Individual National Consultancy to Support Child Protection System Strengthening Initiatives for Bhairahawa Office (Nepalese Nationals Only)

UNICEF Nepal Country Office is looking for Individual National Consultant to Support Child Protection System Strengthening Initiatives based at Bhairahawa Field Office for the duration of 11 months.

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, protection.

The Child Protection programme within the UNICEF Nepal Country Programme (2018-2022) focuses on developing and strengthening a child protection system to prevent and respond to all forms of abuse, neglect and exploitation of children in Nepal.  

The country’s shift to a federal system has substantially devolved power and functions to Province and Local Levels which presents both challenges and opportunities for UNICEF to implement the child protection programme and achieve the defined targets and results. The government assigned staff to look after program related to Women and Children including child protection interventions in all local levels through staff adjustment process following federal restructuring. However, these women & children workforces have not been capacitated for essential skills to carry out their new functions in the changed context to analyse child protection issues, negotiate with local political leaderships for resource allocation for children during annual plan formulation process. Challenges equally persist in effective implementation of child protection interventions due to capacity gap and absence of local child welfare authorities resulting disruption of essential services for vulnerable children.

As UNICEF is at final stage of the current Country Programme Document (CPD) cycle, Child Protection section is aiming to consolidate learnings of local governance including Public Finance for Children (PF4C) and landscape of responding to child protection issues at local level. In addition, the election of local governments is scheduled on 13 May 2022. As new elected representatives and other officials are expected on board, capacity building work and additional support in the new budget cycle at local level will be required, which will need adequate time to build rapport, while the impact of COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose additional challenges at all local level in Lumbini Province. 

How can you make a difference?

The purpose of this consultancy is to provide technical assistance to support Province and Local levels in:

a) Addressing child protection issues by establishing information management system to track/assess existing local capacities/resources and identifying vulnerable children requiring immediate support for alternative care arrangement and/or other supports through strengthening public and CSO partnership

b) Capacity building of local governments on child protection for planning, budgeting and effective mobilization of local child protection mechanisms.

c) Strengthening local child protection systems with localizing existing policies and procedures and supporting sectorial coordination of preparedness and response to protection issues.

In this context, UNICEF needs to enhance monitoring and outreach as well as support sectorial coordination as co-lead of the Protection cluster and lead of the Child Protection Working Group. These increased needs for supporting the sub-national and local governments in capacity building & system strengthening for effective assessment of vulnerability among children, situation monitoring, information management and coordination require additional support. 

The consultant will accomplish the following tasks as per the methodology outlined below:

1. Provide technical assistance support UNICEF’s regular and emergency child protection programmes, particularly in the fields of coordination with local governments and CSO partners. This includes development of the training materials and facilitation of orientation and training session to the protection actors as capacity development activity. Carry out evaluation of training and orientation to identify the impacts of those capacity development activities. Conduct regular updates and carry out functionality assessments of the referral pathway to ensure timely and effective service delivery.
2. Support to UNICEF convergent palikas and other few more local levels with poor child protection indicators in annual planning process advocating for resources allocation for child protections activities. Provide technical assistance to the women, children, and senior citizen (WCSC) section of the convergent palikas and the palikas in which child labour free declaration initiatives are being implemented, in developing child protection programme. Carry out analysis of budget allocation and expenditures for child protection and protection of women causes in the convergent palikas and palikas where child labour free declaration initiatives are being implemented.
3. Compile CP information in coordination with local level child protection actors including government agencies (human rights agencies, Nepal Police, correction homes, judicial committees, child rights committees etc.) and produce periodic reports (2 reports) along with situational data with gap analysis and recommendations.
4. Coordinate with Provincial Government, protection clusters, convergent palikas, palikas with child labour free declaration initiatives and CSO implementing partners for technical support on protection issues and challenges for further improvement of UNICEF response. Update local investments in CP on regular basis through developed tools for Public Financing for Children (PF4C).
5. Provide technical assistance to selected palikas, women, children, and senior citizen sections, palika officials, Local Child Rights Committees, elected representatives, CSOs, community-based protection mechanisms to address existing harmful social norms like child marriage, child labour and violence against children. Capacity development of the existing CP mechanisms at provincial, local and community level.
6. Provide technical assistance to local level governments in establishing, capacitating, and mobilizing Child Rights Committee to address existing child protection issues including psychosocial support.
7. Provide technical assistance to the local level governments on eliminating child labour and Child Labour Free declaration initiatives.
8. Provide technical assistance to local level governments, OCMCs, police and other relevant authorities to mitigate gender-based violence with particular focus on children.
9. Support justice for children initiatives with particular focus on correction homes, legal outreach and legal aid services 
10. Provide technical assistance to implementing partners to implement Protection Monitoring and Incident Reporting (PMIR).
11. Provide technical assistance in implementation of RUPANTARAN programme in convergent palikas targeting adolescents and their parents creating awareness to prevent child marriage.
12. Provide technical assistance to implementing partners in enhancing men and boys' engagement for prevention of and responding to Violence Against Children (VAC).
13. Documentation of case studies, Human Interest Stories (HIS). Issues, challenges, and key lesson learned and way forward on strengthening child protection systems
14. Participate in the review and consultation meetings as proposed by Child Protection Section.

Duration:

The total duration of this assignment is for 11 months and tentatively expected to begin from 15 June 2022.

Deliverables:

Minimum Qualifications Required:

Education

University degree in law, social sciences or any other field related to child protection.

Work Experience

• At least three years of experience in the related field
• Technical knowledge on child protection including child protection in emergency
• Relevant experience in planning and budgeting at Local Level
• Excellent Nepali and English writing and speaking skills;
• Relevant experience with UN agencies will be an added advantage.

Competencies

• Good communication, coordination, analytical and facilitation skills;
• Capacity to work independently and to take initiative;
• Demonstrated commitment to delivering timely and high-quality results.

Special skills

• Technical knowledge and skills on child protection system strengthening
• Computer skills (including advanced Spreadsheet/Microsoft Excel).

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, 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:

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 selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract.

NOTE:  Female candidates and candidates from under-represented ethnic groups are encouraged to apply.