:
• All UNICEF rules and regulations related to travel of Consultants/ Individual Contractors apply.
• All travels shall be undertaken only upon the prior written approval by UNICEF.
• The consultant is responsible for his/her for travel arrangements. The most economic and direct route is authorized.
• Travel costs will be reimbursed after the completion of mission upon submission of the invoice together with the supporting documentation.
• The consultant must be fit to travel, be in a possession of the valid UN BSafe certificate, obligatory inoculation(s) and have a valid own travel/medical insurance and an immunization/vaccination card.

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s) in  Social Sciences, Political Science, Pedagogical Science, Economics, or other related subjects
• At least 7 years of professional experience in housing with experience in conducting research.
• Ability to work with vulnerable children and youth, experience working with care leavers and publications on the topic of social housing are assets.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a multi-cultural environment and establish harmonious and effective working relationships.
• Fluency in Italian and English is required.

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.

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

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.

To apply:

Interested candidates are invited to: 

• Complete their UNICEF profile;
• Attach P11, CV and Cover Letter;
• Indicate a daily fee, bearing in mind that the maximum daily fee allowed for this consultancy is USD 220 or EUR180.4, travel not included. Applications without fees will not be accepted.

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.