Child Poverty Consultancy UNICEF New York, United States
Terms of reference
Child Poverty consultancy
1. Background
UNICEF’s approach to child poverty places importance on identifying deprivations and violations of children’s human rights. Child poverty is a multidimensional phenomenon and can be measured in many ways. Understanding child poverty to the fullest possible extent is vital; while an adult may fall into poverty temporarily, falling into poverty in childhood can last a lifetime – rarely does a child get a second chance at an education or a healthy start in life. As such, child poverty threatens not only the individual child, but is likely to be passed on to future generations, entrenching and even exacerbating inequality in society.
The needs of the most deprived children are multidisciplinary in nature and need a network of services to address them. Good levels of nutrition, being properly immunized against diseases, having access to safe drinking water, improved sanitation, quality education, early childhood development stimulation and protection from violence are all hugely important investments in ensuring that children reach their full potential, particularly for those children in low income households or children living in adverse conditions. UNICEF explores policy options that address these multiple deprivations in a holistic manner, delving into the patterns of income and non-income deprivations children are being exposed to and highlighting opportunities to prevent and address these deprivations. This includes social protection interventions as well as broader social and economic policies, programmes and partnerships.
UNICEF’s Cross-Sectoral Policy Section, situated in New York, works on numerous initiatives aimed at shedding light on where and which children are experiencing poverty, to allow a more nuanced set of policy responses in national processes.
2. Purpose
Under the guidance of the OIC Cross-Sectoral Policy Section and the Social and Economic Analysis Specialist, the main objective of this assignment is to provide support to regional and country offices on child poverty data analysis, corresponding policy options and policy advocacy work. Based on the priority areas identified in the Social and Economic Policy 2013 Work Plan for Child Poverty and Deprivation, this consultancy is required to develop and deliver key products in three areas:
• Child Poverty and Deprivation Analysis
• Exploring integrated policy options
• Policy Advocacy and Knowledge Management
3. Expected Results (measurable results):
In carrying out the various tasks outlined in this TOR, the consultant will provide analytical inputs and policy support to the delivery of key outputs of Cross-Sectoral Policy section work stream.
A. Child poverty and deprivation analysis
Provide technical support to UNICEF regional and country offices and partners in conceptualizing and measuring the causes and distribution of child poverty and deprivations (both income and non-income deprivations), in particular:
• Mainstream child poverty and deprivation analysis in UNICEF’s policy and programming:
- Update child poverty and deprivation profiling guidelines for Situation Analysis of Women and Children, including both income/consumption poverty profiling and MODA profiling
- Draft internal UNICEF user guides/modules on approaches to child poverty and deprivation analysis, this includes both MODA guide and a guide on using LIS datasets in Middle Income Countries
• Contribute to better understanding, documenting and awareness-raising of the impact of poverty and deprivation on children’s lives:
- Conduct rapid review on the links between poverty and children’s subjective/emotional well-being in low income
- Draft Policy brief based on results of review and disseminate widely
B. Explore integrated policy options
Support analysis of policy options that address child poverty and deprivations, in particular:
- Support analysis and review of the protection of children and women in transition to green economy, in particular as they pertain to the financing of policy options that address child poverty and deprivations
- Support review of subsidy reforms in favour of child sensitive social protection
- Explore how integrated social protection systems can address child poverty and deprivations, documenting how integration can be achieved at the policy, program, and administrative subsystems levels
- Document synergies between integrated social protection systems, social welfare systems and child protection systems, in particular evidence on best practice and lessons learned on how administrative systems can be used as a point of integration across other programs and policies
- Support literature review, in collaboration with Child Protection section, on the impact of social transfer on child protection outcomes
- Draft policy brief on results of review and disseminate widely
C. Policy Advocacy and Knowledge Management
Create and sustain organizational knowledge and advocacy on cross-sectoral policies and programmes which address child poverty, deprivation and inequality in different contexts, in particular:
• Seek advocacy opportunities, identify trends and new ideas, to make knowledge on child poverty and social protection accessible and meaningful to users, and interact around this agenda with HQ, regional and country level
• Gather, collate, synthesize and disseminate relevant research on child poverty and deprivation through various networks/platforms:
- Manage dissemination and advocacy around several MODA products (for example web-portal, step-by-step guide)
- Manage dissemination and advocacy around the UNICEF-LIS collaboration
- Manage the Child Poverty Insights publication series - Produce bi-monthly child poverty insights on-line publications on latest child poverty related theory and practice
- Provide support to the facilitator of the Child Poverty Network
- Support the update of the UNICEF Child Poverty website and Child Poverty blog
4. Activities, resources, deadlines:
Outputs/deliverables
The consultant will provide support to the Division for Policy and Strategy, Cross-Sectoral Policy Section work on the following:
A. Child poverty and deprivation analysis
- Update Child Poverty SitAn Guidance to incorporate MODA as tools and platform -Ongoing
- Update Child Poverty SitAn Guidance to incorporate income/consumption poverty as tools and platform, -Ongoing
- Draft internal UNICEF user guides/modules on approaches to child poverty and deprivation analysis, this includes both MODA guide and a guide on using LIS datasets in Middle Income Countries -September 2013
- Draft Policy brief based on results of rapid review on the links between poverty and children’s subjective/emotional well-being in low income countries-July 2013
- Using ADePT to Profile Inequalities in Child Health: Develop internal user manual for UNICEF staff on the use of World Bank’s ADePT software for health inequities profiling -May 2013
B. Explore integrated policy options
- Support the updating of literature review of subsidy reforms in favour of child sensitive social protection, provide overview of at least 4 country examples that have undergone reform -Ongoing
- Support the compilation of main findings of country based integrated social protection systems, in particular document evidence on best practice and lessons learned on how administrative systems can be used as a point of integration across other programs and policies- Sept 2013
- Draft policy brief based on results of literature review on the impact of social transfer on child protection outcomes review and disseminate widely-July 2013
C. Policy Advocacy and Knowledge Management
- Produce bi-monthly child poverty insights on-line publications on latest child poverty related theory and practice -May, July, August
- Update Child Poverty website and Child Poverty blog -Ongoing
- Manage dissemination around the unit’s work on ethnicity profiling:
- Facilitate webinar on the subject -April 2013
- Develop ICON equity case study -April 2013
- Manage dissemination and advocacy around:
- MODA products -Ongoing
- UNICEF-LIS products -Ongoing
TOTAL
5. Key skills, technical background, and experience required:
• Advanced university degree (Masters minimum) in social sciences, public administration, and economics or development policy and planning.
• At least six years of experience in international development, including with a UN agency
• Country-level development experience is strongly desirable
• Previous experience with child poverty and deprivation analysis and advocacy, and social protection
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English required
• Ability to work independently and respond to feedback in a timely and professional manner
• Strong networking and people’s skills
• Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to contribute to a team research process
6. Duty Station, Duration and fees:
The contract is for a period of six months, full time, which will commence on the 1st of April 2013 through the 30th of September 2013. The consultant will work on-site (UNICEF New York Headquarters), although there is some flexibility to work part of the time off-site.
Remuneration will be in the range of an individual contractor at ICSC P3 level position.
7. Supervision
The consultant will report to the OIC Cross-Sectoral Policy and the Social and Economic Specialist for Child Poverty, Division of Policy and Strategy, UNICEF Headquarters
8. Applying for the Consultancy Position
Qualified candidates are requested to apply by electronically submitting
i) a cover letter,
ii) CV, and
iii) Completed P11form (which can be downloaded from our website at http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/index_53129.html )
to childpovertyconsultancy@gmail.com with subject line “Child Poverty Consultancy” by 22nd March 2013.
Telephone interviews of short-listed applicants will occur in the week of the 25th March 2013.
Please indicate your ability, availability and daily rate to undertake the terms of reference above in all applications. Submissions made without a daily rate will not be considered.
