Post Title: International consultancy on revising the Regulation of the Baby Homes of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection in Tajikistan
Duration of contract: 01 April – 22 May 2015 (18 w/d)
Office location: Dushanbe
Closing date: 27 February 2015
Terms of Reference
Background
Since 2004, UNICEF has been working with the Government of Tajikistan to develop a comprehensive child protection system that is based on the premise that children are better cared for in their homes rather than in institutions.
The Residential Care Institutions are fragmented in Tajikistan and they are under various ministries. Baby Homes are under the Ministry of Health and Social Protection and funded by the local budget. In total there are 4 Baby Homes in the country: Two located in the capital Dushanbe, and two in the North, one in Khujand and one in Istaravshan.
Recent assessment of children residing in Baby Homes found the following[1]:
- Although the proportion of children in Baby Homes is small compared to the number of children in all Residential Care Institutions, there is an increase in the number of children in these Institutions between 2007 and 2011, with a small drop from 2012 to 2013. The following table shows the trend in Baby Homes in the Country[2]:
Number of children 0-3 in Baby Homes / 2005 / 2006 / 2007 / 2008 / 2009 / 2010 / 2011 / 2012 / 2013174 / 163 / 169 / 201 / 299 / 270 / 300 / 301 / 278
- According to data, just around 3% of children in all four baby homes in Tajikistan are full orphans, which means that the majority of children in Baby Homes have at least one parent alive.
- Data suggests that almost 2/3 of children in Baby Homes are placed into the institutions due to economic reasons or came from single parent families,
- No child went to foster care or guardianship care,
- The number of children placed for adoption has decreased from 41.2% in 2011 to 29% in 2013.
- The contact of children with families and the external community is limited and the Baby Homes currently do not facilitate family contacts or social inclusion of children residing in institution.
- Case review is not properly practiced or not in place at all baby homes and family members are not engaged in the process. Currently, family reintegration plans are not developed at all as these are not (yet) embedded in the mandates of the Baby Homes or any other social service providers who also could be tasked to follow up on family reintegration plans
- There is no unified procedure for referrals, the procedures vary across the regions.
- Data collection and data management practices are not unified and do not provide sufficient information about family background and other socio-economic factors to facilitate deeper understanding of the driving forces of institutionalization of children.
- The Baby Homes are being considered as a medical facility aimed to provide care and treatment for children residing in these institutions, however the respondents and the Ministry understand the necessity of changes in the mission towards family-centred service centres, focusing on individual needs of children and their care givers,
- The institutions do not collect information about any type of benefits that children are entitled to,
- There are social workers in all Baby Homes and one Baby Home has a full time psychologist engaged in the Baby home activities.
- The technical staff have limited opportunities for professional development and trainings.
Goal
To continue to promote child care system reform in Tajikistan with a focus on minimizing placement of children in institutions, while targeting the most vulnerable groups such as children under three and children with disabilities there is a need to revise the regulations of the Baby Homes to see if appropriate family support and family substitute services can be included.
Specific Objectives:
- Provide recommendations to include more family and child-oriented services for children and their care givers in the regulations of the Baby Homes
- Suggest changes to see how and what kind of support can be organized by staff of the Baby Homes in order for the children to return home and/or can be placed in family substitute services e.g. foster care.
- Find out how the gatekeeping mechanism of the Baby Home can be strengthened and incorporated in the new regulations in order to prevent institutionalization of children.
- Propose one unified set of criteria and procedures for referrals to all four baby Homes.
- Propose the staff competent to each Baby Home to be defined in the Regulation.
- Provide recommendations and incorporate into the Regulation for the Baby Homes to facilitate increased contact of the children with their families and the external community.
- Propose one unified procedure for carrying out individual child case reviews for all four Baby Homes whereby family members are engaged in the process and which includes the topic of family reintegration and collecting information about any type of benefits that children are entitled to,
- Propose one unified way of collecting data and data management practices which includes the provision of sufficient information about family background and other socio-economic factors to facilitate deeper understanding of the driving forces of institutionalization of children.
