Three National Consultant to enhance service delivery for children in contact with the law – UNICEF
Job Description
Three National Consultant to enhance service delivery for children in contact with the law for six months for Kassala and Red Sea, 8 months for Gadarif state
| Organization: | UNICEF |
| Job no: | 536207 |
| Contract type: | Consultancy |
| Level: | Consultancy |
| Location: | Sudan |
| Categories: | Child Protection, Consultancy |
| Advertised: | 25 Nov 2020 E. Africa Standard Time |
| Deadline: | 09 Dec 2020 E. Africa Standard Time |
UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.
Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.
And we never give up.
For every child
Sudan, surrounded by the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Libya and South Sudan, positioned next to East, West, South and North Africa, is surrounded by complex conflicts in an unpredictable, volatile and rapidly evolving region. Sudan is by size the third biggest country in Africa, with a diverse population of around 42 million people. Sudans children make up half of the total population, and the past two decades have seen their lives significantly improve: fewer girls and boys are dying before their fifth birthday, primary school attendance is increasing, immunization coverage is high and the country remains polio free. Still, millions of children continue to suffer from protracted conflict in Darfur, the Kordofans, and Blue Nile, from seasonal natural disasters, malnutrition and disease outbreaks, and from under-investment in basic social services. More than three million of Sudan’s school aged children are not in the classroom. UNICEF has been in Sudan since 1952 and continues with a presence in 12 of Sudan’s 18 states.
How can you make a difference?
Purpose of Assignment:
The purpose of the consultancy is to support strengthening the state-based child protection systems for children in contact with the law and children in need of care and protection, with focus on justice and social services for children on the move and scale up diversion and alternative to detention in Kassala, Gadarif and Red Sea; as follows:
1) Legal guarantees for children in contact with the law and the diversion and alternative to detention for child offenders are promoted and adopted across the three states,
2) The Child Act 2010 provisions and regulation related to probation and community services and other alternative measures to detention, are enforced to ensure that detention of child offenders at pre-post trials is the last resort.
3) Children on the move have improved access to child protection services in Kassala, Gadarif and Red Sea State.
4) Ensure the national alternative care procedures for abandoned babies and children without parental care are applied and adopted.
5) Support and lead the coordination between different actors to reflect the inter-disciplinary approach for J4C.
6) Support the establishment of community committees and build their capacity to support diversion outside the judicial system.
7) Establishment of centre for protection of children on the move in Gadarif State.
Objective (1): Legal guarantees for children in contact with the law and the diversion and alternative to detention for child offenders are promoted and adopted across the three states
Key Activities/Tasks
- Advocacy for enforcement of the child Act 2010, in order to ensure children in contact with the law and children in need of care and protection are dealt by specialized statutory institutions
- Based on diversion guidelines, design a mechanism for diversion and community conference for children in conflict with the law, across all level (police, prosecution, children court, social welfare), this include:
- Organize training / consultation workshop
- develop protocols with clear division of roles and responsibilities between justice and social welfare,
- establish required committees (by decree from concerned government body), and
- outline and distribute established procedures.
- Support the implementation of the above framework and procedures and ensure legal guarantees children in contact with the law, including providing regular technical guidance, mentoring and coaching and in-service training to all professional dealing with children in contact with the law .
- Develop/ adapt related format and train social workers to write a compressive report for diversion decisions as well as follow up and closure of the file.
- Work with relevant government institution to monitor detention centres and ensure that diversion is practiced before and at level of legal proceedings (at FCPU, Child prosecution unit, or children court).
- Review and provide technical guidance and advices (to all justice actors) to expedite the legal proceedings for children in contact with the law (for both victims, witness and offenders);
- Establish link and activate the role of legal aid service providers at his/ her respective state, and ensure legal aid have an office in one stop centre and FCPU and OSCs.
- Train police and SCCW to have information system for diverted cases
- Design messages for children and adolescents on the legal responsibilities and for prevention of children from infringing the penal code
Objective (2): The Child Act 2010 provisions and regulation related o probation services, are enforced as one of the alternative options to detention of child offenders.
Key Activities/Tasks
- Mapping of available options for probation services at state level (Kassala, Gadarif and Red Sea), include:
- Undertaking meeting with related actors;
- Organize consultation sessions,
- Support establishment of mechanism at court and social welfare level for implementation of the related Child Act regulations (probation services regulation),
- Provide technical support and guidance to key actors for full enforcement of article 69 (b) of the Child Act 201, including training and mentorship of those linked with implementation.
