National Consultant on Alternative Care for UASC, Warsaw, Poland (remote assignment)

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. 

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. 

And we never give up. 

For every child, A FUTURE.

Since the conflict escalation on February 24, 2022, there have been approximately 9 million border crossings from Ukraine into Poland. Over 1.7 million refugees from Ukraine have registered for temporary protection in Poland, the majority of them women and children. As of May 2024, there are over 950,000 refugees with active PESEL registration in the country.

The UNICEF Refugee Response Office (RRO) in Poland was established in March 2022 to support families and children displaced by the war, ensuring that refugee children have access to essential services such as quality care, health, and education. In line with its core commitments to children, strengthening child protection systems has been a critical part of UNICEF’s response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis. Working closely with the government, municipalities, and CSOs, UNICEF RRO in Poland has implemented measures to address gaps and enhance the national child protection system’s capacity to meet the needs of refugee and host community children, protecting them from violence, exploitation, and abuse.

How can you make a difference? 

The consultant will conduct a situation analysis with the following scope and objectives:

• Review care arrangements for UASC from Ukraine and  UASC of third nationalities in  Poland – current residence, system of temporary guardians, monitoring of temporary guardians and children, support provided through the social welfare and child protection authorities. The analysis should reveal protective mechanisms and gaps.
• Determine the number of  UASC Ukrainians and UASC of third nationalities in Polish alternative care, including the types of alternative care they are placed in. Explore the reasons for their placement, such as abandonment by biological parents, experiences of violence, or other contributing factors. Analyze the family separation process and placement in alternative care, including assessment of situation, procedural safeguards, choice of placement duration and type, etc. Analyze the post-placement monitoring and work on family re-integration.
• Provide recommendations for enhancing protective mechanism and addressing the gaps in the current care and protection of UASC (from Ukraine and mixed migration) in Poland.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… 

• A relevant Master’s degree (in one of the following fields is required: international development, human rights, social work, sociology, communications, or another relevant social science field.
• Proven experience and knowledge in related to the ToRs areas
• Demonstrated experience of producing high-quality reports and other documents to specified deadlines
• Demonstrated experience of working with a range of stakeholders including policy makers, practice-based organizations and non-governmental organisations
• Excellent qualitative analysis skills
• Good quantitative/statistical and analytical skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Experience of operational research is highly desirable
• Experience in child protection and foster care systems strengthening work is highly desirable
• Ability to be flexible and deliver results under tight deadlines.
• Fluency in Polish.
• Fluency in English (oral and written) will be an asset  

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS). 

To view our competency framework, please visit  here. 

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. To create a more inclusive workplace, UNICEF offers paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. Click here to learn more about flexible work arrangements, well-being, and benefits.

According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. In its Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy 2022-2030, UNICEF has committed to increase the number of employees with disabilities by 2030. At UNICEF, we provide reasonable accommodation for work-related support requirements of candidates and employees with disabilities. Also, UNICEF has launched a Global Accessibility Helpdesk to strengthen physical and digital accessibility. If you are an applicant with a disability who needs digital accessibility support in completing the online application, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility jobs-near-me.org UNICEF.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

Remarks:  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.