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For every child, Protection! 

Consultancy Title: International Consultant for Implementation of the Child Protection Case Management Framework in Rwanda

 Section/Division/Duty Station: Child Protection Section, Kigali, Rwanda

Duration: 20 January 2025 to 20 December 2025 (150 working days)

Home/ Office Based:  Home Based (International Consultancy)

It is Rwanda’s child protection workforce — namely, Child Protection and Welfare Officers (CPWOs) supported at community level by the volunteer Inshuti z’Umuryango (IZU) — which guarantees children can access and benefit from case management services. Under the NCDA, child protection service delivery, including case management, have been decentralized to the districts. CPCM and its associated information management system (IMS) is a core component of Rwanda’s child protection system as it provides a quality, efficient, and consistent professional approach to the daily work carried out by the CPWOs to protect children at risk of violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect. There are also child protection workers that are engaged by civil society organizations that provide services in child protection cases, mainly children without parental or family care. The IMS facilitates effective CPCM in Rwanda through providing digital forms and clear workflows to assist with documentation of each step in the case management process, from identification and registration, to assessment, case planning, referrals and transfers, and case closure.

In 2023, the Government of Rwanda launched the Rwandan CPCM Framework, SOPs and tools as the primary approach to service provision by Child Protection and Welfare Officers (CPWOs) for children at risk of violence, neglect, exploitation and abuse. One of the key objectives of the National Child Development Agency (NCDA) in strengthening the overall child protection system is the roll-out of the Child Protection Case Management (CPCM) Framework. Despite launching this Framework in late 2023, and the approval of a comprehensive CPCM Roll-Out Strategy for 2024, the implementation of this Framework nationally and within the districts requires acceleration. The NCDA has developed this Acceleration Plan for piloting the CPCM in seven districts.

How can you make a difference?

SCOPE OF WORK/OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this assignment is to provide quality control and high-level technical guidance and support to the implementation of the Child Protection Case Management (CPCM) Framework in Rwanda. The international consultant shall work alongside the UNICEF Child Protection team and the NCDA to develop, facilitate and ensure technical quality with respect to the above-named priorities, including drafting documents. With respect to the Child Protection Information Management System (CP IMS), the international consultant will support the Government and CPWOs in daily usage of an interim IMS system as well as roll-out of the digital system once it is developed and adopted.

Key Tasks:

• Draft relevant technical documents for the Core Technical Team including a CPCM Implementation Plan Results Matrix;
• Develop tools for field monitoring/supportive supervision (tools and a case management report templates);
• Support in the NCDA in engaging with the seven pilot district authorities and other key stakeholders and support in follow-up quarterly monitoring workshops/reflections to monitor progress in CPCM;
• Develop tools for field monitoring/supportive supervision (tools and a case management report templates);
• Develop online surveys to obtain information required for a baseline caseload analysis report for the current Child Protection Workforce in Rwanda, with a special emphasis on the seven pilot districts; and do the write-up of the caseload analysis report;
• Travel on mission to Rwanda to participate in multi-stakeholder missions, led by the NCDA, to provide supportive supervision, coaching and mentoring to the Child Protection Workforce in Rwanda;
• Work with other Partners and NCDA to develop tools, reporting templates and other documents for field monitoring and supportive supervision and support, co-facilitate, and draft reports for district, provincial and national level supportive supervision tasks;
• Support the NCDA, to provide individualized technical coaching and mentorship to social workers on their use of the CPCM framework and tools;
• Support in the development of a Child Protection and CPCM training package and an in-service cascading training plan for the Child Protection Workforce in Rwanda as well as provide any necessary support for the development of a training module on CPCM for child protection community volunteers as well as the roll-out of the trainings;
• Provide ongoing technical and implementation support for the Child Protection Information Management System;
• Develop, review and consult case specific SOPs for categories of child protection cases including children in conflict with the law, cases of children in need of alternative care, etc. as well as review for harmonization all other SOPs in case management and associated fields.
• Support the NCDA and UNICEF to test and pilot the case specific SOPs in pilot districts and to contextualize the national SOPs to the pilot district contexts;
• Provide technical inputs into the nationwide service mapping as well as the development of national inter-agency referral protocols;
• Support the NCDA to develop, consult, test and approve case conferencing national modalities and contextualization of these in the pilot districts and beyond;
• Document the implementation process of CPCM in Rwanda including best practice, lessons learned, and
• Any other tasks as required.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Education:

• The consultant must possess at least a master’s degree in law, child rights, social work, other social sciences, or any other Child Specific qualifications. Specialization relevant to the child protection sector is essential.

Experience:

• At least 8 years professional experience in child protection and related fields preferably in a child focused international organization or equivalent. Familiarity with child protection case management in Rwandan or other regional contexts is essential.
• Experience in policy development, child protection, child safeguarding, strategies development with at least five national wide policies or strategy developed.
• Familiarity with operationalizing international normative frameworks on child protection in national contexts.
• Familiarity with the Rwandan legal and child protection systems is an added advantage.
• Demonstrated experience in working with government partners and other stakeholders in public sector development programs especially in the area of capacity and policy development.

ADMINITRATIVE FORMALITIES

• UNICEF will regularly communicate with the consultant and provide feedback, guidance, and necessary support to achieve the objectives of the work, as well as remain aware of any upcoming issues related to the performance and quality of work.
• As per policy on consultants, the individual will be expected to complete a list of mandatory training, including policies on Prohibiting and Combatting Fraud and Corruption, Prohibition of discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment and abuse of authority and other relevant policies for their information and acknowledgement upon acceptance of the offer.
• Before issuing the official contract, the consultant must complete the applicable training. The consultant will be provided with access to office resources and other administrative arrangements necessary to complete the assignment.

CONDITIONS

• No contract may commence unless both UNICEF and the consultant sign the contract.
• The consultant will work remotely.
• The consultant will be paid an all-inclusive fee (stationary, communication and other miscellaneous expenses) as per the stipulated deliverable and payment schedule.
• The consultant is not entitled to payment for overtime, weekends or public holidays.
• No travel should take place without an email travel authorization from the section before the commencement of the journey from the duty station.

• Standard UNICEF procedures will apply for invoicing and all other financial management requirements set out in the contract.
• Standard penalty clauses will also apply for late and poor-quality deliverables. The supervisor of the contract will provide the consultant with the criteria for the evaluation of the quality of each deliverable.
• Additional details of UNICEF rules, regulations and conditions will be attached to the contract.
• Consultants will not have supervisory responsibilities or authority on the UNICEF budget.

HOW TO APPLY

Interested consultants should provide the following:

• Curriculum Vitae
• Brief technical proposal (no longer than five pages) demonstrating the consultant’s understanding of the assignment and approach/methodology to the assignment.
• (A portfolio of) document(s) the consultant produced or contributed to, exemplifying the capacity of the consultant to create simple-language, compelling documents, with visuals and graphs.
• Financial proposal including a breakdown of their all-inclusive fees (including professional fees and other costs). Complete the attached form. Financial Proposal template.xlsx

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit our competency framework

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. To create a more inclusive workplace, UNICEF offers paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities.

According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. In its Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy 2022-2030, UNICEF has committed to increase the number of employees with disabilities by 2030. At UNICEF, we provide reasonable accommodation for work-related support requirements of candidates and employees with disabilities. Also, UNICEF has launched a Global Accessibility Helpdesk to strengthen physical and digital accessibility. If you are an applicant with a disability who needs digital accessibility support in completing the online application, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility un-jobs.net UNICEF.

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.

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.

Applications submitted without technical and financial proposal will not be considered.

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements