TITLE OF CONSULTANCY: ROADMAP FOR MID-LEVEL CADRE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT UNDER INTEGRATED CHILD PROTECTION SCHEME (ICPS) LOCATION: New Delhi DURATION: 60 Days CLOSING DATE: 24th April 2015 1.Background: The Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) was launched by the Ministry of Women and Child Development in 2009. The scheme aims at building a protective environment for all children in India, with a special focus on those most vulnerable. It also seeks to establish a robust child protection system at national, state, district, sub-district and community levels. The scheme is now in its fourth year of implementation. It is being implemented in a phased manner across all states, and broadly these phases include the following: Planning and pre-launch phase Proposal development District needs assessments Launch and setting up the basic ICPS and JJ Act infrastructure Put in place basic structures Recruiting people Planning Strengthen ICPS and JJ Act implementation (quality, effectiveness and efficiency) Make structures and systems work Improve efficiency Increase convergence between child protection actors/service providers Expansion and coverage (quality and impact) Demonstrate impact on children at scale Address the whole range of child protection issues Develop additional services (mental health…) So far the scheme has had variable impact across states and also within states across districts. As per the data of the Government of India it has reached out to about 170,000 children so far. India’s child population is nearly 40 million. This is largely the cases that are brought before the Child Welfare Committees that cater to children in need of care and protection or to the Juvenile Justice Boards that cater to children in conflict with law. The primary role of the child protection system has been the response mechanism for these children. However the core principle of ICPS is the preventive aspect which has been lacking. Structures have been set up across 640 districts though functionality is still a concern. Recruitment for the posts created under the scheme have also been initiated but is slowed down by issues related to lack of availability of quality personnel at the remunerations offered. Certain components of the scheme have received more attention that certain others. The Child Protection Workforce in India With the introduction of the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS), it was envisaged to create a cadre of personnel that would form the backbone of the service delivery structure for Child Protection. More than 8300 staff need to be recruited, trained and managed just for ensuring the basic structures of ICPS are functional. There is the management cadre, the social worker/counsellor cadre, the legal/probation cadre, the outreach workers and then the administrative cadre. There are the other statutory bodies that are like the Child Welfare Committees (CWC), Juvenile Justice Boards (JJB) and Special Juvenile Police Units (SJPU). Another element of the workforce are the personnel in other allied services like health, education, labour etc who contribute directly or indirectly to complete the cycle of child protection service delivery. And at the district level, which is the unit at which all these structures and services exist, these are all monitored by the Senior Government Managers known as the District Magistrates or Collectors. However the District managers are also inundated with many other priorities and is unable to allocate enough time for management of the Child Protection structures. They are also transferred to different duty stations very often, their average tenure being anywhere from three years in some States to even three months in certain other states. Our analysis leads us to believe that focusing on the mid-level cadre that is directly related to the ICPS will be most critical to make sure the structures and services are functional, as they are the cadre with longer tenures and the most direct contact with children and families. Centre and State Cadres (639 multi sectoral professionals). Target for workforce development District Magistrates (640) District CP cadres/DCPU (7680) CWC/JJB members (5120). Child Protection Committees at village and ward level- community based membership-still not adequately functional in most States except a few districts. However. There are several challenges in strengthening of this cadre: Availability of workforce: Most of the positions require education and training in social work; however, there are only a handful of schools of social work that provide quality social work education; even fewer offer specialized courses on child rights, child protection and child welfare. Recruitment processes: States find it challenging to recruit qualified workforce due to a number of reasons(a) lack of clarity of roles and functions of the workforce, (b) limitations due to lack of availability of qualified personnel, (c) Lack of clarity and independence of the selection process, and (d) poor remuneration. Capacity development of workforce: Poorly designed training programmes, ill-equipped resource persons and ad-hoc organization of trainings hampers pre and in-service training for the workforce. The National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD) is the nodal agency for training for ICPS. There is serious concern about NIPCCD’s own resource capacity on child protection especially at the regional levels. Balancing the preventive and response systems: While the success of a function child protection system is measured by the system’s ability to focus on prevention, the numbers of the cadre compared to the population often reduce it to just a response system. This then has implication for capacity development Weak knowledge management: This is an area which is very weak and almost non-existent. Lack of professional association: Since the workforce under the current systems are not recruited through a professional cadre and since they also do not have alliances like the ones in health and education, there is a lack of accountability and pride that comes from being attached to a professional body in the cadre. 