Purpose of the assignment:

The overall goal of this consultancy is to develop a training curriculum and manual as well as a trainee’s handbook in line with national legal and policy framework and international instruments on the rights of the children, that will be applied in strengthening DCS capacities in management of children with disabilities and special needs. Specifically, the initiative seeks to build the capacity of Children Officers and staff in but not limited to:

• Understanding their key responsibilities as caregivers of children with disabilities and special needs.
• Identifying the basic rights of every child in accordance with national and international laws as well as list the key and basic rights of children with disabilities in accordance with provisions made in national and international laws for persons with disabilities including children.
• Understanding the different forms of special needs and types of disability in children as well as the ‘Social Model’ of Disability and caring for children with disabilities.
• Understanding the basic needs of every child as well as some of the things children with disabilities need to grow and develop properly.
• Explaining what quality of care for children with disabilities and special needs is made up of as well as the importance of providing quality care for children with disabilities and special needs.
• Identifying the changes that occur during the various stages of a child’s growth and peculiar behaviours of children during the various stages of their growth.
• Understanding the need for taking care of themselves as caregivers of children with disabilities and special needs in order to be strong and healthy to provide quality care to the children.
• Carry out basic assessment for children to identify disabilities.
• Networking, recommending and referring to appropriate service providers of specialised care.
• Understanding how to reintegrate children with disabilities from institutional care to family and community-based care in line with National Child Care Reforms in Kenya.

Specific tasks to be performed by the consultant:

• Under the overall supervision of the Regional Representative in the UNODC Regional Office for Eastern Africa (ROEA) and the direct supervision of the UNODC ROEA Head of the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme, and in close cooperation and consultation with DCS, the consultant will perform the following substantive duties and responsibilities:
• Development of an inception report
• The consultant will prepare an inception report which shall detail his/her understanding of the assignment founded on the terms of reference. The inception report will also provide detailed timelines and methodology to be applied for discussion with DCS.

Development of the Training Curriculum and Manual

• Undertake a thorough literature review of the existing mandates, policy documents, assessment reports and materials/tools/guidelines generated by DCS and other stakeholders, assess the materials on children with disabilities and special needs generated by the government of Kenya and other relevant jurisdictions as well as applicable international standards, national laws and emerging international practices.
• Design an online questionnaire to be disseminated to all children officers in the field and DCS institutions to collect relevant information that could inform the development of the training curriculum and manual on managing children with disabilities and special needs.
• Provide technical advice on the selection criteria of the members that will form a small Working Group to work with him/her on the development of the training curriculum and manual as well as provide technical assistance in the development of these training documents.
• Develop and integrate the Needs/Risk Assessment Tool for children with disabilities and special needs into the training manual and where necessary improve the assessment tool following a pilot training.
• The Training Manual should seek to address the emerging gaps in the management of children with disabilities and special needs.
• Facilitate a one-day validation workshop of the developed draft training curriculum and manual which should have representation and participation from all key partners.
• Review and finalize the draft training curriculum and manual on management of children with disabilities and special needs in readiness for publishing based on the input provided during the validation workshop.

The launch of the training curriculum and manual

• Participate in the launch of the training curriculum and manual to make a presentation and respond to any arising technical questions from the participants.

Training participants’ Handbook

• Based on the validated training facilitator’s manual, develop a brief handbook that would be beneficial to assist training participants to record their learning.

Delivery of the Training of Trainers

• Design a training plan for a Training of Trainers (ToT) course covering generic ToT skills and content that can enable trainers to deliver the training based on the developed training manual to other officers and specific skills on disability and special needs.
• In collaboration with the DCS, identify and conduct a ToT for 20 suitable trainers based on the competency or criteria required.
• Conduct a training of select children officers on the use and piloting of developed Risk Needs Assessment Tool in identifying changes and peculiar behaviours of children during the various stages of their growth focusing on children with disabilities and special needs.
• Conduct a ToT of select children officers based on the developed training manual on managing children with disabilities and special needs to equip them with capacity to transfer the acquired knowledge and skills to other children officers effectively. This aims at creating a pool of trainers as a key component in the sustainability plan for institutional knowledge and skills.
• Mentor the selected ToTs to deliver two training workshops to other children officers (i.e. monitor and evaluate the ToTs during these sessions to strengthen their training techniques).
• Identify any emerging gaps in the training curriculum, manual and Risk Assessment Tool and make possible recommendations.

Requirements

Qualifications/special skills

• Advanced University Degree in clinical psychology, Child Counselling and Therapy, Social Work, Child Development, Early Childhood Education, Pediatric care, or related field, or a first level university degree in combination with two extra years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• Minimum 10 years relevant work experience in social work, Childcare and Protection, Pediatric care with emphasis on Children with special needs, Physiotherapy, criminal justice preferably including in child justice and management of children with disabilities and special needs is required.
• Proven understanding and experience in working child justice including the rights of children with disability and special needs is desirable.
• Experience in providing training for community social workers, childcare service providers, criminal justice agencies and in developing policy and procedure manuals or training curricula/materials is desirable.
• Experience in providing technical advice to multidisciplinary teams in Government or national stakeholders and international organizations in the area of child and young people care and justice is desirable.
• Work experience within the justice system in Eastern Africa is desirable.

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage.