Consultant CPIMS

We believe that every child should be able to be a child, always and anywhere

As the United Nations Children's Rights Organization, UNICEF stands up for the rights of every child in all countries of the world, day in and day out. Thanks to you and our partners, we help more children than anyone else in the world. We believe that every child should be able to be a 'child'. In fact, they are entitled to it. Not all children grow up in a safe and loving environment. For their development they urgently need protection, health care, (healthy) food and education.
That is what we stand for, because we are UNICEF.

UNICEF The Netherlands is looking for a: 

Consultant Child Protection Information Management System
(St.Maarten Programme)
 

Background and rationale

On September 6, 2017, Hurricane Irma devastated the island of Sint Maarten, negatively impacting the island's economic and physical infrastructure, and posing significant safety, livelihood, health, and wellbeing challenges for the population and Government of Sint Maarten. Among the immediate challenges of the post-disaster landscape was the need to mitigate the hurricane's impact on child safety, wellbeing, and the psychosocial support systems and services.

In the aftermath of the hurricane, the Dutch National Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF NL) supported the government of Sint Maarten, primarily in the areas of school safety, psychosocial support, and child protection services. Building on the successful outcomes of the early recovery project, a follow-up project is currently being implemented in collaboration with the Government of Sint Maarten, and funded by the Sint Maarten Recovery, Reconstruction and Resilience Trust Fund, managed by the World Bank: www.unicef.nl/trustfundsintmaarten.

Through this project, UNICEF NL aims to support the government of Sint Maarten to strengthen the education and child protection systems to address and better respond to the needs of children and adolescents resulting from natural disasters and external shocks. Overall, the project aims to:

1. Support teachers to deal with their own crisis-related needs, while also improving their ability to detect the needs of and provide psychosocial support to children.
2. Increase children’s and adolescents' ability to cope better with shocks, by providing life skills training and promoting the development of safe spaces and environments at the school and family level.
3. Strengthen the child protection referral and case management system and support the strengthening of the Child Protection Information Management System.
4. Strengthen professionals', such as teachers, social workers, health care personnel, knowledge of child protection.
5. Strengthen coordination for disaster risk management at the education system and school levels to better prepare for, respond to natural hazards, and protect children's safety during emergencies.

The current case management system is fragmented and does not facilitate an integrated approach to the management of child protection cases. The Court of Guardianship (CoG) is the central authority for the protection of children and youth probation. It performs the duties of a central reporting agency for child abuse and neglect cases, which can be reported by the public as well as various institutions, including the hospital, the social welfare department, police, schools, etc. It is also tasked with the investigation of suspected cases of child abuse or neglect through independent research, and advises on legal proceedings, or proposes measures or sanctions, to ensure the wellbeing of a minor.

The department can also refer the child to the appropriate institutions for follow up and monitor the progress with the service provider. The main challenge in Sint Maarten in the management of Child Abuse and Neglect cases, is the lack of a centralized case management and referral system (there are currently no standardised referral and reporting forms) which affects the provision of holistic care to the child and her/his family. All cases are referred to the Court of Guardianship, even when there is no safety concern and the case should be referred to, for example, social services. A proper feedback mechanism to those that referred the case is also lacking as well as a comprehensive safety plan for the child which should involve multiple organizations depending on what services the child and family may require.

Goal/objective

The main goal of this consultancy is to support the Court of Guardianship primarily (as the entity responsible for responding to reports of alleged child abuse and neglect) as well as the National Child Protection Platform partners (which comprise all entities, government and non-government, which will be responsible for the implementation of the safety plan established for the child) to strengthen the child protection information management system (CPIMS) on Sint Maarten that will result in a more comprehensive case management and referral system.

The objective of this consultancy is thus to analyse the current case management information systems being used by child protection actors and provide clear guidance to strengthen them so that they are fully interoperable between the ministries of Justice (Court of Guardianship), Public Health, Social Development and Labour (VSA) and Education, Culture, Youth and Sport (ECYS) and other critical child protection stakeholders, such as Foundation Judicial Institutes, Sint Maarten (SJIS), to ensure that Child Abuse and Neglect cases are managed effectively across all stakeholders  and a holistic approach is used to support and ensure adequate follow-up.

Additionally, the consultant will lead the analysis for the feasibility of the future implementation of CPIMS+ on Sint Maarten. CPIMS+ is an open-source software developed by UNICEF which facilitates the follow up of cases involving children by providing all organizations working with the child to have all necessary information in a single point. Information in the system is seen by each agency up to the level that the agency requires to follow confidentiality regulations.