Objective (3): Children on the move have improved access to existing child protection services:
Key Activities/Tasks
- Conduct sensitization with decision makers for increased access of all children on the move (including those of foreign origin) to service
- Provide legal guidance to finalize the Memorandum of Understanding and Plan of Action for provision of integrated services via One Stop Centres (four in Kassala, one in Gadarif, two in Red Sea).
- Train all professional dealing with children on legal aspects related to victim of smuggling, trafficking and abduction on related legal provisions and SOPs.
- Provide legal guidance for the establishment of functional referral system for identification, reporting of cases of trafficking, abduction, and ensure it is dealt by specialized child protection services.
- Provide legal guidance in support of the establishment of department of education in Kassala, Red Sea, and Gadarif
- Provide legal guidance to social welfare for established procedures for Kaffala of children without parental care
Objective (4) Support establishment of protection centres for children on the move in Gadarif state (only applied to consultant based in Gadarif state)
Key Activities/Tasks
- Develop Memorandum of understanding for the purpose and role of the centre for children on the move
- With guidance form the Child Protection Specialist (Khartoum), select subject to be incorporate in the university academic curriculum
- Using the current developed SOPs, curriculum and manuals, establish induction training for all newly recruited professional dealing with children (with focus on protection of children on the move)
Output(s)/Deliverable(s)
- Progress report, with the following:
- Report on the workshop outcomes.
- Diversion committee established by decree,
- Outlines procedures developed and distributed among key actors
- Police officers, social workers in the FCPU, One Stop Centers and those involved social welfare at state and locality level, judges and prosecutors are all trained and provided with mentorship and technical guidance on diversion and alternative to detention
- Required format
- Weekly progress report, with decreased number of children in remand home (at least 40% of cases diverted).
- Weekly report to include progress on this part.
- Progress report and presence of legal aid in FCPU and OSC.
- All diverted cases are registered and with proper filling system at FCPU and OSC level.
- Document to be shared with ministry of education and social welfare after it is reviewed by UNICEF
- Full report with findings and proposed options for diversion.
- Mechanism are established in respective states
- Number trained and provided with technical guidance.
- Regular progress report with achievements and challenges
- Final revised version of MOU for provision of integrated services for each state
- Training conducted and relevant professionals trained
- Written referral document
- Legal document recognizing the establishment of the department
- Technical guidance provided and written procedures to be submitted to social welfare in each state.
- MOU document with clear background, purpose, roles and responsibilities of University, UNICEF and other partners
- Full detailed report, with list of subject and curriculum
- Full induction training manual for police officers, social workers , child prosecutors, legal aid, and children judge.
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Qualifications:
- Qualifications: Advanced University degree in law, first degree on Law with extensive experience (10 years of solid hands on experience) in children issues (including being child prosecutor), may be acceptable in lieu of the advanced degree with the additional years of experience
- Five years of relevant work experience on legal proceeding and law enforcement;
- Strong experience and knowledge on diversion and alternative to detention
- Strong knowledge on protection of children on the move (refugees, asylum seekers, migrants, IDPs) as well as children victim of smuggling, trafficking, and abduction;
- Strong understanding of Child Laws and legislations and current practices in Sudan,
- Strong knowledge of UNCRC and justice for children related guidelines,
- Strong analytical, oral & written communication skills
- Proven track record in building and influencing complex multi-stakeholder partnerships
- Self-starter with ability to plan and execute projects in a timely manner
- Demonstrated ability to work in a multi-cultural environment
- Demonstrated ability to strategic and conceptual thinking
- Strong facilitation skills and experience in organizing and facilitating training and workshop.
- Previous experience in developing Memorandum of Understanding.
- Previous work experience with system strengthening including Child protection system mapping and analysis.
- For the position based in Gadarif state, previous experience with teaching skills in university level and development training manuals.
- Demonstrated skills to understand the challenges related to planning and implementing processes
Specific Work experience
- At least five years of extensive experience in law enforcement and child prosecution
- Previous experience in working with children and adolescents.
- Previous work experience with family and child protection units (FCPUs) and children prosecution and courts
For every Child, you demonstrate…
UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.
The functional competencies required for this post are…
UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.
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. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 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.
Remarks
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.
Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.