- Suggest how the MoHSP can ensure, in a sustainable way, the employment and re-training of professional staff for the Baby Homes to work according the new regulations.
Scope of work
· Consultations with key actors in the country including UNICEF, Ministry of Health and Social Protection, Baby Homes, Child Right Commissions and Child Rights Units, Social Protection Agency, NGO Sarchashma, Health Prom, NGO Hayot dar Oila, pre-school children’s homes, and other relevant bodies if in due course this is required.
· Desk review of the existing legal- normative acts, documents on child protection systems and mechanism in the country regarding provision of family- and young children care and support,
· Define the scope of work of each staff member of the Baby Homes.
· Review of the regulations for all four Baby Homes and include family support, child-oriented services, re-integration support and gatekeeping mechanism to the context of Tajikistan in consultation with UNICEF staff of Child Protection section and the Ministry of Health and Social Protection
· Final Report detailing activities carried out and specific recommendations for the functioning of the Baby Homes
Deliverables and payment schedule
Deliverables / Timeframe / PaymentConsultations with key actors in the country including UNICEF, Ministry of Health and Social Protection, Baby Homes, Child Right Commissions and Child Rights Units, Social Protection Agency, NGO Sarchashma, Health Prom, NGO Hayot dar Oila, pre-school children’s homes, and other relevant bodies if in due course this is required. / 3 days
Desk review of the existing legal- normative acts, documents on child protection systems and mechanism in the country regarding provision of family- and children care and support, / 5 days
Define the scope of work of each staff member of the Baby Homes. / 3 days
Draft Typical Regulation for Baby Home and include family support and child-oriented services to the context of Tajikistan in consultation with UNICEF staff of Child Protection section. Incorporate all feedback and comments received from UNICEF and other partners. / 5 days
Final Report detailing activities carried out and specific recommendations for the function of the Baby Homes / 2 days
Total / 18 Days / 100% after the completion of final report
Requirements for consultant
· Advanced university degree in Social Work, Social Sciences, Law, or related field
· Five years of progressively responsible professional work experience, preferably in the CEE/CIS context, at national and international levels with a focus on family and child-oriented services for children and their care givers.
· Advanced technical knowledge of theories, principles and methods of child protection systems, specifically on alternative family care
· Good analytical and conceptual abilities and reporting skills;
· Strong written and verbal communication, advocacy and negotiation skills;
· Fluency in English is required and fluency in Russian and/or Tajik is an asset.
Duration of the assignment:
The estimated duration (01 April – 22 May 2015) of the technical support is 18 working days including one visit to country.
Payment Terms and Conditions:
Consultancy fee is negotiated based on the market price for the mentioned tasks. Consultant’s fee will be paid upon satisfactory completion of assignments and certification by the supervisor through bank transfer.
Travel cost and location:
The consultant is expected to visit Tajikistan. UNICEF will cover cost of round trip flights from/to the country of origin of the consultant to Dushanbe in economy class via the most direct and economical route.
The consultant is responsible for assuming costs for obtaining visa, local registration travel insurance and medical/ health insurance.
The consultant will be stationed in Dushanbe with travel to any region and district of Tajikistan as required. The consultant will receive 100% of UN-approved Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) for the first 10 days and reduced DSA rate of USD 100 for each subsequent day while in Tajikistan, by visit.
Supervision
The Consultant will work under supervision of the UNICEF Chief Child Protection.
APPLICATION:
Qualified candidates are requested to submit a Letter of interest, CV, UN Personal History Form (P11) (which could be downloaded from our website www.unicef.org/tajikistan/resources_6744.html) and references from previous consultancies to or mailed to UNICEF Country Office at the following address: UNICEF, Dushanbe, Bokhtar street 37/1, Vefa Center, 7th floor by the deadline of 27 February 2015.
