TERMS OF REFERENCE
The Maternal Care including Nutrition Norms and Standards aim to ensure the highest possible quality of care across all levels of maternal care provision, to improve maternal health and nutrition outcomes. This consultancy will build upon the existing National Norms (2014) and Standards (2015), updating them to align with current evidence and national needs.
Scope of Work:
1. Benchmarking and gap analysis report:
o Review the implementation and coverage of existing maternal care norms and standards. o Compare existing norms and standards against international best practices.
o Review all relevant local guidelines and protocols.
o Identify specific areas for improvement in both field and institutional settings.
2. Drafting the national maternal care norms and standards:
o Draft detailed norms for all maternal care settings in the field.
o Draft clearly distinguished norms for tiered levels of health institutions providing maternal care.
o Draft tiered standards for antenatal, intranatal and postnatal care protocols, defining the scope of care for each level of health facility with clear linkages across different levels.
3. Implementation Plan Development:
o Design a detailed implementation plan, including activities, timelines, and responsible parties.
o Identify resource requirements (human, financial, infrastructure).
o Develop communication and dissemination strategies.
4. Clinical algorithm compendium:
o Design a quick reference guide for frontline staff incorporating preventive and clinical care pathways.
o Ensure alignment with existing clinical pathways and the Sri Lankan context.
5. Monitoring and quality assurance framework:
o Develop a monitoring and evaluation framework, including key performance indicators.
o Update existing indicators to measure compliance with the new norms and standards.
o Develop a results framework outlining expected outcomes.
o Streamline or establish data collection and analysis systems.
o Design a system for regular reporting and feedback.
Minimum requirements
Work Experience: At least 10 years of work experience Strong understanding of the maternal healthcare system in Sri Lanka. Deep understanding of the continuum of care concept, specifically the link between community-based and hospital based maternal health services. Should have at least 10 years of experience in the above fields
Language Requirements: Excellent spoken and written command of English.
Knowledge/Expertise/Skills: Proven experience in developing guidelines, norms, or standards, Track record in conducting situational analyses and data interpretation, Ability to synthesize diverse clinical inputs into user-friendly policy documents, Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
Desirables: Experience working in low- and middle-income countries. Exposure to healthcare systems in advanced settings will be an added advantage
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
Remarks
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.