Consultant - Social Work Management assigned to the Child Care Board of Barbados

The objective of the consultancy is to provide short-term technical assistance (TA) in Social Work Management to improve the case management processes and to improve the institutional capacity

TERMS OF REFERENCE

UNICEF Office for the Eastern Caribbean Area

 1.         Background and Context

Barbados is a small developing country which, by international standards, has performed very well over the past four decades. With a surface area of 432 square kilometers (166 square miles), a resident population of 276,300 in 2010 and a per capita gross domestic product (GDP) of US$13,900 in 2010, the country has achieved a ‘very high human development’ status according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)’s Human Development Index (HDI). By 2007 Barbados had achieved four of the eight Millennium Development goals (MDGs) in the areas of education, gender, child mortality and maternal health and had partially achieved the main goal of poverty reduction.

 However, the relative small land area means that the natural resource base of the country is limited. Economic activities undertaken in the country over the decades have been largely land-based: agricultural (mainly sugar cane) production and tourism. The pockets of oil and natural gas have been exploited largely for domestic consumption. The labour force accounts for about 67 percent of the adult population, namely, 142,300 persons in 2010. In effect, the range of specialist skills is limited and persons tend to be generalists with respect to their skills set. The small domestic market size of the country means that international trade plays a significant role in the economy. Over the years, Barbados has had important trading relations with the United Kingdom (UK), United States of America (USA), Canada and the CARICOM member states.

 In addition to significant economic progress, the country has witnessed a high degree of political stability and social progress especially in the areas of health and education. The high ranking of Barbados in the UNDP’s Human Development Index (HDI) reflects the great strides made on both the economic and social fronts in the country. The HDI combines indicators of livelihood (per capita income), health (life expectancy at birth) and education (mean years of schooling and expected years of schooling).

 However, high oil and commodity prices in 2008 in conjunction with a downturn in the global economy as the financial and economic crisis in the USA unfolded caused a slowdown in tourist arrivals, the country’s largest income earner and a slowdown in economic activity. This has caused the Government to introduce a Short and Medium-Term Action Plan with policies designed to protect the Barbados economy during the economic and financial crisis. The crisis had its most severe impact on the economy in 2009 when economic growth fell by 4.1 percent with the non-tradable sector falling by 6.1 % and the tradable sector by 4.2%. The Government in association with the Social Partners agreed to protect jobs in the public sector, increase public sector capital expenditure within the limits of the Government’s fiscal space, to avoid layoffs in

 The private sector by using alternative work and wage arrangements and implement a program of social assistance to help the vulnerable in the society. The economy has continued to be sluggish.

Child Protection Agency: It is against this backdrop that the despite its vulnerabilities, Barbados has continued to make significant social investments and is committed to establishing and enhancing the services provided to children to fulfill its mandate of ensuring the safety and well-being of all children. The Child Care Board was established as a statutory corporation by the Child Care Board Act (1969) and had as its main objective “to provide and maintain Child Care Institutions for the safe keeping of children in need of care and protection.”

The amended Child Care Act of 1981 sought to strengthen the role and authority of the Child Care Board by increasing its responsibilities as follows:-

1. Provide and maintain child care centres for children in need of care and protection
2. Provide counselling and other services for

                 i . Children in need of care and protection

                ii. The parents and guardians of those children

        3.  Place children in foster care

        4.  Register, license and regulate day care services

        5.  Make grants to private institutions.

Other Acts which make provision of the Board’s work are the Adoption Act 1955 (amended 1981), the Prevention of Cruelty to Children Act 1904 (amended 1981) and the Domestic Violence (Protection Orders) Act. In addition, the Child Care Board is a resource for court ordered assessments and reports, many of which are in the area of custody/access disputes.

Given this very wide mandate, the Child Care Board is not exclusively a child protection agency responsible for the care and protection of abused children. While it does not follow the more traditional and internationally known approach of child protection agencies that respond exclusively to cases where children are in harm or at significant risk of harm, it does require the requisite resources to match the wide latitude of service delivery it carries. With improving public awareness of the signs of, and the need to report suspected child abuse, improvements in the system response, alongside improved prevention programming, are critical.

Following recent public outcry on the alleged poor management of serious child abuse cases by the Child Care Board, and to follow-up on prior UNICEF reports which assessed the institutional capacity of the CCB, UNICEF has agreed short-term institutional strengthening assistance with the Board’s parent Ministry of Social Care, Constituency Empowerment and Community Development.

