UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN’S FUND
REQUIRES
International consultancy – Individual or Institutional
for the provision of technical expertise to the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare in assessing the work of the Operational Multidisciplinary Teams for the protection from family violence and violence against children
(Protecting children from violence and promoting social inclusion of children with disabilities in Western Balkans and Turkey - IPA 2015)
Minimum Requirements:
If individual:
· Advanced university degree in social sciences or other relevant field;
· At least 10 years of experience and expertise in the area of protection of children from violence and gender based violence;
· At least 3 years of experience in conducting research;
· Previous experience in conducting capacity assessments;
· Knowledge of relevant international standards and research in the area of protection of children and women from violence;
· Familiarity with the local context in Montenegro is an asset;
· Previous work experience with UN will be considered as an advantage;
· Excellent command of either the local language (both spoken and written), or English, while fluency in both will be considered as an asset;
· Strong communication skills;
· Excellent writing skills.
If institutional:
The Contractor’s team of experts are expected to have following qualifications/specialized knowledge/experience required to complete the task:
· University degree, team leader with advanced degree, in social sciences or other relevant field;
· Experience and expertise in the area of protection of children from violence and gender based violence;
· Experience in conducting research;
· Experience in conducting capacity assessments;
· Knowledge of relevant international standards and research in the area of protection of children and women from violence;
· Familiarity with the local context in Montenegro is an asset;
· Excellent command of either the local language or English (both spoken and written);
· Strong communication skills;
· Excellent writing skills.
Terms of Reference for the position and P11/ Supplier Profile Form can be found on the website www.unicef.org/montenegro or picked up at UNICEF Montenegro office.
If you are a dynamic person/agency who would like to contribute to delivering of long-lasting, positive changes for Montenegro’s children, please apply:
If individual: with a CV, P11 form, financial offer and cover letter
If institutional: with a Supplier Profile Form, technical proposal including Agency Profile, CV of key experts and brief narrative proposal (addressing all aspects and criteria outlines in the ToR), and price proposal,
by email, mail or fax quoting the position “Assessment of the work of the Operational Multidisciplinary Teams” to the following address:
UNICEF, UN Eco House, Stanka Dragojevica bb, 81 000 Podgorica
Fax: +382 20 447 471
Email:
Closing date for applications is 16 October, 2016 (23:59 PM CET).
Only short listed candidates will be contacted for interview.
U N I C E F I S A S M O K E F R E E E N V I R O N M E N TTerms of Reference
International consultancy – Individual or Institutional
for the provision of technical expertise to the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare in assessing the work of the Operational Multidisciplinary Teams for the protection from family violence and violence against children
(Protecting children from violence and promoting social inclusion of children with disabilities in Western Balkans and Turkey - IPA 2015)
Background and Context
Violence against children exists in every part of the world, cutting cross culture, class, education, ethnicity and income. A UNICEF survey in 2013 showed that 1 in 3 Montenegrins know a child who is affected by violence. Neglect, sexual abuse and many aspects of dysfunctional parenting such as alcoholism, addiction and mental health problems remain largely a taboo. The 2013 Montenegro MICS (MONSTAT and UNICEF) revealed that 68% of children aged 1–14 years in Montenegro were subjected to psychological aggression within the family during the month preceding the survey and 31% were subjected to physical punishment. The general acceptance of violence within families as well as the low level of reporting of domestic and sexual violence raises concerns about the actual level of abuse against children in Montenegro.
Montenegro is an upper-middle-income country aspiring to join the EU. Montenegro has ratified a number of conventions including the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the Council of Europe Convention on the Exercise of Children’s Rights, the Convention on Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (Lanzarote Convention) and the Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention) among others.
A comprehensive national legal framework regulating violence against children has been put in place (the Criminal Code 2003, the Family Law 2007, the Law on Protection from Family Violence 2010, the Treatment of Juveniles in Criminal Proceedings Act 2011, the Law on Social and Child Protection 2013), and the recently adopted amendments to the Family Law explicitly prohibit all forms of violence, including corporal punishment, in all settings. The Law on the Protection from Family Violence contains a broad definition of domestic violence, it prescribes more immediate and effective measures for the protection from violence and measures of support to victims including the right to psycho-social support, free legal aid, social and medical care, material assistance, and accommodation.
As regards the policy framework, a new Strategy for the Protection from Family Violence (2016-2020) was adopted in 2015 with technical assistance from the UN system in Montenegro. The Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare is presently leading the process of development of the Strategy for the Protection of Children from Violence 2017-2021, which will help to coordinate efforts of various sectors and stakeholders to support children at risk of or affected by all forms of violence.
Notwithstanding a relatively well developed policy and legal framework, its implementation has lagged behind. A Protocol defining multi-sectoral collaboration for the implementation of the Law on Protection from Family Violence was developed in December 2011, with an Annex related to the roles and responsibilities of relevant institutions in cases of violence against children and child abuse and neglect. In 2002 UNICEF began piloting the local-level Operational Multidisciplinary Teams for the protection of children from violence (OMTs). The successful experience of the OMTs was recognized by the Government of Montenegro by integrating the OMTs into the system and expanding their mandate in 2012 to include the protection of victims of family violence. In the period 2002-2014, OMTs provided approximately 2,250 child-victims of the most severe forms of violence with immediate protective measures. UNICEF has continuously supported capacity building of OMTs and in 2015 supported the development of Guidelines for their work. Despite these achievements, the work of OMTs and inter-sectorial cooperation in general is fraught with challenges.