Specific tasks

The consultant will lead the assessment of the existing child protection case management information systems being used by ministries of Justice (Court of Guardianship), Public Health, Social Development and Labour (VSA) and Education, Culture, Youth and Sport (ECYS), and other key child protection actors and provide recommendations for the strengthening of the existing case management system, including harmonization with international best practices and procedures to ensure that these are consistent, effective, and meet minimum standards.

The consultant will identify the best set up, including the type of data that should be owned by each relevant entity, and provide detailed recommendations on the type of data to be collected, how it should be treated and shared (data protection protocol), as well as other related procedures for a holistic case management and referral system.

The consultant will conduct a feasibility analysis on the possibility for the introduction and implementation of CPIMS+ in the future.

The consultant will provide technical support on child protection case management information systems to the experts currently developing a new Ministry Management Information System (MMIS) at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, based on international best practices.

The consultant will work in collaboration with the Transition Child Protection Working Group and under the supervision of the Senior Child Protection Specialist.

Deliverables

Review the existing case management information systems in the ministries (Justice, ECYS, VSA), and other key child protection stakeholders, and produce a report with recommendations of the type of data to be collected, and how it should be treated and shared (Case management referral pathway and SOPs).

Recommendations should include examples of existing CPIMS as illustration and include lessons learned. Sections should be included on:

• The definition of and guiding principles on CPIMS
• Limitations of CPIMS (managing expectations)
• Considerations for what to include in the CPIMS (data needs and options for data collection)
• Considerations for establishing linkages across different existing IMS, including whether to link these, consistency of definitions, and other factors
• Data protection and data sharing considerations (include specimen)
• Considerations of the costs
• Design a protocol on data anonymization and confidentiality rules to provide authorization to access data.
• Conduct capacity building training for all Child Protection Information System stakeholders on Information Management processes, including data collection, storage, the use of the data anonymisation protocol, analysis to inform decision-making, advocacy, information dissemination, etc.
• Conduct a feasibility study on the introduction of CPIMS+ in the future, including institutional capacity assessment.
• Co-organize a virtual international knowledge exchange with the Caribbean region on information systems in coordination with Child Protection Working Group (CPWG) and produce a report detailing the best practices on case management information system.
• Support all the user organizations to conduct a Data Impact Protection Assessment, and support that the recommendations are endorsed by the Transition Child Protection Working Group
• Support all the user organizations to appoint appropriate focal persons and establish effective coordination and support mechanisms among focal persons. Support the government and the CPWG in generating timely, high-quality data and reports to inform program implementation. Identify and address bottlenecks in relevant forum, including monthly CPWG meetings.

Qualifications and experience

• MSc in Counselling Psychology, Social Work, Public Health, or related degree preferred.
• Experience in effective capacity building on child protection case management.
• Expert knowledge and experience of Child Protection case management in humanitarian or development contexts.
• Proven experience in child protection information management and data protection protocols and systems, knowledge on the CPIMS is preferred.
• Knowledge and previous use of existing interagency guidance such as case management guidelines and Child Protection minimum standards.
• Strong and practical skills for effective coordination.
• Experience conducting evaluations and strategic reviews.
• Excellent writing and analytical skills.
• Fluency in written and spoken English is necessary. Knowledge of Dutch language will be considered a plus.
• Desirable skills:
• Solid practical skills in information management; data analysis; developing and delivering trainings to diverse participants and practical use of interagency guidance such as case management guidelines. Expertise in child protection systems building or strengthening.
• Knowledge of Sint Maarten context and the Caribbean islands.

Our offer

A reference check is part of the procedure. The successful candidate will be offered a consultancy contract with The Dutch National Committee for UNICEF.

Administrative arrangements

The consultant will report to the Senior Child Protection Specialist, Ms. Neidi de Carvalho, at The Dutch National Committee for UNICEF.

The Dutch National Committee for UNICEF covers all payments by bank transfer and as per the payment schedule indicated above.

Timeframe

The consultancy should start no later than the beginning of November 2022 and the final deliverable is expected no later than the end of March 2023, with approximately 60 days of full time working within that time frame. The consultancy is expected to be half based on Sint Maarten, half remote.

How to apply

Interested candidates who meet the required qualifications and experience
are invited to submit an updated CV with a cover letter explaining their motivation and suitability for the post.

Candidates should also submit a workplan and financial proposal for the assignment, outlining availability, all-inclusive fees per deliverable
(based on the number of days worked and daily rate charged).
ravel expenses and accommodation should be included.

Please submit your CV and motivation letter as well as information on
your daily fee, via our online button by 5 Novemberr 2022 COB EST time.

For any questions, you may write to the Project Manager, Freddy Austli, faustli@unicef.nl.