Home-based Consultancy: Capacity-Building Expert (social work or/and related field) – 55 working days; with travel as needed – UNICEF Slovakia Refugee Response Office (RRO)

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 champion.

Purpose of Activity/Assignment

UNICEF Refugee Response Office in Slovakia (hereinafter UNICEF Slovakia RRO) is looking for a consultant to support the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic (hereinafter MoLSAF) in implementing the activities outlined in the workplan between UNICEF and MoLSAF.

The main objective of the assignment is to support the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic (MoLSAF), as well as the central and district level offices of labor, social affairs, and family to improve the quality of social work through development of working methodologies and tools for child protection and frontline professionals. The assignment focuses on improving the quality of work of the social services workforce with the Ukrainian children and children on the move in Slovakia, while also supporting the overall strengthening of the workforce capacity.

Scope of Work

More than 2 million people from Ukraine have crossed the Slovak border since the escalation of the war in Ukraine in February 2022. Currently, Slovakia hosts more than 110,000 Ukrainian Temporary Protection status holders, of which 32% are children and 50% are women. After 2 years of emergency, UNICEF and partners observed an increase in child protection cases that require an advanced response from professionals – which is typical for protracted emergencies where full inclusion of children in national systems and services has not yet been achieved. This emergency has also revealed and exacerbated preexisting systemic gaps and challenges in the child protection.

UNICEF is supporting the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic (MoLSAF) to strengthen the capacity of the social service workforce to better handle the cases of Ukrainian children, improve the quality of social work, and support the system strengthening for better inclusion of all children (both Ukrainians and host). UNICEF has signed the work plan with MoLSAF to strengthen the role of the national government in child protection in humanitarian action and improve the capacity of the social services workforce to better work with children on the move.

The consultant will be supervised by the Child Protection Specialist. However, the consultant will work closely with the UNICEF child protection team, key Government stakeholders such as MoLSAF, Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family (CoLSAF), and Offices of Labour, Social Affairs and Family on a district level (OlSAFs), as well as the judiciary system (Association of Family Judges, etc.). Additionally, the consultant will work closely with a second consultant focusing on strengthening the capacities of the child protection system to support the social service workforce, standards development, and quality assurance (VA link here) The consultancy will be home-based with frequent country visits to meet with stakeholders, conduct analysis, and workshops/trainings.

Overall, the consultancy is for 55 days over the course of 6 months.

The consultant will support UNICEF RRO in Slovakia to implement the output 4 of the signed work plan between UNICEF and MoLSAF. More specifically, the consultant will focus on the following area:

Improve capacities (knowledge, skills and practices) of child protection and frontline professionals to ensure adequate care and safe environment for every child:

1. Review of existing capacity building structures and content:

• Review the existing capacity building mechanisms and programmes (pre-service and in-service) for the social workers and allied professionals in the central and district level offices of labor, social affairs and family and the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family
• Review the existing programmes used for capacity strengthening with the view of inclusion of topics related to working with children on the move, and thematic content that supports current specialization arrangements of social workers.

2. Identify the ways to embed new training content into the existing capacity building mechanisms of MOSLAF and /or the Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family:

• In cooperation with MOLSAF and the Central Office of Labour Social Affairs and Family, identify relevant training institutions, mechanisms and human resource capacity within the Ministry structures that will be able to absorb new training content and support its roll-out country-wide.
• If additional trainers are needed, identify a way to resource the pool of trainers and develop mechanisms to support their capacity strengthening (training of trainers/TOT or other ways).
• Work with MOLSAF and Central Offices to develop a plan of initial trainings and roll-out of the capacity building across the country.

3. Develop training package and materials related to working with children on the move (asylum seeking, refugee, migrant children and caregivers):

• Review the policy, legal and operational framework that guides social worker’s roles and obligations in working with the refugee and migrant children and families in the Slovak Republic. The emphasis will be on working with unaccompanied and separated children, best interest assessment, cooperation between social workers and family judges in court cases involving children on the move.
• Develop content (training manual or/and guidelines) for training of social workers related to working with children on the move. The content will need to be informed by the preceding review of policy, legal and operational framework, and will need to be embedded in the existing training curriculum of the Ministry/Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family.
• Provide one joint workshop (or training) for social workers and family judges to promote collaboration between social workers and the judiciary when working with children on the move, and support application of best interest principle during assessments and decision making (particularly for UASC).

4. Develop the training package and materials on various cross-cutting themes.

• Develop content for training of social workers on the following cross-cutting topics: (a) Key principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and best interest assessment especially with refugee population, (b) Motivational interview for uncooperative beneficiaries; (c) Guided conversation with the child and (d) Family group conference/case conference method for children at risk.
• Support the Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family (methodological unit) to develop programmes on management of the work team (methodic) and work groups This could include the introduction of practices such as intravision, peer support, supervision practices, or other practices proposed by the consultant.

5. Conduct trainings for social workers and trainers

• Conduct trainings of 200 social workers and allied professionals in 10 groups/10-20 sessions (size of groups, and training schedule will be jointly confirmed in collaboration with government counterparts and the consultant)
• Conduct training of trainers (1 group of ToT) – 5-10-day sessions for a selected group of trainers.

