Terms of ReferenceUNICEF Albania Country Office

Code[1]: TOR-ALBA-2015-017

Terms of Reference

foran international expert

to provide technical assistance to the Government of Albania

to operationalize and implement the national De-institutionalization Plan

CONTENTS

UNICEF in Albania

Background of the assignment

Objectives, Purpose and Expected results

Description of the assignment

Location and Duration

Deliverables

Qualification requirements

Evaluation process and methods

Administrative issues

Assignment management

Payment Schedule

Submission of applications

ANNEX: General Conditionsof Contracts for the Services of Consultants / Individual Contractors

UNICEF in Albania

UNICEF is the agency of the United Nations mandated to advocate for the protection of children's rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential.

In Albania, UNICEF works with the government and other partners to promote good governance for children, as well as inclusive and protective policies, within the framework of the “Delivering as One UN” Programme of Cooperation between the Government of Albania (GoA) and United Nations in 2012-2016. As stipulated in the results framework of the Common Country Programme Document, UNICEF pursues efforts to ensure that:

--- Effective public oversight and monitoring of institutions help to ensure implementation of policies and programmes addressing the needs and rights of marginalized children;

--- Children from vulnerable groups are assisted, through specific policy measures and government programmes, to be healthy and take full advantage of all learning opportunities.

Further information on the GoA-UN Programme of Cooperation can be found on the “UN Delivers as One” website and in the Mid-Term Review Report on the GoA-UN Programme of Cooperation (2014).

Guided by the “Delivering as One UN” framework UNICEF contributes to achieve the below results specific to children (boys and girls) and families.

UNICEF Output Result 1.1:Public oversight bodies related to children, including the Parliament, Ombudsman's Office, Anti-Discrimination Commissioner and civil society organizations increasingly demand accountability of duty-bearers for better governance results for children.

UNICEF Output Result 1.2:Effective and equitable access to justice is ensured for all children in need of legal assistance to protect their rights in civil and administrative proceedings, including those in contact with the law (offenders, victims and witnesses of crime)

UNICEF Output Result 1.3:Key policy research, monitoring and evaluation institutions, as well as central, regional and local government entities, effectively manage data related to children and women and periodically report on the situation of marginalized children and families, and the implementation of child-related legislation and international conventions

UNICEF Output Result 1.4:Expected standards for private sector (including media)engagement and corporate social responsibility established and published by authoritative institutions (government or regulatory bodies)

UNICEF Output Result 2.1:The reformed system ofsocial protection is effectively addressing the needs of the most vulnerable families and children.

UNICEF Output Result 2.2:Enhanced child protection mechanisms and services effectively reach and support children and families in situations of particular vulnerability.

UNICEF Output Result 2.3:Violence against children is recognized and increasingly addressed as a harmful social phenomena

UNICEF Output Result 2.4:Early childhood development and education policies and practice ensure equal opportunity and inclusion for individuals and groups, especially those with vulnerable backgrounds, such as Roma.

UNICEF Output Result 2.5:Standardization of mother and child health care services supported (including reaching out to the most vulnerable), within a broader frame of the national health care system redress.

Background of the assignment

Albanian Government has made a commitment to move away from the old system of residential care institutions towards a flexible, mobile, family-oriented model of social support that would not disrupt family ties. To this end, a comprehensive Social Care System reform is being undertaken by the Ministry of Social Welfare and Youth, aimed at introducing the “case management” function of social workers, re-profiling of existing residential care facilities and engaging NGOs as a sub-contracted resource for government-commissioned service delivery. UNICEF has partnered with Ministry of Social Welfare and Youth (MoSWY) and mobilized financial support from the Government of Switzerland for such reforms. UNICEF is helping technically and financially to advance the reform and ensure that national priorities are aligned with the highest attainable international standards. Priorities of the reform include:

  • residential care services are to be transferred to local government units and gradually switched to more effective and efficient community based services
  • an increase in the involvement of local government and civil society in the planning and delivery of social services;
  • an increase of the responsibility of local government for the financing, guaranteeing sustainability and continuity of services;
  • clarification of accountability for ensuring availability of services, especially for the most disadvantaged and vulnerable population groups;
  • drafting, implementation, monitoring, and improving of the standards of services for all groups in need;
  • a focus on the social inclusion of Roma populations, especially their children;
  • respect for the rights of groups in need, in particular children, the disabled and the elderly, meeting their needs and supporting their integration into social life.

Objectives, Purpose and Expected results

The Government of Albania aspires to join the European Union. The reform of social care services will contribute to demonstrating Albania’s readiness to be a modern European State worthy of admittance to the European Union.

A key component of social care reforms is the reduction in the number of children cared for in residential institutions and the development of social care services that support vulnerable children and families in their communities. Social care services need to be equitable, high quality, accountable to Government, accessible to children and families, integrated into local government planning and embedded in national social protection and inclusion policy and strategy.