In their Letter of Interest, candidates should highlight to which of the consultancies they are applying, previous work experience relevant to the assignment, the attributes that make them suitable, their proposed approach to the assignment and their anticipated daily rate fee for the assignment.
UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organisation.
CONDITIONS OF THE SERVICE:
General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants / Individual Contractors
1. Legal Status
The individual engaged by UNICEF under this contract as a consultant or individual contractors (the “Contractor”) is engaged in a personal capacity and not as representatives of a Government or of any other entity external to the United Nations. The Contractor is neither a "staff member" under the Staff Regulations of the United Nations and UNICEF policies and procedures nor an "official" for the purpose of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations, 1946. The Contractor may, however, be afforded the status of "Experts on Mission" in the sense of Section 22 of Article VI of the Convention and the Contractor is required by UNICEF to travel in order to fulfill the requirements of this contract, the Contractor may be issued a United Nations Certificate in accordance with Section 26 of Article VII of the Convention.
2. Obligations
The Contractor shall complete the assignment set out in the Terms of Reference for this contract with due diligence, efficiency and economy, in accordance with generally accepted professional techniques and practices. The Contractor must respect the impartiality and independence of UNICEF and the United Nations and in connection with this contract must neither seek nor accept instructions from anyone other than UNICEF. During the term of this contract the Contractor must refrain from any conduct that would adversely reflect on UNICEF or the United Nations and must not engage in any activity that is incompatible with the administrative instructions and policies and procedures of UNICEF. The Contractor must exercise the utmost discretion in all matters relating to this contract. In particular, but without limiting the foregoing, the Contractor (a) will conduct him- or herself in a manner consistent with the Standards of Conduct in the International Civil Service; and (b) will comply with the administrative instructions and policies and procedures of UNICE relating to fraud and corruption; information disclosure; use of electronic communication assets; harassment, sexual harassment and abuse of authority; and the requirements set forth in the Secretary General's Bulletin on Special Measures for Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse. Unless otherwise authorized by the appropriate official in the office concerned, the Contractor must not communicate at any time to the media or to any institution, person, Government or other entity external to UNICEF any information that has not been made public and which has become known to the Contractor by reason of his or her association with UNICEF or the United Nations. The Contractor may not use such information without the written authorization of UNICEF, and shall under no circumstances use such information for his or her private advantage or that of others. These obligations do not lapse upon termination of this contact.
3. Title rights
UNICEF shall be entitled to all property rights, including but not limited to patents, copyrights and trademarks, with regard to material created by the Contractor which bears a direct relation to, or is made in order to perform, this contract. 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.
4. Travel
If UNICEF determines that the Contractor needs to travel in order to perform this contract, that travel shall be specified in the contract and the Contractor’s travel costs shall be set out in the contract, on the following basis:
(a) UNICEF will pay for travel in economy class via the most direct and economical route; provided however that in exceptional circumstances, such as for medical reasons, travel in business class may be approved by UNICEF on a case-by-case basis.
(b) UNICEF will reimburse the Contractor for out-of-pocket expenses associated with such travel by paying an amount equivalent to the daily subsistence allowance that would be paid to staff members undertaking similar travel for official purposes.
5. Statement of good health
Before commencing work, the Contractor must deliver to UNICEF a certified self-statement of good health and to take full responsibility for the accuracy of that statement. In addition, the Contractor must include in this statement of good health (a) confirmation that he or she has been informed regarding inoculations required for him or her to receive, at his or her own cost and from his or her own medical practitioner or other party, for travel to the country or countries to which travel is authorized; and (b) a statement he or she is covered by medical/health insurance and that, if required to travel beyond commuting distance from his or her usual place or residence to UNICEF (other than to duty station(s) with hardship ratings “H” and “A”, a list of which has been provided to the Contractor) the Contractor’s medical/health insurance covers medical evacuations. The Contractor will be responsible for assuming all costs that may be occurred in relation to the statement of good health.