Strategic Planning Consultant NCPP St. Maarten

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 world countries, 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'.
They are entitled to it. Not all children grow up in a safe and loving environment. They urgently need protection, health care, (healthy) food and education
for their development. That is what we stand for because we are UNICEF.

UNICEF The Netherlands is looking for a
Strategic Planning Consultant NCPP St. Maarten

Purpose

To support the National Child Protection Platform (NCPP) in developing a 5-year Strategic Plan (2023 – 2027), and an Organisational Development Plan

Location: Sint Maarten (Dutch side)

Duration: 60 days

Reports to: Child Protection Specialist, Sint Maarten, Dutch National Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF NL) and in collaboration with the Child Protection Steering Committee

Deadline to apply: 25 November 2022

Purpose of the Consultancy
The Dutch National Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF NL) and the government of Sint Maarten are seeking the services of a consultant to provide technical support to the National Child Protection Platform (NCPP) to develop its first strategic plan and Organisational development strategy for the five (5) year period
(2023 – 2027). The consultant will function under the overall technical guidance of the UNICEF NL Child Protection Specialist and the Child Protection Steering Committee.

The consultant’s main scope of work will include the following:

• The development of the foundational five-year Strategic Plan (2023 - 2027) for the National Child Protection Platform using a participatory approach.
• A review of the role and institutional capacity of the proposed NCPP member institutions in accordance with the draft Operational Manual of the NCPP.
• The development of an Organisational Development Plan for the National Child Protection Platform, as an integral part of the overall Strategic Planning process.

The specific activities and project deliverables are outlined below.

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 well-being 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, well-being, and psychosocial support systems and services.

In the aftermath of the hurricane, assistance was requested from the Dutch National Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF NL) by the Ministry of Education, Culture Youth and Sport. In 2018, UNICEF NL provided support through an early recovery project, in the areas of school safety, psychosocial support, and child protection services. Building on the successful outcomes of the previous project, a follow-up project, the Child Resilience and Protection Project (CRPP), 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 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 needs and provide psychosocial support to children.

2.       Increase children and adolescents' ability to better cope 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 development of a child Protection Information System.

4.       Strengthen professionals' knowledge, such as teachers, social workers, and health care personnel, on child protection.

5.       Strengthen coordination for disaster risk management at the education system and school levels to better prepare and respond to natural hazards and protect children's safety during emergencies.

Component 2 of the Child Resilience and Protection project aims to strengthen the Child Protection system on Sint Maarten. Under this component, package one focuses on the Child Protection Referral and Case Management system (project paper, par. 33/34). One of the activities in this package is to “Operationalise the National Child Protection Platform.”

Overview of the National Child Protection Platform

The establishment of the National Child Protection Platform is the culmination of many years of stakeholders collaborating across various ministries to streamline efforts to create a supportive ecosystem that more adequately addresses Child Protection issues in Sint Maarten.

With support from UNICEF NL under the Child Resilience and Protection Project, a Transitional Child Protection Working Group (TCPWG) was established in September 2019. The TCPWG has led the process of the establishment of a permanent inter-ministerial, multi-sectoral National Child Protection Platform (NCPP) in Sint Maarten, with the vision of ensuring a well-coordinated and more responsive child protection system.

This platform is designed to oversee both the management and implementation of integrated Child Protection initiatives in Sint Maarten.

The overall vision is to allow children and young people on Sint Maarten the opportunity to:

• Grow and develop into fully self-actualized individuals,
• Be free to express themselves, in a safe and nurturing environment,
• Reduce their exposure to and threats of violence, abuse, exploitation, and neglect.

The mission is to plan, develop, coordinate, and monitor an integrated, robust child protection system. This will occur within strengthened and integrated legal and policy frameworks that ensure the safety and well-being of children, young people, and families in Sint Maarten.

The Platform will consist of a Steering Committee and a Working Group. The Steering Committee will be provided with advice, as needed, from the Youth Sounding Board and the Mental Health & Psychosocial Support Sounding Board.

Qualifications and Experience

• Advanced university degree in public planning, public policy, development studies or related disciplines.
• 5+ years of professional experience in leading strategic planning and change management processes.
• Profound knowledge of Organisational development is essential.
• Experience and demonstrated competence in the use of different approaches and competence in the use of a variety of Organisational Development tools.
• Experience in research, policy development, management, and programming-related work.
• Demonstrated experience in working with government partners and other stakeholders in public sector development programs, especially in capacity development.
• Strong knowledge and expertise in Child Protection an asset.
• Strong analytical skills.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills as well as facilitation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to use participatory training methodologies.
• Familiarity with the Caribbean, especially the Sint Maarten context is highly desirable, as well as previous professional experience in the region.
• Fluency in English, and knowledge of Dutch would be an asset.

Administrative arrangements
The consultant will report to the Senior Child Protection Specialist, Ms Neidi de Carvalho, at the Dutch National Committee for UNICEF and will work closely with the Child Protection Steering Committee.

The Dutch National Committee for UNICEF covers all payments by bank transfer and as per the payment schedule which will be agreed upon.

Timeframe
The consultancy will be an estimated 60 working days between 1st December 2022 and the final deliverable is expected no later than the end of May 2023.

How to apply
Please submit your CV and motivation letter as well as information on your daily fee, via our online application button by 25 November 2022 COB EST time.

For any questions, feel free to the Project Manager Freddy Austli, faustli@unicef.nl

See the Annex here for the full Terms of Reference and the requirements