[Hiring] Consultant for Conducting an Analysis of Trends in the Alternative Care System for Children @AGORA

Role Description

To provide technical support to the Ministry of Family Care and Demography and the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs in conducting a comprehensive analysis of trends in the alternative care system for children deprived of parental care in the Republic of Serbia.

• Identify trends, needs, and current challenges in the use of different forms of alternative care (including different forms of foster care, kinship care, and residential care).
• Assess outcomes for children, the quality and effectiveness of permanency planning for children, and the factors contributing to children's prolonged stays in alternative care.
• Provide evidence and recommendations for improving alternative care and outcomes for children in alternative care.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in social sciences (social work, sociology, or psychology).
• At least 10 years of professional experience in child protection and alternative care, including experience in research and analysis of child protection systems.
• Demonstrated experience in working and coordinating with ministries, centres for social work, centres for family-based care and adoption, residential care institutions, and other stakeholders within the child protection system.
• Fluency in Serbian and English, written and spoken.
• Excellent knowledge of the national alternative care system for children, as well as international standards and practices in the field of children's rights and alternative care.
• Advanced analytical, research and writing skills, demonstrated through the preparation of reports, publications, and other relevant documents.
• Demonstrated experience in analyzing sectoral data, interpreting complex data, and formulating clear, actionable recommendations for improving policies and practices.

Requirements

• Experience in deinstitutionalization, family strengthening, and the development of family-based alternative care.
• Experience working with UNICEF and/or other international organizations.

Benefits

• Diverse opportunities for professional and personal development.
• An attractive compensation and benefits package.

Company Description

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

UNICEF is committed to promoting the rights of every child and offers a place where careers are built.

• UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does.
• UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence.
• UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF.