International Consultancy for Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) roll out in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Area (ECA)

Under the direct supervision of the Child Protection Specialist/PSEA Focal Point, and in collaboration with the PSEA Focal Point in the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office (RCO), the Consultant will support the implementation of the rollout of the UN Protocol and UNICEF PSEA rules and regulations.

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, protection 

How can you make a difference? 

Location:     Remote  (no host country presence or travel required)

Duration:     11.5 months

Start Date:   8/1/2022

End Date:     7/14/2023

Supervisor:   Child Protection Specialist (UNICEF Eastern Caribbean Area Office)

BACKGROUND:

In February 2018, the UN High-Level Steering Group on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, established by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, endorsed the UN Protocol on Allegations of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Involving Implementing Partners. The Protocol sets forth obligations for all UN entities and implementing programmes with partners in the field, including civil society, government and other partners.

UNICEF is committed to preventing and responding to sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) and is actively engaged in policy and operational efforts to improve the reporting of SEA, offering support to survivors of SEA, and promoting accountability. It aims to strengthen its PSEA programming environment internally and with its implementing partners. As a part of the UN Barbados and Eastern Caribbean Sub Regional Team 2020 priorities, UNICEF will also support the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator to support the United Nations Sub Regional Team (UNST) for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean to improve UN staff awareness and implementing partners on PSEA obligations and to develop a Joint UN PSEA 2022-2024 workplan.

PURPOSE/SCOPE OF ASSIGNMENT:

Goal and Objective:

Under the direct supervision of the Child Protection Specialist/PSEA Focal Point, and in collaboration with the PSEA Focal Point in the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office (RCO), the Consultant will support the implementation of the rollout of the UN Protocol and UNICEF PSEA rules and regulations. The specific purpose of the assignment is to:

A. Provide 4 half day technical support orientations for UNRCO PSEA Task Force;

B. Draft ECA Office 2022-2024 workplan and provide technical guidance on its implementation;

C. Conduct mandatory PSEA assessments of UNICEF Civil Society Organisation (CSO) partners;

D. Conduct partner re-assessments;

E. Facilitate strengthening of Prevention, Reporting, Referral and Investigation capacities of national CSO implementing partners:

F. Support ECA coordination of PSEA preparedness for humanitarian response in the ECA

G. Train UNICEF staff to conduct PSEA assessments

H. Conduct training for consultants and IPs to roll out PSA assessments with partners.

ACTIVITIES AND TASKS:

Main responsibilities and tasks are as follows:

A) Provide 4 two-hour technical support orientations for UNRCO PSEA Task Force;

• Support UNRCO PSEA Task Force by providing 4 two-hour technical assistance support sessions on desired areas

B) Develop Draft ECA Office 2022-2024 workplan and provide technical guidance on its implementation;

• Draft ECA PSEA Office workplan for CMT approval

C) Conduct mandatory PSEA assessments of UNICEF Civil Society Organisation (CSO) partners;

• Assist UNICEF national NGOs to complete the self-assessment.
• Ensure the assessment, when completed in collaboration with the partner, provides a shared understanding of the partner’s organizational strengths and areas of improvement on PSEA moving forward.
• Conduct PSEA Assessment of national CSO (Civil Society Organization) implementing partners of UNICEF ECA.
• Document in the provided template, the available/submitted supporting evidence against each Core Standard (remotely) share documents as attachments.
• Evaluate the completed self-assessment form against submitted evidence and give an independent score against that of the IP
• Upload the assessment in e-Tools for approval of the ECA PSEA Focal Point or delegate.

D) Conduct partner re-assessments as necessary;

• Collaboratively conduct PSEA re-assessments of national CSO (Civil Society Organization) rated as high or moderate risk to bring this to low risk
• Ensure that re-assessment is completed in collaboration with the partner, and that it provides a shared understanding of the partner’s organizational strengths and areas of improvement on PSEA moving forward.

E) Facilitate strengthening of Prevention, Reporting, Referral and Investigation capacities of national CSO implementing partners;

• Using the PSEA Toolkit as a primary reference, collaboratively work with assessed national CSO implementing partners to develop an Action Plan to address gaps in organizational PSEA capacity, as highlighted through the PSEA Assessment.
• Provide support to national CSOs to develop and implement policies, procedures, and systems to improve PSEA organization capacity of the CSO, where these are absent or deficient.

F) Support ECA coordination of PSEA preparedness for humanitarian response in the ECA;

• Work with the designated UN agency taking the lead on PSEA in humanitarian settings in the ECA to ensure capacities and referral pathways etc. are in place
• Collaborate on an Action Plan that will be contextulised for specific ECA contexts
• Collaborate with partners to ensure template for risk assessment and safe programming in humanitarian context according to UNICEF policy and procedures.