In 2014 the Ministry of Social Welfare and Youth of the Government of Albania commissioned a survey of children in residential institutions in Albania. The survey found that slightly fewer than 1,000 children were accommodated in residential institutions during the surveyed period; 835 children without disabilities accommodated in residential institutions and 154 children with disabilities accommodated in Development Centres.

More than 37% of all children accommodated in residential institutions during the surveyed period were aged less than three years at the time of admission.The survey also found that the proportion of Roma children accommodated in residential institutions (18%) is far in excess of even the largest estimate of the Roma population of Albania. In some institutions Roma children comprised over 40% of residents.

The proportion of children recorded as being admitted to institutions for reasons of family poverty was almost twice the proportion as the next most frequently recorded reason; ‘abandoned’. In fact, only 33 children during the surveyed period were recorded as being orphans at the point of admission. International experience is that there are usually multiple reasons why a child is placed in an institution.

The Ministry of Social Welfare and Youth aims to reduce the number of children accommodated in residential institutions and Development Centres and instead support families to care for their children at home through the implementation of a national Deinstitutionalization plan. To achieve that aim the Ministry of Social Welfare and Youth intends to:

  1. Reduce the number of children with and without disabilities accommodated in public and non-public institutions by 80% of July 2014 figures by year end 2020. That is, by 31st December 2020 no more than 200 children are accommodated in residential institutions and Development Centres.
  2. Provide care in foster families for children unable to live with their birth or extended family in the ratio of two placements in foster families for every one placement in residential institutions by 31st December 2020.
  3. Develop community-based services that support children in their family in the ratio of five places in community-based services for every one placement in residential institutions by 31st December 2020.

Description of the assignment

The Ministry of Social Welfare and Youth has requested assistance from UNICEF to support the achievement of the above strategic aims. UNICEF intends to engage an international expert in deinstitutionalization to review and operationalize a national Deinstitutionalization Plan (currently existing in the draft form).

The international Consultant is required to be well familiar with the normative background of institutional care reforms, as well as with practical successful experiences in that regard in various countries, including leading the design and implementation of such reforms.

The Consultant is expected to:

--- review the current draft of Albania’s De-Institutionalization Plan;

--- suggest amendments, as deemed appropriate (especially, in light of the ongoing social care services reform, local administration reform, and fiscal decentralization reform);

--- develop a detailed Action Plan and M&E framework;

--- accompany the implementation of the Action Plan between September 2015 until March 2016 (inclusive), with possible extension of assignment until December 2016 (when the current programme cycle of UNICEF in Albania ends).

Location and Duration

The initial duration of the contract is 7 months, covering the period of September 2015 – March 2016. During this period the Consultant is expected to spend at least one week per month in Tirana, providing face-to-face guidance and advice to the Government, with the rest of the work to be effected via web-conferencing and online. In total, the assignment is expected to involve about 70 working daysbetween September 2015 – March 2016 (inclusive).

Travel and accommodation costs in Tirana will be covered separately, in line with the standard UN rates.

Subject to performance and the overall speed of the government reforms, the contract may be extended till December 2016.

The on-site work will be mainly in Tirana, with occasional visits to child care institutions and other cities/municipalities undertaken, as necessitated by the course of the assignment.

Deliverables

  1. A revised draft national De-Institutionalization Plan;
  2. Draft Action Plan for step-by-step operationalization of the above and an M&E / indicator framework;
  3. Week-by-week provision of advice, guidance and direction to the Ministry of Social Welfare and Youth in the implementation of the De-Institutionalization Plan (reflected in weekly Guidance Notes);
  4. Monthly progress reports to UNICEF.

Qualification requirements

  • Advanced university degree in social work, public administration, or other relevant subject;
  • Minimum 15 years professional international experience as an advisor on deinstitutionalizationreforms. Previous experience in the CEE/CIS region or countries in transition will be a strong asset;
  • Analytical thinking and strategic planning skills;
  • Negotiation, facilitation, diplomacy and team working skills;
  • Familiarity with EU accession requirements related to the social sector, the European social agenda and decentralization processes in transition countries;
  • Previous experience working for UNICEF is an asset;
  • Excellent written and spoken English.

What to submit

Interested individuals should submit:

  • A letter of interest why the applicant is suitable for the assignment;
  • A Technical Proposal (maximum four pages) clearly indicating how the applicant intends to achieve the expected results including methodology of workand the timeline;
  • A budget proposal indicating the daily fee.
  • Abstracts of similar work along with publication reports, where applicable;
  • A curriculum vitae.

Evaluation of the submission

Applications will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ technical qualifications and financial proposal.

Technical Criteria - max: 80 %

Criteria A: Relevant academic background (40%);

Criteria B:Experience in the subject matter (including links to previous conducted work/ publications,

references etc.). (40%);

Criteria C: Expressed flexibility and adaptability of the consultant to carry out emerging tasks in the areas where he/she will work (20%).

Financial Criteria – max: 20 %

The award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

a) responsive/compliant/acceptable, and

b) having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Evaluation of the performance

The consultant’s performance will be assessed in terms of quality and timeliness of work – in relation to each expected deliverable, as per UNICEF’s standard consultancy evaluation form.