Work Assignment Overview

Tasks / Milestone	Deliverables / Outputs	Timeline / Deadline
Improve capacities (knowledge, skills and practices) of child protection and frontline professionals to ensure adequate care and safe environment for every child
Review of existing capacity building structures and content Review the existing capacity building mechanisms and programmes (pre-service and in-service) for the social workers and allied professionals in the central and district level offices of labor, social affairs and family and the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family. A special emphasis during the review to be placed on topics related to working with children on the move, and thematic content that supports current specialization arrangements of social workers. Identify institutional structures and human resource arrangements used for systematic capacity building of social workers by the central and district level offices of labor, social affairs and family and the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family.	– Summary of the review	5 working days
Develop training package and materials related to working with children on the move (asylum seeking, refugee, migrant children) (In coordination with consultant 1) Review the policy, legal and operational framework that guides social worker’s roles and obligations in working with the refugee and migrant children and families in the Slovak Republic. The emphasis will be on working with Unaccompanied and Separated Children, best interest assessment, cooperation between social workers and family judges. Develop content (training manual or/and guidelines) for training of social workers related to working with children on the move. The content will need to be informed by the preceding review of policy, legal and operational framework, and will need to be embedded in the existing training curriculum of the Ministry/Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family. Provide one joint workshop for social workers and family judges to promote collaboration between social workers and the judiciary when working with children on the move, and support application of best interest principle during assessments and decision making (particularly for UASC).	– Summary of the review – Training package on working with Unaccompanied and Separated Children, best interest assessment, cooperation between social workers and family judges – Training manual/guideline (TBC) for joint workshop on working with children on the move. – Workshop agenda, materials, other supporting documents	10 working days
Identify the ways to embed the developed trainings as part of existing capacity building mechanisms of MOSLAF and /or the Central Office of Labour Social Affairs and Family: In cooperation with MOLSAF and the Central Office of Labour Social Affairs and Family, identify relevant training institutions, mechanisms, and human resource capacity that will be able to absorb new training content and support its roll-out country-wide. If additional trainers are needed, identify a way to resource the pool of trainers and develop mechanisms to support their capacity strengthening (training of trainers/TOT or other ways). Work with MOLSAF and Central Offices to develop a plan of initial trainings and roll-out of the capacity building across the country.	– Summary of the key action points in regard to the sustainability of the capacity building processes	3 working days
Develop the training package and materials on various cross-cutting themes. Develop content for training of social workers on the following cross-cutting topics: (a) CRC, CRPD and best interest assessment especially with refugee population, (b) Motivational interview for uncooperative beneficiaries; (c) Guided conversation with the child and (d) Family group conference/case conference method for children at risk. The content will need to be informed by the preceding review of policy, legal and operational framework, and will need to be embedded in the existing training curriculum of the Ministry/Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family. Support the Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family (methodological unit) to develop programmes on management of the work team (methodic) and work groups (with CDR, OLSAF colleagues). This could include the introduction of practices such as intravision, peer support, supervision practices, so forth.	– Training package on (a) CRC, CRPD and best interest assessment especially with refugee population, (b) Motivational interview for uncooperative beneficiaries; (c) Guided conversation with the child and (d) Family group conference/case conference method for children at risk. – Methodological paper for the Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family reflective different methods and practices to support frontline teams	15 working days
Conduct trainings for social workers and trainers Trainings 200 numbers of social workers and allied professionals in 10 number of groups/10-20 sessions (The consultant will work the Slovak Child Protection Officer. Interpretation will also be provided during the training) Training of trainers (1 group of TOT) – 5-10-day sessions	– Training agenda, materials, other supporting documentation	20 working days
Final Report	– Summary of implemented activities, with relevant annexes and further recommendations	2 working days

Estimated Duration of the Contract

55 working days between June and December 2024.

Consultant’s Work Place and Official Travel

The Consultant will be home-based/remote.

As part of this assignment, some international travels are foreseen. The consultant will arrange her/his travel as and when they take place, and related costs will be reimbursed per UNICEF travel policy.

Travel Clause

• All UNICEF rules and regulations related to travel of Consultants apply.
• All travels shall be undertaken only upon the prior written approval by UNICEF.
• 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.

Estimated Cost of the Consultancy & Payment Schedule

Payment will be made on submission of an invoice and satisfactory completion of the above-mentioned deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/outputs are incomplete, not delivered or for failure to meet deadlines. All materials developed will remain the copyright of UNICEF and UNICEF will be free to adapt and modify them in the future.

Please submit a professional fee (in USD) based on 55 working days to undertake this assignment, without travel fees as these will be reimbursed as and when they take place.

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

• Master’s degree in international development, human rights, social work, sociology, or another relevant social science field
• Minimum five (5) years of proven experience and knowledge related to the ToRs areas.
• Solid knowledge of specific social work methodology described in the ToR for frontline workers or/and supervisors.
• Demonstrated experience in conducting engaging and effective training in international settings with variety of professionals.
• Demonstrated experience of producing high-quality reports and other documents to specified deadlines.
• Demonstrated experience of working with a range of stakeholders including policy makers, practice-based organizations and non-governmental organisations.
• Excellent qualitative analysis skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Knowledge of guidelines and standards for child protection in emergency/humanitarian setting is highly desirable, including legal frameworks for international protection such as the 1996 Hague convention on Child Protection, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
• Knowledge of the EU region, including regulatory frameworks for national child protection system and the EU Temporary Protection Directive, is desirable.
• Ability to be flexible and deliver results under tight deadlines.
• Fluency in English (oral and written).

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS), and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most marginalized children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family 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:

Please include a full CV and Cover Letter in your application. Additionally, indicate your availability and professional fee (in USD) to undertake the terms of reference above. Applications submitted without a professional fee will not be considered. 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 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.