G) Train UNICEF staff to conduct PSEA assessments;

• Conduct 3 two hour sessions on the Common UN PSEA Assessment Framework

H) Conduct training for ECA consultants and IPs to roll out PSEA assessments with partners.

• Conduct 4 two hour sessions to teach ECA based personnel to conduct the PSEA assessments

WORK RELATIONSHIPS:

The Child Protection Specialist will serve as the primary contact for the Consultant. The work of the Consultant will be supported by the Deputy Representative, key UNICEF Specialists, Consultant Humanitarian Coordinator and Operations Manager. The Consultant will be expected to work independently with UNICEF Implementing Partners.

The tasks related to the UN training will be supported by the RCO. A focal point from the RCO will serve as the key person to coordinate interventions directly related to the UN training and the UNST Joint PSEA Action Plan.

OUTPUTS/DELIVERABLES: WORK ASSIGNMENT OVERVIEW:

See Work Assignment Overview Table (Key activities, deliverables, duration and due dates) in full ToR  here.

MINIMUM EXPERIENCE/QUALIFICATIONS:

• A Master’s degree in Gender studies, Social anthropology, Law and Women’s rights, Sociology, Public health, or other field related to PSEA.
• A minimum of 5 years relevant work experience.
• At least 5 years of humanitarian or development experience, including in emergency settings on children’s and women’s rights and violence prevention and response, in particular sexual violence and other forms of gender-based violence; and on child protection.
• Experience in and knowledge of UN and IASC policies and guidance related but not limited to PSEA, AAP, GBV and Centrality of Protection.
• Expert knowledge of current PSEA developments and activities, preferably at the UNICEF, UN Country Team (UNCT) and Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) and partners level.
• Proven success in developing and facilitating training and capacity-building activities on PSEA.
• Ability to work with government, NGOs, and international organizations. Demonstrated experience in collaborating with multiple actors with diverse equities.
• Experience developing complaint mechanisms as well as reporting and investigation procedures.
• Deep understanding of child protection and/or GBV guiding principles. Demonstrated understanding of issues related to confidentiality, data safety/security and other ethical concerns related protection issues.
• Excellent communication, facilitation and interpersonal skills.
• Flexible work attitude: the ability to work productively in a team environment as well as independently, and the ability to handle requests or issues as they arise.
• Fluency in English (Written & Oral) is required.

For every Child, you demonstrate UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA). 

ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS:

For this remote assignment, the Consultant will be provided with:

1. a UNICEF email account for official correspondence with focal points and contacts.
2. Partner contact list

The selected consultant is expected to use his/her own laptop to perform the duties required for the assignment. There will be weekly progress reporting meetings with the UNICEF Supervisor and monthly progress reports presented.

CONDITIONS OF SERVICE:

Before commencing work, a consultant or individual contractor shall submit a statement of good health and take full responsibility for the accuracy of that statement, including confirmation that he or she has been informed of the inoculations required for the country or countries to which travel is authorized. Consultants and individual contractors shall assume all costs that may occur in relation to the statement of good health.  Consultants and individual contractors are required to certify that they are covered by medical/health insurance.

RECOURSE:

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. 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.

TITLE RIGHTS:

All materials created by the Contractor which bears a direct relation to, or is made in order to perform, this contract and any intellectual property rights thereof, including but not limited to patents, copyright and trademarks, shall be jointly owned by UNICEF and the Contractor. At the request of UNICEF, the Contractor shall assist in securing such property rights and transferring them to UNICEF in compliance with the requirements of the law governing such rights. Any third party usage shall require written permission from both parties.

TRAININGS:

Consultants and Individual contractors, even those working from home, must complete the following online courses prior to signature of contract.  All certificates should be presented as part of the contract:

• Ethics and Integrity at UNICEF
• Prevention of Sexual Harassment & Abuse of Authority
• Sexual Exploitation Abuse (PSEA) 

Consultants and Individual Contractors must complete the following course before commencement of any travel on behalf of UNICEF. 

• BSAFE Security Training 

Any consultant or individual contractor who is issued a UNICEF email address must complete the following courses no later than 30 days after signature of contract. 

• General Information Security Awareness Course
• Fraud Awareness

HOW TO APPLY:

Prospective consultants will be invited to apply via  UNICEF’s jobs website using the following link:

https://jobs.unicef.org/en-us/job/552608/international-consultancy-for-prevention-of-sexual-exploitation-and-abuse-psea-roll-out-in-barbados-and-the-eastern-caribbean-area-eca no later than Friday, 15 July 2022. The application package should include the following:

1. A cover letter;
2. Detailed Curriculum Vitae
3. A proposal stipulating all-inclusive fees, including lump sum travel and subsistence costs, as applicable.

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.

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.

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. 

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