UNICEF Call for Expression of Interest

Developing a generic standalone module for displaced children for national social service workforce
(SSWF) training institutions in UNICEF program countries (Universities, Technical Colleges, Ministries’
training institutions…).

1. Timeline

• Posted: 04 November 2022
• Clarification Request: 15 December 2022
• Application Deadline: 20 December 2022
• Notification of Results: 06 January 2023
• Start date: January 2023
• End date: June 2024

2. Locations
Global. Selected Civil Society Organization(s) to be based in a UNICEF program country

3. Sectors, areas of specialization
Social workforce capacity building in the Global South; child protection in displacement contexts; national system strengthening; pre-service and in-service curriculum development

4. Issuing agency
UNICEF

5. Project background

• People, including children, are displaced and migrate for a wide range of reasons including conflict, insecurity, climate, and poverty. They also move as they pursue better educational, livelihood and professional opportunities.
• By May 2022 (includes Ukraine+), more than 100 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide by persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations or events seriously disturbing public order. In many countries, more than 50% of the people needing protection are children.
• At end 2021, the figure was 89.3 million, comprising:
  • 27.1 million refugees
  • 21.3 million refugees under UNHCR’s mandate
  • 5.8 million Palestine refugees under UNRWA’s mandate
  • 53.2 million internally displaced people
  • 4.6 million asylum seekers
  • 4.4 million Venezuelans displaced abroad

•  In doing so, children are exposed to violence, including gender-based violence, accidents, poor reception conditions, trafficking, child-labour, family separation, child recruitment…
• In several contexts, they also suffer from discriminatory access to social services such as health, education, social protection, housing, and WASH.
• Acknowledging the need for specific responses to displaced children immediate needs, governments, UN agencies and civil society organizations have found it more effective and sustainable to support their integration into national child protection systems (Global Compacts).
• Social work, especially case management and the best interests’ procedure, are critical to identify and address vulnerabilities faced by displaced children.
• While national social service workforces have professionalized over the years, they are not always equipped with the skills and knowledge required to provide case management and apply the best interests’ procedure to address the needs of displaced children.
• Even though many standalone trainings and tools have been developed by humanitarian and development actors, these are not necessarily designed to become part of regular pre-service and in-service curricula, for a national audience, part and parcel of national child protection systems investments into social service workforces. It is also likely existing modules are not adequately disseminated.
• Cognizant of the long-term contribution national social service workforce training institutions make to sustainable child protection systems, this initiative recognises the critical role of the social service workforce.
• The module will be developed under UNICEF HQ’s leadership, in close collaboration with UNHCR HQ, supported by an expert advisory group from the Global Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action. It will subsequently be promoted at country level with the relevant social work training institutions and authorities to facilitate pre-service and in-service training on these issues, in view of gradually establishing a cadre of personnel understanding the vulnerabilities of displaced children, and able to respond by mobilizing, adjusting where necessary, national systems.

6. Expected results

• The selected Civil Society Organization (CSO) (Universities, Technical Colleges, Ministries own training institutions…) is expected to first develop an induction paper, clearly outlining the steps it proposes towards the development of a generic standalone module for displaced children.
• The selected Civil Society Organization (CSO) (Universities, Technical Colleges, Ministries own training institutions…) is expected to develop a generic standalone module for displaced children for national social service workforce (SSWF) training institutions in UNICEF program countries.
• The module will be as versatile as possible to respond to the needs in a wide range of contexts.
• The generic module will be adaptable at minimal costs, to national environments, the issues faced by displaced children, the capacity, and the role of the social workforce to be trained.
• The development of the module will first be informed by the mapping, the scoping, the compilation, the critical and systematic review and of at least 3-4 existing similar initiatives by comparable social work force training institutions at country/regional level e.g., Malaysia, Thailand, Serbia, Ghana, South Africa…
• The selected CSO is expected to reach out to and suggest adequate partnership modalities for the social work training institutions it proposes to collaborate with. The suggested modalities will include the establishment a joint review committee made of expert representatives of the social training institutions participating, in view of building a consensus and ownership of the final product.
• The module will be designed for in-service and pre-service training of the social workforce involved in programs for refugee, returnee and migrant children. It will focus on the practitioners’ role, the personnel in direct contact with children and their families.
• As the training module is not envisaged as a full-fledged course, the length, the depth, the tools, and methodologies proposed will allow for a manageable incorporation into pre-existing social workforce training curricula.
• While innovative and user-friendly, the module will rely on widely known concepts and approaches to facilitate adaptation and roll-out within national social work training institutions. It will consist in brief, practical presentations, exercises, handbook including exercises and trainer’s manual. An in-person and an online version will be developed.
• The proposed standard length will be approximately 50 hours (lectures, group work, exercises) complemented by 2-3 weeks internship.
• The key themes to cover will include at minima: displacement/migration in the national contexts, rights-based approach/Child Protection frameworks, Child Protection Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Action, gender-based violence, Child Protection risks in displacement, case management and best interests, alternative care, and durable solutions.

7. Budget
To be provided by applying SCOs. Include own costs, and costs related to the collaboration with relevant social work training institutions. UNICEF will be responsible for disbursing funds to the participating training institutions.

8. Other information. Proposed approach and timeline:

1. Inception report with proposed methodology, workplan, timeline, and initial outreach to sister social workforce training institution(s): Q1
2. Scoping, compilation, and critical review of existing comparable products: Q1,2,3
3. Draft module including presentations, handbook, and trainer’s manual: Q2,3,4
4. Pilot phase with selected sister social work training institutions including through contracted institution Q5,6
5. Consolidating lessons from pilots: Q6
6. Dissemination: Q6

9. Selection criteria