UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN’S FUND
REQUIRES
International Consultancy
for the provision of technical assistance to Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare in the
mapping of CP services at the local level for the purpose of evidence-based planning of child
protection services and prevention of further institutionalization of vulnerable children
Minimum Requirements:








Advanced university degree in social sciences or a relevant technical field;
5 years of experience and expertise in the area of child care system reform,
especially in the area of mapping/assessing/planning services;
Extensive experience in social research;
Familiarity with the local context in Montenegro in particular with respect to the
social protection and child care system reform;
Previous work experience with UNICEF will be considered as an advantage;
Excellent command of Montenegrin language;
Excellent writing skills;
Strong communication skills.
Terms of Reference for the position and P11 form can be found on the website
www.unicef.org/montenegro or picked up at UNICEF Montenegro office.
If you are a dynamic person who would like to contribute to delivering of long-lasting,
positive changes for Montenegro’s children, please apply with a CV, P11 form and cover
letter by email, mail or fax quoting the position “Mapping of CP services (IPA 2010)” to
the following address:
UNICEF, Vladike Danila 28, 81 000 Podgorica
Fax: +382 20 224 278
Email: podgorica@unicef.org
Closing date for applications is October 11, 2012 by c.o.b. (16:30).
Only short listed candidates will be contacted for interview.
UNICEF IS A SMOKE FREE ENVIRONMENT
Terms of Reference
Provision of Technical Assistance to the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare in the
mapping of CP services at the local level for the purpose of evidence-based planning of child
protection services and prevention of further institutionalization of vulnerable children
(The Social Welfare and Child Care System Reform Project IPA 2010)
Background and Context
The Government of Montenegro (the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare - MoLSW) is in
the process of implementing the comprehensive Child Care System Reform Project
(henceforth the Project) with technical assistance of UNICEF Montenegro. The Project is an
integral part (3rd component) of a broader initiative - the “Social Welfare and Child Care
System Reform – Enhancing Social Inclusion” Project which is being implemented through a
partnership between the Government of Montenegro (MoLSW and the Ministry of
Education) and UN agencies in Montenegro (UNICEF and UNDP) with the financial
assistance from the European Union (IPA 2010). Other partners of the overall Social
Inclusion Project include the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Finance and other line
ministries, institutions, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), the Statistical Office of
Montenegro (MONSTAT), international organizations and partners, communities, children
themselves and their families.
The Child Care System Reform Project facilitates the continuation of the reform process in
the area of child and social protection building on already achieved results but with a clearer
picture of the system gaps and issues that need to be addressed. Long lasting efforts are to be
made by key project partners to transform the social and child protection system and build
institutional capacities in Montenegro to support vulnerable children and families, strengthen
biological family and establish a range of alternative family and community based services
for children in need. Consequently, the main project activities focus on law reform;
development of child protection standards and monitoring mechanisms; support to local
governments to plan services; capacity building of the social welfare, education and health
sectors to prevent institutionalization; deinstitutionalization and transformation of existing
child residential institutions; the development of family and community based services for
children in need; and awareness raising.
Since the launch of the Project, the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare has been
coordinating the process of development of the new Law on Social and Child Protection with
UNICEF’s technical assistance following relevant international standards and modern
concepts of social and child protection. The Law, if adopted in its current form, foresees the
development of a broad range of family and community based services for children so as to
facilitate the processes of deinstitutionalization and decentralization. The need to support
local governments in their new role as service planners and commissioners has been
recognized. In addition, the anticipated establishment of a new sector in the Ministry of
Labour and Social Welfare which will inter alia be in charge for the development and
standardisation of social and child protection services, brings new challenges and
opportunities in the area of service provision.
At present, however, the majority of existing social welfare services are defined and financed
at the central level: placement in residential institutions, foster (mostly kinship) care and
certain additional services provided by some of the Centers for Social Work1. In order to
support the process of deinstitutionalization to which the government has committed, stronger
emphasis needs to be placed on the development of family support and community-based
services.
One community-based service that has taken root in municipalities across the country is the
Day Care Centre for children with disabilities, enabling parents to keep their children at
home. Following the successful piloting of the Day Care Centre in Bijelo Polje in 2004,
virtually all stakeholders in the area of social and child protection have recognized that this
service needs to be replicated in all municipalities. Usually initiated by local parents
associations, this service is in most municipalities within the mandate of the local
governments. However, the network of operational day care centres has been slow to expand,
due to the lack of financial resources in local budgets.
