Expert in Child online safety programme design and implementation (Kazakhstan)

The UNICEF Country Office in Kazakhstan is looking for Expert in Child online safety programme design and implementation. Individual Contractor is needed with solid knowledge and expertise in the area of prevention and response to violence against children online; child online safety; digital skills building, planning and implementation of research. The contractor will provide technical assistance and expertise in daily work with central and local level authorities and implementing partners.

Type of contract: Individual contractor, full-time
Duration: 6 months from 15 September 2022 to 15 March 2023
Workplace: office-based

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, a fair chance

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Background

According to UNICEF, one in three internet users is a child (https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/more-175000-children-go-online-first-time-every-day-tapping-great-opportunities) and these children are accessing the Internet at very young ages across a diverse range of devices. The digital environment is becoming increasingly important in most aspects of children's lives as public functions, including education, health care, government services, and commerce, are increasingly reliant on digital technology. While Internet opens up new opportunities for the realization of children's rights, it also creates the risk of their violation or infringement: harmful materials, unacceptable behaviours and potentially dangerous contacts online and offline.
The Covid-19 pandemic has also highlighted the need to create safe digital environments for children and youth, and the relevance of developing digital literacy, in particular, providing digital skills to children so that they are safe and able to withstand a range of negative factors in the digital environment. The crisis became a good lesson for understanding that it was the field of new technologies and digitalization that helped adapt in the face of restrictive measures that affected almost everyone. By improving digital security, digital skills and knowledge, children are empowered to live and navigate in a new world, improving their online lifelong learning to meet new occupations and job market demands in the future.
Given the rapid expansion of the Internet and its related technologies, duty bearers and professionals in different fields often lack awareness of what is at stake or the sheer scale of the problem. For many child protection actors addressing child protection in the digital environment poses significant challenges. This is, for example, an entirely new phenomenon for most parents, teachers and social service professionals – a phenomenon they have not dealt with in the past and for which they have little or no experience or training. It is often seen as an area where children are more skilled, and where adults struggle to keep up with the pace of technological development. The traditional law enforcement investigation techniques of ‘offline’ crimes are not adequate to respond to crimes that have an online dimension, which often involve sophisticated online technologies and require an effective response from trained professionals. In many countries, the lack of such a response has resulted in lack of identification and response to abuse and exploitation crimes against children.
The Internet does not recognize national boundaries, and different countries face similar challenges, similar gaps and similar support needs. This situation demands greater cross-country learning and regional and global collaboration to help governments and other stakeholders make informed decisions and draw on and further contextualize existing tools and approaches that have proven effective.
To make informed decisions and design effective programs, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child recommends well-resourced, reliable, comprehensive data collection on children's digital behavior. Such data and research, including research with and by children, should inform legislation, policy and practice and be available to the public. Data collection and research on children's digital lives must respect their privacy and the highest ethical standards.
Information dissemination, awareness raising, and education are essential to preventing and creating a safe digital environment. Increasing digital literacy and skills among children, parents, and professionals working with children is necessary to ensure privacy and prevent victimization.
UNICEF Office in Kazakhstan is looking for a national expert to support the advocacy, research, partnership, technical expertise provision and capacity building activities for advancing child online safety and digital skills of children and youth.

Purpose of Activity/Assignment

The overall purpose of the assignment is to provide technical assistance to UNICEF Country Office in Kazakhstan in achieving country programme results in the area of child online safety and protection and strengthening digital skills of children as active holders of digital rights.

Scope of Work:

The individual contractor will:
• Support the design, implementation, and monitoring of the Country Office’s strategy on child online safety, including advocacy and fundraising;
• Support evidence generation and dissemination activities: planning, overseeing data collection and quality assurance of implementation of the study on Kazakhstan’s children’s experience online based on the methodology of the Global Kids Online survey;
• Provide technical guidance and expertise to the members of the UNICEF Business Advisory Council’s (BAC) Sub-Group on Child online Safety;
• Support development of capacity building materials and digital platforms/products on child online safety (web-site and mobile application) aimed at enhancing digital skills for children, parents and pedagogues.

Special protection and skills development needs for children with disabilities should be considered across implementation of the tasks under the Terms of Reference.
The individual contractor’s engagement is based on 2022 Work Plan between UNICEF and the national stakeholders including the Children’s Rights Protection Committee of the Ministry of Education and the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The contractor will perform his/her duties in line with UNICEF standards and procedures.

 Work Assignment Overview Child Online Safety Contractor.docx

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in social sciences, development sciences, ICT, public relations, business administration and management or related field.
• At least 5 years of practical experience in development field, system strengthening; child protection, offline and online violence prevention and response.
• Proven experience in planning, implementation and overseeing research, assessments, evaluation, developing analytical documents.
• Excellent programme management skills.
• Good communication, writing and interpersonal skills.
• Experience with successfully pitching new ideas to a variety of stakeholders with varying interests.
• Competencies:
- System strengthening for child protection, child online safety and digital skills
- Developing training materials and products
- Managing implementation of research
- Preparing analytical briefs
- Presentation to various audiences

For every Child, you demonstrate…
UNICEF’s core values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (https://www.unicef.org/about/unicef-culture)
View our functional competencies framework

Remarks:
• Completion of the UN/UNICEF mandatory trainings is obligatory upon commencement of the contract.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.
• 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.
• 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.
• All materials developed will remain the copyright of UNICEF and UNICEF will be free to adapt and modify them in the future.
• The Individual contractor or Consultant will perform his/her duties in line with UNICEF standards and procedures.
• 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.
• Payment upon completion of each deliverable according to schedule. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.
• The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.
• UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.