Consultant documentation of good/promising practices, successful models and lessons learned on children’s care reform and family-based alternative care, 7 months, remote no travel, # 595843

How can you make a difference?

UNICEF seeks to engage an individual consultant to document good practices, successful models and lessons learned in children’s care reform. The assignment will draw on country, regional and global experiences, including foster care, kinship care, kafala and other contextually appropriate family-based care arrangements, with attention to inclusive family-based care options and community support and services for children with disabilities. The consultant will also provide technical support on disability inclusive child protection system strengthening.

There is growing demand from UNICEF country offices for practical, evidence-informed resources that document successful approaches to children’s care reform and translate them into actionable guidance for policy makers, practitioners and partners. While many countries are undertaking reforms to strengthen families, prioritize family-based care options, and ending institutionalization, lessons learned and implementation knowledge are often fragmented, insufficiently documented or not easily accessible across regions.

Country offices frequently seek examples of what has worked in comparable contexts, how reforms were implemented, what enabling factors contributed to success, and how challenges were addressed. At the same time, there is increasing global interest in accelerating care reform efforts, including through family strengthening, kinship care, foster care, kafala and other family-based care arrangements, while ensuring inclusive support for children with disabilities. Systematic documentation of good and promising practices is therefore needed to support cross-country learning, inform policy dialogue, strengthen advocacy, guide programme design, support resource mobilization and enable adaptation of successful approaches to different national contexts.

Country offices also seek technical support on disability inclusive child protection systems and services including in the context of children’s care. The consultant will provide technical support and guidance to country offices for operationalizing disability inclusive child protection resources and competency framework for social service workforce.

The consultancy will generate a practical learning package that can inform policy dialogue, advocacy, programme design, resource mobilization earning. The products will highlight what has been worked, under what conditions, for whom, and what transferable lessons can be adapted by UNICEF country offices and partners.

Minimum requirements

• Demonstrated experience documenting good/promising practices, case studies, learning products, evaluation syntheses or knowledge products for international organizations.
• Experience with family-based care models, such as foster care, kinship care, kafala, guardianship, family support or community-based approaches.
• Prior work experience in similar areas with UNICEF on relevant UN agencies.

• Ability to translate complex evidence into clear learning, advocacy and programme guidance.
• Strong interview, facilitation, coordination and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Understanding of ethical documentation, child safeguarding, consent, confidentiality and do-no-harm principles.
• Ability to work independently and deliver high-quality products within agreed timelines.

• Ability to translate complex evidence into clear learning, advocacy and programme guidance.
• Strong interview, facilitation, coordination and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Understanding of ethical documentation, child safeguarding, consent, confidentiality and do-no-harm principles.
• Ability to work independently and deliver high-quality products within agreed timelines.

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: brief technical proposal including methodology, workplan, sample table of contents and proposed case selection criteria.