As regards civil society, non-governmental organizations have introduced a few valuable
alternative services at the local level; however, their impact has been variable due to limited
coverage and vulnerable and non-sustainable forms of funding.
In order to enhance planning and development of quality family and community-based
services, international and national technical support is needed for the mapping of existing
child protection services at the local level and for identifying gaps in the provision of a
continuum of child protection services. The analysis accompanying the mapping should serve
as a basis for future planning of the reformed child protection system, with quantitative
targets, clear time frames, commitment of stakeholders and allocation of resources. The
analysis should also contribute to further development and implementation of local plans of
action for children (LPAs)2, and assist in the definition of eligibility criteria for service
providers who will be awarded small grants for pilot projects of the Social Innovation
Programme (also part of the project).
This assignment should be conducted in a way that builds the capacity of local stakeholders
for strategic planning in the area of social welfare, based on a participatory and integrated
approach to identifying needs and planning community-based services.
Purpose and Objective
The purpose of the consultancy is to provide an evidence-based analysis of the existing child
protection services in Montenegro and to identify gaps in service provision.
This analysis will serve as a basis for planning transformation and deinstitutionalization of
large scale residential institutions and for the development of continuum of sustainable child
protection services across the country.
Methodology and Technical Approach
1
Public institution founded by the State at municipal or inter-municipal level for social work provision.
A Local Plan of Action for Children (LPA) is a strategic document which aims to create a child-friendly
environment anchored in local needs and priorities but in line with the principles defined in the UN Convention
on Rights of the Child, World Fit for Children and National Plan of Action for Children’s Rights. With the
support of UNICEF, 8 municipalities in Montenegro have developed LPAs since 2005.
2
The consultant is expected to use the following methodology: desk review of relevant
documentation; consultations with relevant stakeholders from the social welfare, health and
education sectors at local and national levels; direct work with national consultants who will
conduct the survey; delivery of a presentation and preparation of a mission report.
The consultant is expected to work both in the field and from home.
Further details related to methodology are outlined in the following section “Activities and
Tasks”. Once engaged, the consultant is expected to present a tentative work plan with
timeframe and deadlines for deliverables in greater detail, in agreement with national
consultants.
Activities and Tasks
The international consultant is expected to lead the team composed of the international
consultant and two national consultants. The team is expected to complete the following
tasks:
1. To identify and document existing gatekeeping mechanisms for the provision of services
at different levels (national/regional/local) and to make recommendations for their
improvement;
2. To map and assess the existing child protection services in all 21 municipalities in
Montenegro:
a) Indicating their type (statutory, international or national non-governmental, faithbased,
private
etc.)
and
consequently
their
means
of
financing/accessibility/coverage etc.,
b) Indicating whether they are:
- Family-support services (i.e. preventing family breakdown due to poverty,
disability etc.),
- Emergency protection services (e.g. emergency foster care, reception centre
etc.)
- Family substitute services (for children without parental care, i.e. kinship care,
fostering, adoption),
- Residential care (e.g. special educational institution, children’s home, juvenile
delinquency placement, hospital for children with disabilities etc.),
c) Suggesting
modalities
of
their
strengthening/development/transformation/grouping etc.
3. To identify needs and consequently gaps (demand vs. supply) in prevention and support
services to children at risk of institutionalization and their families highlighting
municipalities with the highest rates of children at risk of institutionalization;
4. To analyze supply and demand for child protection services and suggest adequate support
needed to decrease reliance on institutional care though provision of alternative care/other
services in the next five years (taking into account both children who are currently
institutionalized and anticipated new admissions based on recent trends);
5. To identify potential new community-based child protection service providers and assess
their capacities/territorial coverage as well as their potential to develop and become
sustainable in the next five years;
6. To analyze potential for a continuum of child protection services at the local level;
7. To identify and document complementary services in health and education (at the local
level): early detection and diagnosis of children with disabilities, inclusive education,
available services in primary health care, maternity wards, etc.;
8. To provide recommendations for the planning and development of a system of
community based child protection services as alternatives to large scale institutions,
suggesting the order of priority for the establishment of services, indicating time intervals
at which such plans need to be evaluated and revised etc., and proposing criteria for
grouping of services aiming at coordinated intersectoral (social, health and education
sectors) planning of municipal and regional (inter-municipal) child protection services.
9. To make references to local LPAs and/or similar plans where available and to reflect on
the costing, funding and budgeting of services and local capacity to plan and finance a
continuum of services;
10. To identify benchmarks against which the reform progress (establishment and functioning
of a continuum of services at the local level) may be assessed and analyzed in the next
five years and beyond.
