TERMS OF REFERENCE
Violence against children (VAC) remains a pervasive global challenge, with significant and often overlapping intersections with violence against women (VAW). Parenting support is recognized as one of the three breakthrough solutions for preventing VAC, alongside safe and enabling school environments and accessible response and support services. Strengthening parenting interventions offers a critical entry point to address these intersecting forms of violence by promoting positive caregiving, reducing violent discipline, and fostering safer, more protective family environments.
Demands for technical assistance from the Centres of Excellence (CoE) from UNICEF Country Offices and Governments are growing. These requests span the full continuum—from the development and review of strategic and policy frameworks to the design, adaptation, and scale-up of integrated parenting programmes within national systems, as well as the development of Social Behaviour Change (SBC)-informed parenting strategies and interventions to address harmful social and gender norms are also recurrent.
This consultancy will support the Centres of Excellence Child Protection and SBC teams in delivering technical assistance to Country Offices to strengthen SBC-informed parenting for VAC prevention, and broader parenting outcomes across the life course, while also contributing to the documentation of good practices, development of global and regional guidance, supporting cross country and cross regional learning, and strengthening of practical SBC resources for adaptation across contexts.
Minimum requirements
Education:
Work Experience:
Language requirement:
• Skills:
• Strong technical expertise in parenting interventions and violence prevention.
• Strong understanding of child protection systems strengthening and integrated service delivery models.
• Knowledge of the intersections between violence against children (VAC) and violence against women (VAW).
• Strong understanding of social and behaviour change (SBC) approaches and their application to parenting and violence prevention.
• Familiarity with global frameworks and evidence, including INSPIRE, parenting support approaches, and child protection systems strengthening.
• Excellent analytical, writing, editing, and communication skills.
• Strong facilitation and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Ability to manage multiple technical assistance requests simultaneously and work effectively in a remote, multicultural environment.
Desirables
- Experience contributing to global or regional guidance and normative products.
- Experience supporting ministerial conferences, regional forums, or global advocacy initiatives.
- Familiarity with UNICEF's Parenting for Child Protection agenda and Communities of Practice.
- Experience working across Child Protection and Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) programmes.
Ability to work in LACR time zone.
For every Child, you demonstrate...
UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.
- An up-to-date TMS profile and curriculum vitae (CV)
- Cover letter
Technical proposal requirement:
UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.
All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.