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, an advocate.
Purpose of Activity/Assignment
Since the escalation of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, more than 2 million people from Ukraine have crossed the Slovak border. Slovakia currently hosts over 156,000 Ukrainian nationals with Temporary Protection status, of whom 80% are children and women. After more than two years of emergency response, 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 system. Additionally, the most vulnerable groups within the refugee community, such as refugee youth and adolescents, children with disabilities, and their families, face higher risks and are harder to reach, necessitating more focused interventions and technical support to national authorities.
UNICEF is working with national systems and institutions in the Slovak Republic to integrate refugee children and families into the national child protection systems through (1) strengthening the social service workforce by enhancing knowledge, skills, and practices to be both child- and refugee-sensitive; (2) supporting ongoing social work reforms to ensure they are informed by international standards and best practices for child and refugee protection; (3) increasing institutional capacity to effectively integrate Ukrainian children and families into protection systems at the central, regional, and municipal levels; (4) enhancing system capacity to include children with disabilities and their families by training frontline professionals and developing methodologies and guidelines to mainstream disability in their daily and policy work; and (5) focusing on connecting the most vulnerable and hard-to-reach groups within the refugee population to national systems and services. This is implemented through the PATHWAYS program, which targets Ukrainian youth and adolescents with protection and education programs and facilitates ongoing collaboration with national and civil society stakeholders.
UNICEF Refugee Response Office (RRO)in Slovakia is seeking a Child Protection Consultant with experience in child protection system strengthening (CPSS) approach and social service workforce strengthening to provide coordination, advisory and technical support to the child protection response in the Slovak Republic. The consultant will report to the Chief of Child Protection of the UNICEF RRO in Slovakia. The consultant will work in close coordination with the Education team as well as with other programme colleagues in health, youth and social policy.
The consultant will be home-based, with frequent travels to Slovakia. Travel for field monitoring and programmatic visits related to deliverables and/or the Education team’s programmatic work is also expected.
Scope of Work
Under the supervision of the Chief of Child Protection and in close collaboration with colleagues from the Education and Social Policy teams in Slovakia, the consultant will play a key role in coordinating, advising, and providing technical support for the Child Protection program in Slovakia. The consultant’s primary responsibilities will include:
1. Support the UNICEF RRO team to implement and lead the PATHWAYS Programme’s child protection component:
2. Support UNICEF’s child protection team and the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, and Family (MoLSAF). to implement the joint work UNICEF-MoLSAF work plan focused on integrating Ukrainian children into Slovak protection systems:
3. Support UNICEF’s efforts in Slovakia to address remaining humanitarian needs and plan for programme transition:
4. Support the coordination and progress of the Interagency Child Protection Sub-Working group (CPSWG), co-led by UNICEF and MoLSAF:
Work Assignment Overview
Tasks / Milestone | Deliverables / Outputs | Timeline / Deadline |
Support the UNICEF RRO team to implement and lead the PATHWAYS Programme’s child protection component: | ||
1.Draft integrated case management SOPs/process description | 1.Integrated case management SoPs or/and process description | 6 working days;
Between January and May 2025 |
2. Provide the capacity building and oversight to partners on case management, social work and disability inclusion | 2. 4-5 trainings facilitated and reported upon | 10 working days;
Between January and May 2025 |
3.Enhance the capacity of the national stakeholders and their frontline professionals on disability inclusion by organizing and co-delivering the disability ToT programmes later rolled across the country with consultant’s support. (1 ToT and at least 3 training) | 3. disability trainings delivered in Slovakia
4. Disability ToT programme contextualised, delivered and reported upon |
20 working days;
Between January and May 2025 |
4. Programme Monitoring Visits and Field Visits Reports to ensure partner program implementation aligns with UNICEF standards and regulations. | 5. Programme Monitoring reports | 10 working days;
Between January and May 2025 |
Support UNICEF’s child protection team and MoLSAF to implement the joint work UNICEF-MoLSAF work plan focused on integrating Ukrainian children into Slovak protection systems. | ||
Provide monthly updates on progress of implementation of work plan activities | 5 Monthly updates on the implementation of the joint UNICEF-MoLSAF workplan | 5 working days;
Between January and May 2025 |
2. In line with the UNICEF-MoLSAF workplan and UNCIEF’s phase out strategy in Slovakia, the consultant shall
(a) Organize, facilitate and co-design/deliver the UNICEF-led capacity building programmes for the social services workforce on the issues of the working with children on the move and other essential competencies for the SSW (at least 3 capacity building initiatives); (b) Organize and facilitate stakeholders’ meetings on international best practices in the social work professional standards, pre and in-service capacity building and children on the move agenda to ensure the uptake by the Gov. counterparts (at least 3 stakeholders meetings) (c) Support the ongoing process of development of evaluation frameworks and social work development initiatives in Slovakia by providing substantive inputs and comments to the developed draft materials . |
2a) At least 3 capacity building initiatives organized, facilitated and co-delivered
2b) At least 3 stakeholders meetings organized, facilitated and delivered and reported 2c) Technical comments and inputs provided to the draft strategy and concepts on Social Work Career Development initiatives in Slovakia |
20 working days total;
Between January and May 2025 |
3. Technical support to MoLSAF to plan, organize and implement regional workshops and sessions on VAC and inclusion of refugee children | 3. Regional Workshop programme developed on VAC and inclusion of refugee children.
Three (3) 2-day workshops delivered and reported upon (3 locations – 3 workshops – 15 days) |
15 working days;
Between January and May 2025 |
Support UNICEF’s efforts in Slovakia to address remaining humanitarian needs and plan for program transition. | ||
• Develop documents about the lessons learned in Slovakia RRO in close cooperation with the Child Protection Team
• Contribute and finalize the Disability case study and discuss with the Regional Office for further feedback • Provide capacity building activities of partners in the context of the programme phase –out and handover on child protection in humanitarian settings, case management, disability as requested from the office |
Monthly update on progress of transition;
Disability case study finalised |
1 working day per month for monthly updates (6 total);
Between January and June 2025 2 working days total for Disability case study; Between January and June 2025 |
Support the coordination and progress of the Interagency Child Protection Sub-Working group (CPSWG), co-led by UNICEF and the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, and Family (MoLSAF). | ||
• Development of the annual programme for 2025 of the WG in line with RRP | Annual programme for 2025 CP subworking group developed and approved | 2 working days;
Between January and June 2025 |
• For bimonthly meetings (3 meetings total):
o Development of meeting agenda; |
3 meetings organized, facilitated and reported upon | 6 working days;
Between January and June 2025 |
Estimated Duration of the Contract
102 working days between January and June 2025.
Consultant’s Work Place and Official Travel
The Consultant will be based home-based.
As part of this assignment, some 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
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 EUR) based on 102 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…
Required:
Desired:
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 a Cover Letter in your application. Additionally, indicate your availability and professional fee (in EUR) 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.