National Consultant: To identify bottlenecks within the health sector, which contribute to sub-optimal access to post violence GBV services
Consultancy, Research Jobs
Job Description
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, equality!
UNICEF has been operating in Zimbabwe since 1982. We are a team of passionate professionals committed to the protection and fulfillment of children’s rights.
Supporting the Government’s vision of a prosperous and empowered upper-middle-income society, the 2022 to 2026 UNICEF Zimbabwe country programme is aimed at contributing to sustainable socioeconomic development that provides all children, including adolescents, with opportunities to fulfil their potential, lead a healthy life, access quality learning and protection and meaningfully participate in society.
Duties and Responsibilities
UNICEF Zimbabwe is seeking to hire an enthusiastic individual consultant to identify bottlenecks within the health sector, which contribute to sub-optimal access to post violence GBV services.
BACKGROUND
In Zimbabwe about 1 in 3 women aged 15 to 49 have experienced physical violence, and about 1 in 4 women have experienced sexual violence, since the age of 15, according to the 2015 Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey. The UNICEF 2019 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) reveals that two in five women interviewed in Zimbabwe reported having experienced either physical or sexual violence whilst one in 10 reported having experienced both. GBV has significant and long-lasting impacts on the health, and psychosocial and economic well-being of women and girls, and their families and communities. According to the 2017 Zimbabwe Young Adult Survey, a Violence Against Children Survey (VACS), about one in ten females ages 18–24 experienced sexual violence during childhood and the prevalence of overall childhood sexual violence is significantly higher for females compared with males. The National Gender Policy (NGP) identifies the key challenges to reducing GBV in Zimbabwe as inadequate services, weak institutions for addressing GBV, poor information communication systems and patriarchal attitudes that restrain survivors from reporting incidents of abuse.
Acknowledging that GBV is a public health issue, UNICEF will support the Ministry of Health and Child Care to strengthen its capacity to strengthening systems, policies and capacity building of personnel. A lot of effort has been focused on demand side for services, including community level demand creation by CSOs. Effort is now required to synchronize these efforts with the Ministry so that benefits can be realized. Support to the health system is necessary to complement these efforts. This also includes addressing supply side bottlenecks that impede access of GBV survivors to timely post violence care.
PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:
The goal of this assignment is to identify persistent bottlenecks within the health sector, which contribute to sub-optimal access to post violence GBV services.
ASSIGNMENTS:
UNICEF, in support of the Ministry of Health and Child Care, is seeking consultancy services from a mid to senior level consultant with vast experience in Public Health, gender-based violence programming, sexual and reproductive health and related work, to review bottlenecks in the public health sector which contribute to sub-optimal access to post violence GBV services.
Below are the objectives of the assignment:
Facilitate stakeholder consultations workshop to identify critical gaps in the health sector response to post violence care for AGYW (Adolescent Girls and Young Women) and build a sense of ownership across MOHCC units/departments.
Identify and support MOHCC to address gaps in the policy or regulatory frameworks (as related to the health sector response to post violence care) for delivery of quality sexual violence services including access to PEP. Essential components: facility level guidelines for management of sexual violence, including referrals; access to all necessary medicines and supplies; record-keeping and reporting procedures including medico-legal documentation for forensic evidence; free services for survivors.
Develop and distribute national standardized site level tools, such as checklists (e.g., for IPV screening, stock management, supportive supervision, process flow charts), and standardized templates for district referral guides and flow diagrams. Expand distribution of GBV protocol and GBV register once finalized.
Support the MOHCC to adapt and implement the rollout of a comprehensive GBV Quality Assurance Tool (including those of partners such as PEPFAR, JHPIEGO, CDC, WHO, 2017) in selected sites to measure quality of post violence care in clinical settings against a set of service delivery standards and identify key gaps and challenges in service provision, develop and monitor action plans and recognize progress and achievements.
Support the MOHCC to identify critical, site level training needs including mental health and develop a plan to address them, factoring in the HRH crisis and sustainability issues.
Support the MOHCC to integrate key children and adolescents’ friendly skills (common clinical signs and symptoms of violence and mental health assessment (including for child survivors) and how to provide appropriate care) into nurses’ pre-service curriculum.
The consultant is required to conduct the following activities:
Attending a kick-off meeting with UNICEF.
Develop an inception report outlining the proposed methodology, workplan and tools
Conduct stakeholder consultations workshop to identify critical gaps in the health sector response to post violence care
Undertake a desk review of evidence, policies and literature of policy and/or regulatory frameworks as related to the health sector response to post violence care, for delivery of quality sexual violence services including access to post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).
Undertake field visits in a sample number of districts and in-field consultations/ key informant interviews
Develop and distribute national standardized site level tools, such as checklists based on GBV Quality Assurance Tool (PEPFAR, JHPIEGO, CDC, WHO, 2017).
Prepare a draft report + PowerPoint presentation (PPT) summary
Prepare a final report + PPT of the policy review, updated standardized tool, recommendations, and action plan.
Qualifications and Experience
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Education:
Advanced university degree in public health, social sciences, or related field.
Experience:
At least 8 years of professional experience at national and international levels, including field experience and expertise in adolescent programming.
Strong knowledge and experience in the development and piloting of tools/materials
Technical field experience with data collection and pathway analytics would be an asset
Experience working in Zimbabwe will be an asset
Techinical experience in the area of GBV and SRHR
Desirable
Experience working in related field in Eastern and Southern Africa, is desirable
Languages
English. Knowledge of a local language will be an added advantage
How to Apply
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