2. Need of the consultancy: The need for a Roadmap for mid-level cadres’ workforce development in ICPS: Over the past two years, State Child Protection Societies have undertaken recruitments, which have thrown up many challenges – some of which have been mentioned above. States have also undertaken training and capacity development, along with, and in addition to the trainings provided by NIPCCD; however, states have not been able to standardize recruitment and capacity development efforts; It is important to review the present status of human resources in ICPS – including recruitment and capacity development, and prepare a roadmap for the workforce development under IPCS, which will provide specific recommendations for planning, development, and support to the workforce under ICPS; It is also important to consider and compare from experiences across different countries that have undertaken similar exercises. 3. Objectives of the consultancy: The overall objective of the exercise is to develop a Roadmap for mid-level cadres’ workforce development in ICPS Specific objectives include: Mapping the workforce in ICPS in terms of structural and functional linkages and areas of convergence and coordination within and outside of ICPS structures; Analysis of the challenges in the present workforce in terms of policy and legal framework, practice standards, recruitment criteria and processes, training, social work education, retention of workforce, recognition, and systems for monitoring and measuring the workforce performance; Develop a roadmap for workforce development under ICPS, which includes specific recommendations on the following: a. Planning of workforce – recommended strategic approach, recruitment, inter-sector alliances and networking b. Development of the workforce – education and training, curricula, in-service opportunities c. Support to the workforce – strengthening performance, monitoring tools, retention and job satisfaction, promotion of associations. 4. Scope of the assignment: The scope of the assignment will primarily include workforce under ICPS, including personnel in various structures and functions, and their linkages with the statutory structures and personnel under the Juvenile Justice Act. The assignment will not include child protection workforce under other schemes or programmes, excepting those, which have direct linkages with ICPS, e.g., for referrals or service delivery. 5. Duty Station and locations: The assignment requires travel and work in Delhi and 4 districts across 2 states in India. The final report can be written at the consultant’s home base. Delhi – the work in Delhi will primarily involve interaction with the Government, experts and UNICEF to develop an enhanced understanding of the context and to plan the field work; Visit to states and districts – the work will include introductory meetings at state capital and interviews with key stakeholders at state government and state child protection societies. At the district level, visits will include meetings and interviews with key stakeholders in one district in each of the two states (not the district where state capital is located). The states are Maharashtra, and Odisha. 6. Major tasks with: The individual is expected to undertake the following tasks: Desk review of the Indian context of social workforce development Comparative analysis with some International Examples Development of a framework for the report Consultations with key stakeholders at National level and in 2 States for o Understanding the context of social workforce development in India o Introduction to the different stakeholders and their needs assessment o Visit to districts to meet with mid-level cadres and understand the ICPS system o Meeting with academic institutions and colleges of social work. Presentation on Draft report Submission of Final Report 7. Deliverables: The individual is expected to deliver: Desk review and outline of report Field work report Presentation Final Report 8. Qualifications or specialized knowledge/experience required The assignment will be carried out by a professional with: Master’s degree in social sciences or related technical field; Demonstrated knowledge of and experience in capacity development, management, and supervision relating to workforce or human resources; Advanced qualifications and experience in social work workforce management or human resource management in the development sector. Excellent writing skills in English; Strong communication skills; Ability to meet deadlines and deliver results on time. 9. Application Procedures (1) Qualified female/male candidates are requested to please indicate their ability and availability to undertake the terms of reference above. (2) Your application should be sent to arkaur@unicef.org by COB 24th April 2015 with subject line " ROADMAP FOR MID-LEVEL CADRE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT UNDER INTEGRATED CHILD PROTECTION SCHEME (ICPS)" in separate files consisting of a) An application letter including information on where you have seen this advertisement. b) Curriculum Vitae (CV) c) P11 form (available at our website - http://www.UNICEF.org/india/overview_1440.htm) d) Samples of previous work e) A financial proposal in PDF format mentioning your name and indicating deliverable based fee as per template attached. 3) Please mention your name in all the files while saving. 10. Selection Procedures: 1) The selection will be on the basis of technical evaluation & financial proposal evaluation in the ratio of 80:20. 2) The criteria for technical evaluation is as follows: 1 2 3 4 Education Qualifications (Min.14/Max.20) Relevant Expérience (Min.14/Max.20) Proposed Approach and Methodology (Min.14/Max.20) Sample of previous relevant work (Min 14/Max 20) Total Score – 80 (Min.56) 3) Minimum qualifying mark for Technical Proposal will be 56. 4) The financial proposals of only those candidates, who are found technically responsive, will be opened. 5) Payment will be made against receipt and satisfactory acceptance of deliverables. NOTE: (i) Any attempt to unduly influence UNICEF’s selection process will lead to automatic disqualification of the applicant. (ii) Joint applications of two or more individuals are not accepted. (iii) UNICEF does not charge any fee during any stage of the process. For any clarifications, please contact: UNICEF, Supply & Procurement Section 73, Lodi Estate, New Delhi 110003 Telephone # +91-11-24690440 Fax # +91-11-24391410 Email: arkaur@unicef.org