2.      Objectives of the Consultancy

The objective of the consultancy is to provide short-term technical assistance (TA) in Social Work Management to improve the case management processes and to improve the institutional capacity of the Board by:

(i)      strengthening and improving the organization’s overall performance and viability by improving administrative and management functions

(ii)     increasing the effectiveness of service provision

(iii)    enhancing the organization’s structure and culture

(iv)    supporting the sustainability of the agency

 3.      Major Duties and Responsibilities/Scope of the Work

The Consultant shall in a highly independent, participatory, consultative process with the management and staff of the Child Care Board:

• Review the 2013 Report prepared for the Child Care Board and UNICEF entitled “No More Business as Usual: A Review of the Barbados Child Care Board’s Programmes, and Recommendations for Its Transformation and Modernization”;
• Develop a comprehensive capacity assessment process, including but not limited to reviewing relevant materials provided by the Government of Barbados including the Child Care Board, Ministry of Social Care, Constituency Empowerment and Community Development, and UNICEF; conducting interviews with relevant stakeholders, including the Board of Directors, Ministry Officials, Staff, direct beneficiaries and service providers, and utilizing questionnaires as may be required;
• Document present compliance and any gaps vis a vis the 2013 Report and support the Child Care Board to implement any outstanding recommendations, subject to the limitation of available fiscal resources;
• Assess the institutional capacity and capability for implementing child protection programmes (including staff, budgets, etc.);
• Prepare a case for additional manpower for the CCB;
• Review the case management of recent publicized incidences resulting in death of children reported for abuse to the CCB and/or alleged inaction by the CCB, identify any gaps and recommend remedial action, limiting the scope in light of existing internal reviews and any remedial actions that have since been undertaken;
• Review the organisational chart and job functions in line with the child protection mandate;
• Map the interventions of various programmes and services offered and provided by the organisation;
• Identify gaps and inefficiencies in the provision of programmes which are designed to protect children;
• Propose how a volunteer arm of social workers could be operationalised;
• Review and revise the Board’s Operational and Procedural Manual which covers Child Abuse, Foster Care, Residential Care and Adoption, as appropriate;
• Support staff to effect the agreed work flow changes and staff accountability processes as documented above;
• Provide a comprehensive assessment report with recommendations for programme and institutional improvements, including any revised job functions and work process flows.

 4.         Deliverables and Timeframe:

The Consultant will submit the above-mentioned deliverables and will prepare within the stipulated timeframe:

All deliverables will be reviewed and commented upon by UNICEF, the Child Care Board and the Ministry of Social Care, Constituency Empowerment and Community Development and these comments will be incorporated by the Consultant.  

 5.      Qualifications and Competencies

        a.      Education: Advanced degree/Post-graduate studies in social work or child    protection policy or related areas;

b.

Experience:

•  At least five years’ experience in management of child protection agencies and in conducting institutional appraisals.
• Knowledge of the context of social services in small island developing states would be an asset.
• Seamless familiarity with children’s human rights
• Familiarity with programme performance assessment frameworks, logical frameworks, and results based management
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively
• Strong knowledge of the common law legal system

      c.       Languages: Fluency in English is required with excellent and superior verbal and interpersonal communications skills training writing skills.

      6.         Duration

It is estimated that the contract will run for a six month period between October 2015 and March 2016.

 7.         Official Travel

Travel cost inclusive of Daily Subsistence must be budgeted by the Consultant.

 8.         Budget

Negotiable for Professional Fees and Travel costs.

 9.         Payment Schedule

• 30% upon submission of Inception Report –
• 20% upon submission of Satisfactory Investment Case  
• 20% upon submission of Satisfactory Mid-Assignment Report -
• 30% upon submission of Satisfactory Final Report and Revised Manuals, Workflow Processes and proposal for operationalization of a volunteer arm of social workers

 10.  Conditions of Service

Prior to commencing the contract, the following conditions must be met:

A Corporate Entity will be required to submit samples of previous relevant work, a Certificate of Incorporation for the Company as well as a profile of the individual(s) who would be undertaking the assignment.

An Individual Consultant will be required to submit samples of previous relevant work, a statement of good health, accompanied by a recent Medical Certificate which indicates that the Consultant is fit for work and travel. In addition, the Consultant is required to certify in the Health Statement that he/she is covered by medical/health insurance. The statement includes confirmation that he/she has been informed of any inoculation required for the country or countries to which travel is authorized. He/she takes full responsibility for the accuracy of the statement.

 11.     Recourse

UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/outputs is incomplete, not delivered or for failure to meet deadlines. Performance indicators against which the satisfactory conclusion of this contract will be assessed include: timeliness/quality of submission and responsiveness to UNICEF and counterpart feedback.

12.  Property Rights

UNICEF shall hold all property rights, such as copyright, patents and registered trademarks, on matter directly related to, or derived from, the work carried out through this contract with UNICEF.

 13.  How to apply

Proposals should be sent by e-mail to the "address noted above" no later than COB (EST) on Tuesday 29 September 2015, indicating “Consultant in Social Work Management assigned to the Child Care Board of Barbados” in the subject line of the email. The proposal package should include the following:

 a.      A cover letter

b.      A detailed curriculum vitae or background of the corporate entity in English

c.       A duly completed United Nations Personal  History form  (p11) for individual contractors http://www.unicef.org/easterncaribbean/about_25269.htm

d.      A financial proposal or expected cost, with a detailed budget ((including travel as required)

 ONLY SUITABLY QUALIFIED CANDIDATES / PROPOSALS WILL BE ACKNOWLEDGED / SHORTLISTED