Child Poverty consultancy
1. Background
UNICEF’s approach to child poverty places importance on identifying deprivations and violations of children’s human rights. Child poverty is a multidimensional phenomenon and can be measured in many ways. Understanding child poverty to the fullest possible extent is vital; while an adult may fall into poverty temporarily, falling into poverty in childhood can last a lifetime – rarely does a child get a second chance at an education or a healthy start in life. As such, child poverty threatens not only the individual child, but is likely to be passed on to future generations, entrenching and even exacerbating inequality in society.
The needs of the most deprived children are multidisciplinary in nature and need a network of services to address them. Good levels of nutrition, being properly immunized against diseases, having access to safe drinking water, improved sanitation, quality education, early childhood development stimulation and protection from violence are all hugely important investments in ensuring that children reach their full potential, particularly for those children in low income households or children living in adverse conditions. UNICEF explores policy options that address these multiple deprivations in a holistic manner, delving into the patterns of income and non-income deprivations children are being exposed to and highlighting opportunities to prevent and address these deprivations. This includes social protection interventions as well as broader social and economic policies, programmes and partnerships.
UNICEF’s Cross-Sectoral Policy Section, situated in New York, works on numerous initiatives aimed at shedding light on where and which children are experiencing poverty, to allow a more nuanced set of policy responses in national processes.
2. Purpose
Under the guidance of the OIC Cross-Sectoral Policy Section and the Social and Economic Analysis Specialist, the main objective of this assignment is to provide support to regional and country offices on child poverty data analysis, corresponding policy options and policy advocacy work. Based on the priority areas identified in the Social and Economic Policy 2013 Work Plan for Child Poverty and Deprivation, this consultancy is required to develop and deliver key products in three areas:
• Child Poverty and Deprivation Analysis
• Exploring integrated policy options
• Policy Advocacy and Knowledge Management
3. Expected Results (measurable results):
In carrying out the various tasks outlined in this TOR, the consultant will provide analytical inputs and policy support to the delivery of key outputs of Cross-Sectoral Policy section work stream.
A. Child poverty and deprivation analysis
Provide technical support to UNICEF regional and country offices and partners in conceptualizing and measuring the causes and distribution of child poverty and deprivations (both income and non-income deprivations), in particular:
• Mainstream child poverty and deprivation analysis in UNICEF’s policy and programming:
- Update child poverty and deprivation profiling guidelines for Situation Analysis of Women and Children, including both income/consumption poverty profiling and MODA profiling
- Draft internal UNICEF user guides/modules on approaches to child poverty and deprivation analysis, this includes both MODA guide and a guide on using LIS datasets in Middle Income Countries
• Contribute to better understanding, documenting and awareness-raising of the impact of poverty and deprivation on children’s lives:
- Conduct rapid review on the links between poverty and children’s subjective/emotional well-being in low income
- Draft Policy brief based on results of review and disseminate widely
B. Explore integrated policy options
Support analysis of policy options that address child poverty and deprivations, in particular:
- Support analysis and review of the protection of children and women in transition to green economy, in particular as they pertain to the financing of policy options that address child poverty and deprivations
- Support review of subsidy reforms in favour of child sensitive social protection
- Explore how integrated social protection systems can address child poverty and deprivations, documenting how integration can be achieved at the policy, program, and administrative subsystems levels
- Document synergies between integrated social protection systems, social welfare systems and child protection systems, in particular evidence on best practice and lessons learned on how administrative systems can be used as a point of integration across other programs and policies
- Support literature review, in collaboration with Child Protection section, on the impact of social transfer on child protection outcomes
- Draft policy brief on results of review and disseminate widely
C. Policy Advocacy and Knowledge Management
Create and sustain organizational knowledge and advocacy on cross-sectoral policies and programmes which address child poverty, deprivation and inequality in different contexts, in particular:
• Seek advocacy opportunities, identify trends and new ideas, to make knowledge on child poverty and social protection accessible and meaningful to users, and interact around this agenda with HQ, regional and country level
• Gather, collate, synthesize and disseminate relevant research on child poverty and deprivation through various networks/platforms:
- Manage dissemination and advocacy around several MODA products (for example web-portal, step-by-step guide)
- Manage dissemination and advocacy around the UNICEF-LIS collaboration
- Manage the Child Poverty Insights publication series - Produce bi-monthly child poverty insights on-line publications on latest child poverty related theory and practice
- Provide support to the facilitator of the Child Poverty Network
- Support the update of the UNICEF Child Poverty website and Child Poverty blog
4. Activities, resources, deadlines:
Outputs/deliverables
The consultant will provide support to the Division for Policy and Strategy, Cross-Sectoral Policy Section work on the following:
A. Child poverty and deprivation analysis
- Update Child Poverty SitAn Guidance to incorporate MODA as tools and platform -Ongoing
- Update Child Poverty SitAn Guidance to incorporate income/consumption poverty as tools and platform, -Ongoing
- Draft internal UNICEF user guides/modules on approaches to child poverty and deprivation analysis, this includes both MODA guide and a guide on using LIS datasets in Middle Income Countries -September 2013
- Draft Policy brief based on results of rapid review on the links between poverty and children’s subjective/emotional well-being in low income countries-July 2013
- Using ADePT to Profile Inequalities in Child Health: Develop internal user manual for UNICEF staff on the use of World Bank’s ADePT software for health inequities profiling -May 2013
B. Explore integrated policy options
- Support the updating of literature review of subsidy reforms in favour of child sensitive social protection, provide overview of at least 4 country examples that have undergone reform -Ongoing
- Support the compilation of main findings of country based integrated social protection systems, in particular document evidence on best practice and lessons learned on how administrative systems can be used as a point of integration across other programs and policies- Sept 2013
- Draft policy brief based on results of literature review on the impact of social transfer on child protection outcomes review and disseminate widely-July 2013
C. Policy Advocacy and Knowledge Management
- Produce bi-monthly child poverty insights on-line publications on latest child poverty related theory and practice -May, July, August
- Update Child Poverty website and Child Poverty blog -Ongoing
- Manage dissemination around the unit’s work on ethnicity profiling:
- Facilitate webinar on the subject -April 2013
- Develop ICON equity case study -April 2013
- Manage dissemination and advocacy around:
- MODA products -Ongoing
- UNICEF-LIS products -Ongoing
TOTAL
5. Key skills, technical background, and experience required:
• Advanced university degree (Masters minimum) in social sciences, public administration, and economics or development policy and planning.
• At least six years of experience in international development, including with a UN agency
• Country-level development experience is strongly desirable
• Previous experience with child poverty and deprivation analysis and advocacy, and social protection
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English required
• Ability to work independently and respond to feedback in a timely and professional manner
• Strong networking and people’s skills
• Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to contribute to a team research process
6. Duty Station, Duration and fees:
The contract is for a period of six months, full time, which will commence on the 1st of April 2013 through the 30th of September 2013. The consultant will work on-site (UNICEF New York Headquarters), although there is some flexibility to work part of the time off-site.
Remuneration will be in the range of an individual contractor at ICSC P3 level position.
7. Supervision
The consultant will report to the OIC Cross-Sectoral Policy and the Social and Economic Specialist for Child Poverty, Division of Policy and Strategy, UNICEF Headquarters
8. Applying for the Consultancy Position
Qualified candidates are requested to apply by electronically submitting
i) a cover letter,
ii) CV, and
iii) Completed P11form (which can be downloaded from our website at http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/index_53129.html )
to childpovertyconsultancy@gmail.com with subject line “Child Poverty Consultancy” by 22nd March 2013.
Telephone interviews of short-listed applicants will occur in the week of the 25th March 2013.
Please indicate your ability, availability and daily rate to undertake the terms of reference above in all applications. Submissions made without a daily rate will not be considered.
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