The local mapping analysis should address the following target groups taking into account
the needs of different age groups:
- Children without parental care (family support services: counselling, psychosocial
assistance in social and health sector; family substitute services: kinship, fostering;
and institutional care),
- Children with disabilities (services for early detection, intervention and diagnosis,
personal assistance, daily care, residential care, inclusive education services),
- Children exposed to violence and/or neglect (preventive services, counselling,
psychosocial assistance in social and health sector, temporary shelters, etc),
- Children victims of trafficking (preventive services, counselling, psychosocial
assistance in social and health sector, temporary shelters, etc),
- Children in conflict with the law (alternative community based services-educational
measures, preventive services: work with children and families at risk, counselling,
and psychosocial assistance, available services in detention, prison),
- Children living in poverty,
- Roma children (inclusive education, other types of services, etc),
- Children living in institutions, or at risk of separation from their families (i.e. owing
to inadequate/lack of parental care or a physical/learning disability focusing on
number of entries on a yearly basis per municipality and availability of family and
community based services at local level),
- Children approaching 18 years of age (leaving care),
- Displaced children/returnee children, etc.
When identifying needs at the local level and proposing modalities for the establishment of a
continuum of services, the following data pertaining to the potential beneficiary (subject to
availability) should be used for each municipality:
- Total population size in the municipality;
- Total number of children in the municipality and according to age groups;
- Demographic trends;
- Average income and unemployment rates in the municipality;
- Number of adult and child beneficiaries registered by CSWs;
- Number of children under guardianship;
- Number of children receiving social transfers;
- Number of institutionalized children disaggregated by placement in 6 institutions in
addition to children in institutions in Serbia and Bosnia;
- Number of children placed institutions on an annual basis;
- Number of children attending special educational institutions;
- Number of children in kinship care;
- Number of children in foster care (professional/standard/specialized);
- Number of children victims of violence, abuse and neglect;
- Number of children in conflict with the law;
- Number of children with disabilities;
- Number of refugee/displaced children;
- Number of non-registered children;
- Number of Roma children in inclusive education;
- Number of children with disabilities in inclusive education.
Activities that need to be carried out by the international consultant are as follows:







To create a work plan in collaboration with two national consultants, to provide national
consultants with guidance in the execution of tasks, to maintain regular communication
with national consultants and to collaborate with them on preparing deliverables;
To review relevant documentation and reports (provided by UNICEF Montenegro);
To have consultations with relevant stakeholders for instance representatives of the
Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, Ministry of Finance, members of local LPA
teams, local governments, centres for social welfare, child care institutions, NGOs
providing child protection services, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and Sport,
primary health centres, hospitals (maternity wards), local commissions for assessment and
orientation of children with disabilities etc.;
To develop a work methodology on the basis of the above, consultations with UNICEF
Child Protection section and in collaboration with national consultants. The international
consultant is, however, expected to lead the process of development of the work
methodology;
To provide guidance to national consultants in mapping child protection services (social
services including complementary health and education services) in all 21 municipalities.
If numbers are available from reliable sources (source to be cited), it is recommended to
include these in the mapping (number of services, number of beneficiaries etc.).;
To carry out the analysis of child protection services in collaboration with national
consultants;
To prepare a PowerPoint presentation summarizing the findings and a mission report with
recommendations to the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, in collaboration with
national consultants.
Key Deliverables and Timeframe
The international consultant will be engaged for total period of 20 working days.
The consultant is expected to produce the following deliverables by the following tentative
deadlines:
 Work methodology, by 22 October 2012,
 Analysis (full report and a three-page summary report) of the existing child protection
services in all municipalities in Montenegro accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation
outlining the key findings of the analysis, by 21 December 2012.
Management and Organisation
Management: The consultant will be supervised by the UNICEF Child Protection Officer.
Organization: International consultant, at P-3 level, is required for this consultancy. The
consultant will be entitled to arrival/departure costs to/from Montenegro (including terminal
expenses) and DSA while in Montenegro.
While in Montenegro, the Consultant will be entitled to transportation with UNICEF vehicle
when available for field trips or meetings with counterparts.
The consultant’s fee may be reduced if the assignments/deliverables are not fulfilled to the
required standard. In a case of serious dissatisfaction with the consultant’s performance the
contract may be terminated in line with UNICEF procedure in such matters and as spelled out
in SSA.
Schedule: This assignment will commence on 17 October 2012.