Consultant - Social Service Workforce (SSW) Assessment at Project Hope

Type of Contract: Consultancy
Duration: 15 Days (includes 3 days Training Facilitation)
Date: June - July 2021

Background

• The Association for Reproductive and Family Health (ARFH) is currently implementing the Integrated Child Health and Social Services Award (ICHSSA) in Lagos State, in partnership with Project HOPE and FHI360, with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and in collaboration with the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development (MYSD).
• The project is currently being implemented in ten (10) LGAs in Lagos State and focuses on providing gender sensitive HIV services, comprehensive health and social services to Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC), through partnership with Community Based Organizations (CBOs).
• The project has a purpose to provide services to orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) while strengthening government systems to adequately respond and coordinate these implementation activities. A major objective of this project is to provide care and support services for vulnerable children and their households, especially those infected and affected by HIV.
• The goal of this assessment and analysis is to facilitate an understanding of the current status of the social service workforce (SSW), in order to ensure that the workforce is well planned, developed and supported to provide the highest quality services to children, their caregivers and families. Information gathered will inform advocacy, policy development, strategy design and program implementation to strengthen the workforce.
• The assessment will describe the size, scope and structure of the SSW, including policy, legislation, education, child protection and other social systems within the State. It will also highlight unique aspects of the State’s workforce identify challenges or trends and provide recommendations to be incorporated into State-level workforce strengthening plans.

Scope

• The Consultant will work with the ARFH ICHSSA team, CBOs and the ten focal local governments to conduct an assessment and analysis of the social service workforce which will help inform decision makers on policies and scopes of practice and distribution in Lagos State, in the following areas:
  • Child and family Service:
  • Adult Service
  • Social Welfare/Social Protection
  • Probation Services

Tasks to be Performed by the Consultant
The consultant is expected to carry out the following tasks:

• Analyse the current situation of the country’s social policies and programs and conduct assessment of the Social Service Workforce (Case workers, Managers, Volunteers, social workers in government and private sector) addressing the situation of vulnerable households and Children infected and affected by HIV and AIDS
• Assess the human, financial and physical resources in existence for the delivery of social protection schemes/systems
• Study the insurance schemes and policies in the country and recommend appropriate standards for inclusion in response for social work services.
• Contribute to the planning of case worker/community volunteer (CW/CV)-driven identification of essential knowledge, skills and abilities, using the Global Social Service Workforce Alliance’s Para Social Worker Functions and Competencies Framework as a guide.
• Assist with organizing a one-day meeting with representatives from the MYSD, the PEPFAR OVC IPs and their largest CBOs to decipher the specific job competencies for CW/CVs in Nigeria which will be adapted to the PSW Training Curriculum and included in the JDs being developed for them.
• Develop/Adapt Para Social Worker Training Curriculum. The activities will be informed by and conducted within the Para Social Worker (PSW) Competency Framework developed by the Global Social Service Workforce Alliance[1].
• Incorporate recommendations into the PSW Training Curriculum to align with the Case Management package and approach
• Conduct a 3-day TOT training/workshop for Social Welfare Officers and CBO staff on social welfare systems in Lagos State.

The Guidelines for Consultant
Recommended strategies and interventions to strengthen the social service workforce to strengthen child protection systems by:

• Increasing the understanding of the role and function of the social service workforce within the child protection system.
• Increasing the understanding of the composition of the workforce and the key actors that constitute the workforce
• Recommending evidence-based strategies and interventions for strengthening the social service workforce in the short, medium and long term.
• Highlighting the specific role that ARFH ICHSSA 2 and others can play in strengthening the social service workforce at the regional and national levels.
• Strengthening country-level, regional and global monitoring for measuring progress on strengthening the social service workforce, and
• Its impact on child protection prevention and response services.

Qualifications and Experience
The consultant should have the following qualifications and working experience in the relevant field:

• A Master's Degree or PhD in a field related to Social Protection (Economics, Social Sciences, Public Policy and/or International Development Policy)
• A minimum of 4 years work experience in creating, establishing and enforcing policies related to social security and programs concerning social protection,
• Previous experience in social welfare/social protection policy development or program implementation at a national level,
• Previous research experience on poverty aid/development, experience in quantitative or qualitative data collection and analysis,
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English are required,
• Ability to work independently and respond to feedback in a timely and professional manner,
• Team Player with excellent organizational skills, attention to detail and ability to contribute to a team

Expected Deliverables:

• A consultancy work plan that includes timeline and a proposed outline and methodology for the consultancy
• Final consultancy report.

Special Conditions:

• The Consultant is expected to be familiar with both Local Government and State structures in Lagos State
• Given the current restrictions around COVID-19, the Consultant should be prepared to move around Lagos, LGAs and State Ministries if need be (observing all safety guidelines in relation to COVID-19).