Consultant: Review of the Draft Protocol on Inter-Sectoral Cooperation on Protection... Tender

Procurement Summary

Country : Montenegro

Summary : Consultant: Review of the Draft Protocol on Inter-Sectoral Cooperation on Protection from Family Violence and Provide Child Rights Related Inputs

Deadline : 09 Sep 2018

Other Information

Notice Type : Tender

TOT Ref.No.: 26388044

Document Ref. No. :

Competition : ICB

Financier : United Nations Secretariat

Purchaser Ownership : -

Tender Value : Refer Document

Purchaser's Detail

Purchaser : UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN'S FUND
Stanka Dragojevica bb, UN Eco House 81 000 Podgorica Tel: + 382 20 447 400 Fax: + 382 20 447 471
Montenegro
Email :podgorica@unicef.org
URL :http://www.unicef.org/

Tender Details

Tenders are invited for Consultant: Review of the Draft Protocol on Inter-Sectoral Cooperation on Protection from Family Violence and Provide Child Rights Related Inputs.

Job title:International Individual Consultant for provision of technical expertise to the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare for review of the Draft Protocol on Inter-sectoral cooperation on Protection from Family Violence and provide child rights related inputs

1.Background and Context Violence against children exists in every part of the world, cutting cross culture, class, education, ethnicity and income. A UNICEF survey in 2013 showed that 1 in 3 Montenegrins know a child who is affected by violence. Neglect, sexual abuse and many aspects of dysfunctional parenting such as alcoholism, addiction and mental health problems remain largely a taboo. The 2013 Montenegro MICS (MONSTAT and UNICEF) revealed that 68% of children aged 1-14 years in Montenegro were subjected to psychological aggression within the family during the month preceding the survey and 31% were subjected to physical punishment. The general acceptance of violence within families as well as the low level of reporting of domestic and sexual violence raises concerns about the actual level of abuse against children in Montenegro. Montenegro is an upper-middle-income country aspiring to join the EU. Montenegro has ratified a number of conventions including the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), and the Council of Europe Convention on the Exercise of Children-s Rights, the Convention on Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (Lanzarote Convention) and the Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention) among others. A comprehensive national legal framework regulating violence against children has been put in place (the Criminal Code 2003, the Family Law 2007, the Law on Protection from Family Violence 2010, the Treatment of Juveniles in Criminal Proceedings Act 2011, the Law on Social and Child Protection 2013), and the recently adopted amendments to the Family Law explicitly prohibit all forms of violence, including corporal punishment, in all settings. The Law on the Protection from Family Violence contains a broad definition of domestic violence, it prescribes more immediate and effective measures for the protection from violence and measures of support to victims including the right to psycho-social support, free legal aid, social and medical care, material assistance, and accommodation. As regards the policy framework, a new Strategy for the Protection from Family Violence (2016-2020) was adopted in 2015 with technical assistance from the UN system in Montenegro. The Government recently adopted the first ever Strategy for the Prevention and Protection of Children from Violence 2017-2021 to achieve a society free of violence against children in Montenegro. With the same aim, in 2016, the Family Law of Montenegro was amended, prohibiting all forms of violence against children, including corporal punishment. Notwithstanding a relatively well developed policy and legal framework, its implementation has lagged behind. A Protocol defining multi-sectoral collaboration for the implementation of the Law on Protection from Family Violence was developed in December 2011, with an Annex related to the roles and responsibilities of relevant institutions in cases of violence against children and child abuse and neglect. However, day-to-day cooperation between institutions dealing with domestic violence still faces obstacles due to insufficient complementarity in application of the procedures and regulations on issues such as reporting, legal processing, sheltering, etc - and this is further complicated by differing interpretations of existing norms and procedures between stakeholders. At present, Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare has been working on revision of the Draft Protocol on Inter-sectoral cooperation on Protection from Family Violence with technical assistance of UNDP, in order to align it with the case management system which was introduced in the everyday work of centres for social work. In order to support the process from a child rights perspective and to ensure that case management process is implemented in line with best model of practice and international standards of working with children and/or victims and witnesses of violence. UNICEF Country Office for Montenegro is looking for an international consultant who will provide necessary review and recommendations for finalization of the Protocol.