Quality: UNICEF’s rating of the consultant’s deliverables in terms of quality will reflect organizational standards in that regard (the review of deliverables will be done by several professional staff members in the Country Office).

Timeliness: All the deliverables should be handed in on time based on the approved schedule of work. The consultants’ availability for discussions and timely responding to email queries will also be reflected in the assessment.

Assignment management

The contract will be supervised by the Child Protection Officer in UNICEF Albania.

Payment Schedule

The assignment will be remunerated upon delivery of the agreed deliverables based on the approved inception report. Payment will be made in three installments:

30% upon submission of the inception report;

40% upon completion of deliverable 2;

30% after successful submission of final deliverable (number 3 and 4).

Submission of applications

The applications must be submitted by email at the following address: .

Please refer to the respective solicitation announcement on the modality and deadline of the application.Applications must be submitted in English. Only the selected applicant/s will be informed of the outcome of their submissions by communication sent out to the email address that is indicated in their submission package.

All applicants should familiarise themselves with the ANNEX to the present ToR outlining UNICEF’s terms and conditions of consultancy/contracted services. Such ANNEX is an integral part of UNICEF’s contracts, so all applicants should be aware of the conditions when they apply.

ANNEX: General Conditionsof Contracts for the Services of Consultants / Individual Contractors

1. Legal Status

The individual engaged by UNICEF under this contract as a consultant or individual contractors (the “Contractor”) is engaged in a personal capacity and not as representatives of a Government or of any other entity external to the United Nations. The Contractor is neither a "staff member" under the Staff Regulations of the United Nations and UNICEF policies and procedures nor an "official" for the purpose of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations, 1946. The Contractor may, however, be afforded the status of "Experts on Mission" in the sense of Section 22 of Article VI of the Convention and the Contractor is required by UNICEF to travel in order to fulfill the requirements of this contract, the Contractor may be issued a United Nations Certificate in accordance with Section 26 of Article VII of the Convention.

2. Obligations

The Contractor shall complete the assignment set out in the Terms of Reference for this contract with due diligence, efficiency and economy, in accordance with generally accepted professional techniques and practices.

The Contractor must respect the impartiality and independence of UNICEF and the United Nations and in connection with this contract must neither seek nor accept instructions from anyone other than UNICEF. During the term of this contract the Contractor must refrain from any conduct that would adversely reflect on UNICEF or the United Nations and must not engage in any activity that is incompatible with the administrative instructions and policies and procedures of UNICEF. The Contractor must exercise the utmost discretion in all matters relating to this contract.

In particular, but without limiting the foregoing, the Contractor (a) will conduct him- or herself in a manner consistent with the Standards of Conduct in the International Civil Service; and (b) will comply with the administrative instructions and policies and procedures of UNICE relating to fraud and corruption; information disclosure; use of electronic communication assets; harassment, sexual harassment and abuse of authority; and the requirements set forth in the Secretary General's Bulletin on Special Measures for Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse.

Unless otherwise authorized by the appropriate official in the office concerned, the Contractor must not communicate at any time to the media or to any institution, person, Government or other entity external to UNICEF any information that has not been made public and which has become known to the Contractor by reason of his or her association with UNICEF or the United Nations. The Contractor may not use such information without the written authorization of UNICEF, and shall under no circumstances use such information for his or her private advantage or that of others. These obligations do not lapse upon termination of this contact.

3. Title rights

UNICEF shall be entitled to all property rights, including but not limited to patents, copyrights and trademarks, with regard to material created by the Contractor which bears a direct relation to, or is made in order to perform, this contract. At the request of UNICEF, the Contractor shall assist in securing such property rights and transferring them to UNICEF in compliance with the requirements of the law governing such rights.

4. Travel

If UNICEF determines that the Contractor needs to travel in order to perform this contract, that travel shall be specified in the contract and the Contractor’s travel costs shall be set out in the contract, on the following basis:

(a)UNICEF will pay for travel in economy class via the most direct and economical route; provided however that in exceptional circumstances, such as for medical reasons, travel in business class may be approved by UNICEF on a case-by-case basis.

(b)UNICEF will reimburse the Contractor for out-of-pocket expenses associated with such travel by paying an amount equivalent to the daily subsistence allowance that would be paid to staff members undertaking similar travel for official purposes.

5. Statement of good health

Before commencing work, the Contractor must deliver to UNICEF a certified self-statement of good health and to take full responsibility for the accuracy of that statement. In addition, the Contractor must include in this statement of good health (a) confirmation that he or she has been informed regarding inoculations required for him or her to receive, at his or her own cost and from his or her own medical practitioner or other party, for travel to the country or countries to which travel is authorized; and (b) a statement he or she is covered by medical/health insurance and that, if required to travel beyond commuting distance from his or her usual place or residence to UNICEF (other than to duty station(s) with hardship ratings “H” and “A”, a list of which has been provided to the Contractor) the Contractor’s medical/health insurance covers medical evacuations. The Contractor will be responsible for assuming all costs that may be occurred in relation to the statement of good health.