Furthermore, system support is mostly provided in a reactive manner in crisis situations. Child protection used to be until a few years ago heavily based on the placement of children in institutions. Effective implementation of immediate protection measures (e.g. removal of perpetrator from family home), the establishment of emergency shelters for children and other victims of violence as well as emergency foster families are needed in order to be able to deal with extreme and urgent situations of violence against children in a quick and effective manner. A large share of services is provided by NGOs but which face challenges related to the availability, quality assurance, and financial sustainability of the services. Many professionals lack the necessary knowledge, and their work procedures are not sufficiently standardized, which often results in secondary victimization. UNDP Montenegro 2015 study on the perceptions of the judiciary concerning domestic violence and violence against women showed that on average every other representative of the judiciary considers family violence as a phenomenon that need not necessarily be referred to competent authorities, but can sometimes be resolved within the family. Evidence based policy making and program design is hampered by a lack of (disaggregated) data and uniform methodologies for data collection.
UNICEF Montenegro is part of a regional UNICEF initiative funded by the EU focusing on the protection of children from violence and social inclusion of children with disabilities (IPA 2015, implementation 2016-2018). A part of its multi-pronged strategy is to strengthen the effectiveness of the OMTs based on a capacity assessment of the OMTs. High level international expert (individual) or team of experts – including as agency (institutional) is required for this assignment, with extensive expertise in the area of protection of children from violence, and experience in conducting capacity assessments.
Purpose and Objective
The purpose of technical assistance is to strengthen the effectiveness of the OMTs in protecting victims of violence focusing on children.
The objective of this assignment is to develop an assessment methodology and conduct an assessment of the capacity of OMTs in protecting victims of violence focusing on children.
Methodology and Technical Approach
The methodology will include desk review, analysis of available data, capacity assessment based on surveys, interviews, focus groups and other data collection methods, preparation of a report.
The Consultant/s/Agency team members is/are expected to work both in the field and from home.
Further details are presented in the section below “Activities and Tasks”.
Activities and Tasks
The Consultant/s/Agency team members is/are expected to complete the following tasks:
Task / Location / TimelineTo review, within the preparatory phase, the relevant legislative and policy documents, protocols and reports concerning the implementation of legislation and strategies, and relevant statistics, surveys and research, and to, with reference international instruments and documents such as treaty body concluding observations, develop a methodology (including data collection tools) for assessing the work of OMTs in protecting victims of violence focusing on children.
The assessment methodology should at least in part be based on the Guidelines for the work of OMTs from 2015. / Home-based / 5 working days – (tentatively by 28 October 2016)
To conduct the assessment of the work of OMTs in protecting victims of violence focusing on children using various data collection methods, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups etc. in line with the proposed methodology.
The assessment should encompass aspects such as:
- The functioning of the team (meeting frequency, attendance by official members and by other parties in contact with the child victim, cooperation, decision-making, division of labour, implementation, motivation);
- Knowledge and competencies of team members (incl. case management, determining the best interest of the child, child participation etc.);
- Work on individual cases, assessment tools, planning, review, record keeping, provision of psychosocial interventions;
- Implementation of planning activities and activities with a view to promoting intersectoral cooperation in the community;
- Supervision of OMTs;
- Statistics relevant to the work of the OMTs (on victims as well as measures undertaken), including links to the Integrated Social Welfare Information System.
The research should include various stakeholders:
- OMT members (considering that there are 11 teams, the methodology could combine a survey for all OMTs and a sample of OMTs for more in-depth assessment),
- Policy makers,
- Professionals,
- Civil society organizations,
- Ombudsperson’s Office,
- International organizations. / in Montenegro / 10 working days (tentatively 14– 25th November 2016)
To prepare a draft report of the assessment and submit to UNICEF for feedback including from national counterparts / Home-based / 5 working days (tentatively by 1 December 2016)
To finalize the report based on the feedback received / Home-based / 2 working days (tentatively by 12 December 2016)
To present the results of the assessment at a roundtable gathering national stakeholders / in Montenegro / 1 day (by 22 December 2016)
To provide other related assistance as required
TOTAL WORKING DAYS / 23
Key Deliverables and Timeframe
The Consultant/s/Agency team members will be engaged in the period from 24 October to 22 December 2016 for in total 23 working days.
The Consultant/s/Agency team members is/are expected to produce the following key deliverables with the following tentative deadlines:
Deliverable / Tentative deadlines1. Assessment methodology (including data collection tools) / 28 October 2016
2. Draft report of the assessment / 1 December 2016
3. Final report of the assessment / 12 December 2016
4. Presentation of the assessment report / 22 December 2016
Management and Organisation
Management: The Consultant will be supervised by the UNICEF Child Protection Officer.
Organization: International Consultancy, individual or institutional, with extensive expertise in the area of protection of children from violence and with demonstrated capacity for conducting similar capacity assessments is required for this assignment. If more than one consultant is engaged for the assignment (as team of individuals), the fee for each consultant will be negotiated depending on their qualifications, the scope of work required from each consultant and the duration of their engagement.
Schedule: This assignment will commence on 24 October 2016.
Budget and Remuneration
The candidates (individual or institutional) are requested to submit their financial offer/price proposal consisting of fee for the services to be provided, travel and subsistence costs, as/ if applicable.
The consultant’s/contractor’s fee may be reduced if the assignments/deliverables are not fulfilled to the required standard. In a case of serious dissatisfaction with the consultant’s/contractor’s performance the contract may be terminated in line with UNICEF procedure in such matters and as spelled out in the contract.
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