2.Purpose and Objective The purpose of this consultancy is to support the Ministry of Labour and Social welfare and other system institutions in ensuring that children and adolescents, victims of violence, abuse, neglect and any form of exploitation are efficiently and adequately detected, identified and protected by multy-sectoral group of professionals and that necessary support and protection is provided in a timely and quality manner and in coordination with professionals from other relevant sectors. The objective of this assignment is to support the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare in assessing the Draft Protocol on Inter-sectoral cooperation in cases of family violence. The aim is to ensure the Protocol is fully aligned with international instruments in child protection and that multi-sectoral cooperation is adequately formulated and implemented, i.e. case management practice adequately implemented in line with applicable legislation and best model of practice and international standards of working with children at risk and/or victims and witnesses of violence. In this way, child protection system would be adequately equipped with necessary tools for efficient, timely and adequate detection, identification, assessment, reporting, referral and provision of first line assistance to children and adolescents at risk and/or victims and witnesses of family violence. At the same time, the Protocol should ensure synergized and complementary work of different sectors in responding to violence cases and strengthen overall system response to violence.

3.Methodology and Technical Approach The methodology will include desk review, analysis of available documents, information and data, interviews with key stakeholders, direct work with the MLSW's Working group and relevant UNDP colleagues, preparation of a UNICEF specific input to the Draft Protocol. The Consultant is expected to work both in the field and from home. Further details are presented in the section below “Activities and Tasks”.

4.Activities and Tasks The Consultant is expected to complete the following tasks:

Task

Location

Timeline

To review, within the preparatory phase, the relevant legislative and policy documents, protocols and reports and relevant statistics, surveys and research, and to refer to international instruments and documents such as CRC, CRC General Comment No 8 (protection from corporal Punishment), No 13 (freedom from all forms of violence), No 18 (joint comment with CEDAW on harmful practices), No 4 (adolescent health and development) and no 20 (rights during adolescence); CEDAW, CoE Convention on Action Against Violence against women and Family Violence (Istanbul Convention), CoE Convention on Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse; UN General Secretary Study on Violence against children, WHO INSPIRE Strategy, WHO document “Responding to children and adolescents who are sexually abused” (WHO Clinical Guidelines, 2017), treaty bodies concluding observations, etc. To review national legal framework: Law on Social and Child Protection, Family Law, Law on Protection from Family Violence, Act on Treatment of Juveniles in Criminal Proceedings, Rulebook on work and organization of work of CSWs including bylaws relevant for case management methodology and Guideline on work of operational Multy-disciplinary Teams for Protection of Violence.

Home-based

3 working days – (tentatively by 21st September 2018)

To review the Draft Protocol on Inter-sectoral cooperation in cases of family violence and provide the MLSW's working group with a Report with recommendations in order to ensure the Protocol is fully aligned with international instruments in the area of child protection and to ensure that multi-sectoral cooperation is adequately formulated and implemented (case management practice adequately implemented in line with applicable legislation and best model of practice).

-Develop necessary Annexes in the case of need.

Home-based

7 working days (by 30 September 2018)

To prepare and deliver presentation on the Draft Protocol jointly with UNDP experts

In Montenegro

1 working day (October 2018)

To provide final input to the Protocol, in collaboration with the working group and UNDP expert on the basis of the feedback provided by WG and relevant professionals and other relevant stakeholders at the above presentation event.

Home based

2 working days (tentatively by 30 November 2018)

To provide other related assistance as required

TOTAL WORKING DAYS

13

5.Key Deliverables and Timeframe The Consultant will be engaged in the period from 19th September to 30 November 2018 for a total of 13 working days. The Consultant is expected to produce the following key deliverables with the following tentative deadlines:

Deliverable

Tentative deadlines

· Review of the Draft Protocol on Inter-sectoral cooperation in cases of family violence and preparation of the Report with recommendations

30 September 2018

· Presentation

By end October 2018

· Final inputs to the Protocol

By 30 November 2018

6. Management and Organisation Management: The Consultant will be supervised by the UNICEF Child Protection Officer. Â

Organization: International Consultancy, individual, with extensive expertise in protecti

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