Child Protection Specialist (International UN Volunteer) – 18 months

Mission and objectives
UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, is dedicated to advocating for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. UNICEF’s work is guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and aims to establish children’s rights as enduring ethical principles and international standards of behavior towards children. The organization is committed to never giving up on defending children’s rights and ensuring their well-being.

Context
Papua New Guinea (PNG) is the largest and most populated Pacific Island nation with a total estimated population of 8.9 million and 59% of the population aged 0 – 24. Systematic data on violence against children is not widely available. Recent estimates suggest that 75% of children experience some form of violence during their childhood, often perpetrated within the home environment, and 43% of women aged 15 to 19 years have experienced physical and/or sexual violence. Further, PNG has the highest estimated rates of intimate partner violence in the region. Service providers reported that more than half of patients presenting for post-rape care were under 16 years.

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programmes, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action.

Child Protection is the prevention of, and response to, exploitation, abuse, neglect, harmful practices and violence against children. It is embedded in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)i ii – the most widely ratified international human rights treaty in history – and is the moral minimum for any society. Child Protection is universal: it is for all children everywhere, from low-to high-income countries, in all regions and settings. The consequences of inaction are catastrophic: profound, enduring and often deadly; with economic costs of violence against children estimated at $7 trillion per year. But this harm is evitable: progress can be made through political will for the fulfilment of children’s rights, societal change, and an emerging science of prevention and response strategies.

This UNV assignment is part of UNICEF’s Child Protection section in UNICEF PNG Country Programme 2024-2028.

The Child Protection Outcome seeks to ensure children and adolescents, including the most vulnerable social groups and those affected by humanitarian situations and climate change, are protected from violence, abuse, neglect, exploitation and harmful social norms and benefit from a functioning child protection system that includes prevention and response services that are equity-focused and gender-responsive at national and sub-national levels.

The outcome is aligned with the achievement of multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly related to SDG 5 (gender equality) and SDG 16 (peace, justice, and strong institutions). It supports Goal Area 3 within UNICEF’s Strategic Plan, which seeks to ensure that every girl and boy is protected from violence and exploitation in both humanitarian and development contexts.

The Child Protection UNV will provide professional technical and operational assistance throughout the programming process for the child protection programmes/projects.

Task description
Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of the Chief Child Protection or her designated mandated representative(s), the UNV Child Protection will:

1. Support to programme development and planning
– Prepare technical reports and inputs for programme preparation and documentation, ensuring information accuracy, timeliness, and relevance.
– Provide technical support by executing a variety of technical programme activities.
– Prepare materials and documentation and comply with organizational processes and management systems to support program planning and implementation.
– Prepare required documentation and materials to facilitate the programme review.

2. Programme monitoring and delivery of results.
– Work closely and collaboratively with colleagues and partners to collect, analyze, and share information on implementation issues and suggest solutions for routine programme implementation.
– Keep a record of reports and assessments for easy reference and/or to capture and institutionalize lessons learned.
– Participate in programme reviews with the government and other counterparts, and prepare minutes for follow up action.
– Report on issues identified to ensure timely resolution by management and stakeholders. Follow up on unresolved issues to ensure resolution.
– Prepare inputs for programme and donor reporting.
– Support the research and situation analysis developed by the section in technical assistance to the stakeholders and counterparts.

3. Technical and operational support to programme implementation
– Undertake field visits, support the implementation activities, and collect and share reports with partners and stakeholders.
– Assess progress and refer to relevant officials for resolution.
– Report on critical issues, bottlenecks, and potential problems for timely action to achieve results.

4. Networking and partnership-building
– Build and sustain close working partnerships with government counterparts and national stakeholders through active sharing of information and knowledge to facilitate programme implementation and build capacity of stakeholders to achieve and sustain results on child protection.
– Draft communication and information materials for Child Protection advocacy to promote awareness, and establish partnership/alliances.

Any other related tasks as may be required or assigned by the supervisor.

Results/expected outputs:

As an active Child Protection UNICEF team member, efficient, timely, responsive, client-friendly and high-quality support rendered to UNICEF and its beneficiaries in the accomplishment of her/his functions, including:

– Support the implementation of key interventions to strengthen the Child Protection system, such as strengthening the Social Service Workforce and the case management and referral mechanisms program.
– Support Child protection in emergency programming, including co-leading of the Child Protection sub-cluster.
– Develop and contextualize guidelines and SOPs, training materials, and ToT.
– Support the development of reports and programme briefings, and document evidence and lessons learned.
– Support the development, implementation, and monitoring of program documents and support the capacity-building strategies for Implementing Partners.
– Develop content and human-interest stories for social media related to the Child Protection Program.
– Support the monitoring of the Child Protection programme implementation, including data analysis of the Child Protection, Violence Against Children and Women in the country.
– Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout the assignment.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities:

– Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and taking active part in UNV activities (for instance, in events that mark International Volunteer Day);
– Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country;
– Provide annual and end of assignment self-reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities.
– Contribute with articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.;
– Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers;
– Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

Nationality
Candidate must be a national of a country other than the country of assignment.

Required experience
3 years of experience in Child Protection, social services, and social and human development-related areas; at the national and/or international level.

Have experience in one or more of the following areas: child protection system strengthening, social service workforce strengthening, case management, child protection and GBV including in emergencies, positive parenting programmes, and birth registration.

Other desired/mandatory required technical knowledge;

– Excellent oral and written skills; excellent drafting, formulation, reporting skills;
– Accuracy and professionalism in document production and editing;
– Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners, including grassroots community members, religious and youth organizations, and authorities at different levels; familiarity with tools and approaches of communications for development;
– Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment; ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel;
– Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various MS Office applications (Excel, Word, etc.) and email/internet; familiarity with database management and office technology equipment;
– Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to work with tight deadlines;
– Sound security awareness;
– Have affinity with or interest in working with children, volunteerism as a mechanism for durable development, and the UN system.
– Experience in working with programme related to gender-based violence is an asset, as is experience working for the UN or other international development organizations.

Languages

English, Level: Fluent, Required

Required education level

Master degree or equivalent in relevant area, such as human rights, psychology, sociology, law, social work, international relations, or other relevant social science field or area related to child protection.