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Vacancy Announcement: Consultant

Consultancy Title: Interagency Case Management Guidelines and Case Management Forms Consultant

Section/Division/Duty Station: UNICEF HQ NY, Program Division, Child Protection Section

Duration: 15 June 2023 to 31 January 2024 – Remote/Home based.

About UNICEF

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world’s leading children’s rights organization would like to hear from you. Over 75 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children’s survival, protection and development. UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.

BACKGROUND

Under the umbrella of the Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action, the global Case Management Task Force (CMTF) is planning to update the Inter-agency Case Management Guidelines.  These  were originally published in January 2014, building on the 2012 Child Protection minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action (CPMS). The aim was to provide a collective understanding and step-by-step guidance on how to do child protection case management in humanitarian action. There has been acknowledgement at the inter-agency level in the last decade, and since the finalization of the Guidelines, that case management work has become more prevalent as a key approach within child protection humanitarian programming as there has been growing acknowledgement of a shift towards a strengthened child protection systems strengthening approach, which will be foundational for the reframing of the guidelines.  In parallel a number of other initiatives have been undertaken which require an update of the guidelines to reflect learnings and new resources and tools including, but not limited to: the updated CPMS from 2019, the UNCHR BIP (Best Interest Procedure) Guidelines from 2021,  updated child protection case management training package (recently revised), the Quality Assessment Framework, the work done on case management and community engagement, the revised Caring For Child Survivors Guidelines and training (ongoing) and the recently developed Data Categorization Structure for child protection case management as well as other key information management for case management processes and tools such as the updated Data Protection and Information Sharing Protocol

The CMTF has also since developed guidance on how to develop standard operating procedures and developed a common set of forms which can be utilized when implementing case management services which provide consistency across actors. Practice has shown that these forms are key in the success of inter-agency case management work in humanitarian settings, however there is also a need to update these standard forms to make programming swifter and more effective based on lessons learned in the last 3 years which requires the need for a more condensed package.

Both the revision of the Guidelines and Forms have been prioritized in the CMTF Work Plan for 2023. For this purpose, the CMTF with the support and under the supervision of UNICEF is planning to hire a consultant to:

• Revise and update the inter-agency Case Management Guidelines in line with standards, resources and tools (including capacity building materials) which have been developed since their publication in 2014.
• Revise and reduce the overall number of the inter-agency standard case management Forms by ensuring they are more streamlined to humanitarian case management needs, including a summary explaining the use of forms and key considerations.

In doing so the consultant will be responsible to ensure that this is done in a participatory approach, which incorporates feedback from key global, regional, and country level staff working on child protection case management inclusive and considerate of national and local level organizations.

This will be done in close coordination with CMTF as well as the Unaccompanied and Separated Children Task Force, and other key coordination bodies to be identified as relevant to the scope of work.

Scope Of Work:

Under the supervision of UNICEF and in coordination with the CMTF and other key coordination bodies:

• The consultant will complete the review and revision of the Inter-agency Case Management Guidelines and standard Forms through a consultative process which will be coordinated and agreed with UNICEF and CMTF focal points. The initial consultative process will result in an articulation of the key changes to be made to the Guidelines and the Forms outlined in a clear workplan.
• The consultant will plan and organize remote global, regional, and country level consultations in coordination with the CMTF at the global and local level (possibility of face-to-face TBD) to ensure relevance of the Guidelines and Forms including to local national actors.
• The consultant will plan the work in a participatory manner, they will be available for regular check-ins with UNICEF and with other key focal points in the CMTF to ensure continued dialogues on the work process.
• The consultant will develop a specific dissemination plan for the updated Guidelines and Forms and develop necessary user-friendly support materials.

The consultant will prepare and deliver a presentation of the draft and final materials to be shared with the CMTF and other key coordination bodies.

Terms of Reference / Deliverables/Deadlines

Development of a work plan for the consultancy following initial consultations with UNICEF/ key global CMTF members

• Work Plan Shared with UNICEF

By 18 July 2023

Desk review inclusive of consultations with members of the CMTF and other coordination mechanisms (e.g., AOR, GBV, UASC etc) and country level staff

• Desk Review of Key Resources, Tools etc to be considered in the update of the Guidelines   (Overview of the key changes and updates to be made to the Guidelines, to be validated by the CM TF revision group).

By 15 August 2023

Outline for Updated CM Guidelines developed in close coordination UNICEF and CMTF focal points

• Detailed Outline for CM Guidelines

By 16 September 2023

Workshop/s for input into detailed Outline for CM Guidelines

• Final detailed Outline for CM Guidelines

By 18 October 2023 

Updated Guidelines drafted.

• First draft of Guidelines including dissemination plan and supporting user-friendly materials

By 15 November 2023

Global, regional, and country level consultations for feedback on forms

• Summary of feedback from consultations

By 30 October 2023

Updated Forms and supporting material developed

• First draft of Forms drafted including dissemination plan and supporting user-friendly materials

By 14 November 2023

Second draft of Guidelines and Forms

• Second draft of Guidelines and Forms developed   including dissemination plan and supporting user-friendly materials

By 20 of December 2023

Consolidation of red line review feedback and finalization of Guidelines and Forms (including final presentation materials and presentation to CMTF)

• Final draft submitted including dissemination plan and supporting user-friendly materials.

By 29 of January 2024

Qualifications

(1) Education

Masters Level. Social work, International Relations, Law, Child Psychology or another relevant field.

(2) Work experience

• A minimum of 8 years of recent experience with international or national organisations, including a record of accomplishment with child protection programming for case management in humanitarian settings.
• Proven experience of developing guidance and tools
• Leadership in the coordination and facilitation of processes to gather feedback at both the global, regional, and country level.

(3) Competencies

• Good understanding of child protection systems building approaches.
• Knowledge of key child protection standards, guidelines, and related tools specific to child protection case management.
• Demonstrable proficient writing skills.

Requirements:

• Completed profile in UNICEF’s e-Recruitment system and provide Personal History Form (P11)
• Upload copy of academic credentials
• Financial proposal that will include:

• All-inclusive (lump sum) fees for the deliverables noted above.
• Travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR
• Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.
• Indicate your availability

• Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF.
• At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.
• Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed satisfactory deliverables. 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.

U.S. Visa information:

With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4.  

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

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. View our competency framework at: Here

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors 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. 

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 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.