National Consultant for Child Protection System Case Management and Response Services at UNICEF

Job Number: 501102
Work Type: Consultancy

Background
UNICEF is supporting the Government of Nigeria to strengthen prevention of and response all forms of violence against children. In particular, assistance will be provided to strengthen the child protection system, including through modelling the system in four States, in order to demonstrate the impact of a well-functioning child protection system, to develop a common model for operationalizing the Child Rights Act at State level and to develop standardized tools, including regulations, working protocols and training manuals to govern the system.

The programme will be implemented in Plateau and Gombe, as part of an EU funded joint programme with UN Women to mitigate the impact of conflict on women and children, including through increasing access to reporting mechanisms and protective services for girls and women affected by human rights abuses, including gender based violence, and in Lagos and Cross River, funded by USAID, as part of the child protection systems strengthening programme.

A key aspect of a well-functioning child protection system is the provision of comprehensive minimum package of response services to child victims of violence, abuse and exploitation. Minimum package of services should include primary, secondary and tertiary services. Response services should have a special focus on secondary and tertiary services ensuring linkages and integrated services both from the social welfare and justice system.

Critical services should include parenting skills training/education, counselling, home visits, interim child care/emergency shelter, financial support, family mediation, child risk and needs assessment, child psychological assessment, social protection support, birth registration, medical treatment, psychosocial support, removal of the child from the family's custody and placement in alternative care, case management, social protection support, birth registration, family reunification.

Legal services including legal aid and prosecution also play a critical role at the level of tertiary services. In order to determine and coordinate response services needed to restore a child victim's wellbeing, case management has to be systematically carried out by trained social workers under government supervision if not under direct management.

Purpose of the Consultancy
The purpose of this consultancy is to provide intense technical support to the focus State government and LGAs through the national consultant based in each state in the design and implementation of new response and case management services framework and the actual provision of integrated services during the pilot phase of the child protection system strengthening modelling programme under the technical guidance of an international consultant.

Major Tasks to be Accomplished
With the support and in close collaboration with a national case management consultant based in Abuja and through the work of national consultants based in the focus states, the international consultant will ensure high caliber international technical support in:

• Map existing child protection service providers and assess case management systems run by different state and no state actors in the selected LGAs
• Organize state focus case management visioning workshops
• Support the design and development of government led case management frameworks in the selected LGAs in the four focus states
• Support the development of state case management standard operating procedures for government social workers
• Support the development of inter-agency working protocols including referral and coordination mechanisms among all relevant sectors (social welfare, police, family courts, prosecution, legal aid, health, education, child protection networks, child protection committees etc) at state and LGA levels
• Support the development of minimum package of response services as part of the inter-agency working protocols and service provision framework in selected LGAs
• Technically support the development of school based reporting mechanisms for cases of violence, abuse and exploitation against children
• Support the development of mandatory reporting policy within the education sector in all four focus states in collaboration with the state ministry of education and federal ministry of education
• Support the development of reporting mechanisms in health facilities for cases of violence, abuse and exploitation against children
• Support the development of a mandatory reporting policy in health facilities for cases of violence, abuse and exploitation against children
• Support the development of trainings materials and delivery of trainings on case management, inter-agency collaboration, mandatory reporting and provision of integrated services for children provided to key sectors
• Support the provision of integrated services based on newly developed frameworks
• Coordinate with UNICEF child justice specialist to develop work plan for the strengthening of justice related services and specific capacity building plan for each selected LGA

Minimum Qualifications

• Advanced university degree in social work or related field (Masters or equivalent level)
• A minimum of five years of relevant professional work experience with projects related to child protection service provision
• Experience in the field of case management
• Experience in the field of child protection system strengthening is an asset
• Excellent planning and organizational skills
• Strong communication skills - both oral and written
• Experience with UNICEF is desirable
• Fluency in written and spoken English