Консультант(ка) – експерт(ка) із посилення системи соціальних послуг
Consultant – Social Service System Strengthening Expert
Type of engagement: Consultant
Start/End date:
01-Oct-25
27-Jul-26
Duration [up to 36 months without mandatory break-in-service]: 10 months
Duty Station: Odesa
Background:
Since the onset of the full-scale war, the capacity of host municipalities in Ukraine to deliver quality, sustainable, and integrated social services for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and other vulnerable populations has remained critically limited. This is primarily due to the lack of awareness and prioritization of social services by local authorities, limited technical knowledge and capacity among staff, and chronic shortages of both human and financial resources.
At the community level, the range and availability of social services to support vulnerable families—particularly IDPs, families living in poverty, and those raising children with disabilities—remain inadequate. There is an urgent need to ensure access to sustainable, high-quality, and holistic social services that are responsive to the evolving needs of these groups. Since February 2022, the vast majority of Ukraine’s population can be considered conflict-affected and vulnerable, due to the war’s direct and indirect impacts, including widespread displacement, destruction of homes and social infrastructure, increased unemployment, psychosocial distress, and developmental delays in children caused by toxic stress.
The demand for outreach and service delivery through integrated community-based social services has significantly increased. Families on the move, particularly those headed by single mothers or caregivers, often face complex and overlapping challenges that require a coordinated, multi-sectoral response, including psychosocial support, case management, and referrals.
There is a critical need to scale up social work case management and establish or expand referral pathways to essential services. These include: early childhood development and early intervention programs, day care centers, family support services, parenting programs, temporary shelters for survivors of violence, and services for at-risk families such as counselling, mediation, and economic assistance. Integrated social services also play a key role in violence prevention, risk mitigation, and response.
Compounding these gaps is the limited availability and recognition of family-based alternative care options. Many children, especially those with disabilities or those from displaced or extremely vulnerable families, are at increased risk of separation or institutionalization. The Better Care Program aims to reverse this trend by strengthening the gatekeeping system, improving the quality and availability of foster care, kinship care, and family-type homes, and promoting the safe reintegration of children into families wherever possible.
Strengthening local capacity to deliver integrated social services that include family support and alternative care solutions is essential for preventing unnecessary family separation, supporting reunification, and reducing the reliance on institutional care. These efforts must be underpinned by a skilled social service workforce, adequate financing, and close intersectoral collaboration to ensure that every child can grow up in a safe and nurturing family environment.
More information about Project: ЮНІСЕФ ініціює програму “Кращий догляд для кожної дитини” | UNICEF
Purpose of assignment:
To support the Child Protection Team to streamline the system of integrated social services at community level, improve the coordination of implementation and strengthen the community based and family based alternative care for children without parental care in Odesa and Mykolaiv regions.
The Consultant’s main tasks will include:
- Conduct Situational Analysis (SitAn)
- Conduct SitAn at both oblast and hromada levels.
- Present SitAn findings to Better Care WG, implementing partners (IPs), and others.
- Use SitAn findings and other actors’ recommendations to inform programs and policies.
- Regularly collect and monitor priority data from SitAn to track progress.
- Validate findings of oblast SitAn with hromada WGs.
2. Development of Further Initiatives with Regional and Hromadas authorities
- Support in the development of innovative projects under Better Care Agenda with Oblast administration and Hromadas to deliver integrated social services, including alternative family care options through data collection and analysis
- Preparing concept notes, budgets and drafting documents of cooperation
- Monitoring of the implementation of the projects
- Ensuring proper reporting and compliance with UNICEF Policies and Procedures
3. Strengthen local Taskforce / Working Group (WG) mechanism:
- Supervise regular documented meetings for Hromada-level WG.
- Support authorities to ensure engagement of people with lived experience within the coordination mechanism.
- Facilitate learning opportunities across hromadas and strengthen each other’s capacity to implement Better Care.
- Strengthen intersectoral cooperation for early identification and referral of children in risk of abuse, neglect, separations and violence
4. Strengthen engagement of People with Lived Experience (PWLE)
- Coordinate and capacitate target hromadas on engaging PWLE.
- Ensure PWLE are identified, engaged, and actively participating in WGs.
5. Develop M&E Framework
- Support local government in the development of Hromada workplan to implement Better Care agenda
- Refine standard indicators/KPIs in the hromada work plan to align with the National Strategy.
- Develop indicator definitions, train relevant personnel, and determine data flow and reporting processes.
- Develop data-sharing agreements and protocols.
- Plan regular (e.g., quarterly) meetings to review and discuss data.
- Identify areas to document learning and achievements.
- Conduct training to implement the M&E framework.
6. Strengthen the Technical Supervision System under the Oblasts administration
- Support oblast administrations to develop structured system for Technical Supervision of social service workforce.
- Support the institutionalization of professional development and supervision framework within the Oblasts’ child protection system.
- Support Oblast/Regional to track the progress of seminars and trainings organized by UNICEF’s IP to provide technical supervision for the social service workforce.
7. Provide operational support to implement Better Care initiatives
- Organize trainings, seminars, forums and other events.
- Draft concept notes, briefing notes, letters etc.
- Prepare analytical materials.
- Closely coordinate with UNICEF and take initiatives mentioned in the TOR in consultation and in agreement with UNICEF and UFPH.
Implementation of tasks will require close collaboration and coordination with Oblast and hromada-level stakeholders, including the Department of Social Services, Slushba, city-level authorities, the Ombudsperson’s office, UNICEF’s implementing partners, Universities, and other local stakeholders.
The consultant will work closely with and under the supervision of the UNICEF Team.
Requirements:
Education – Master’s degree in Social sciences, international law, international development, human rights, psychology, sociology or other related disciplines
Professional experience:
- At least 5 years of professional experience in social protection / child protection at national and/or subnational level.
- Knowledge of the Ukrainian system of child protection, system of social protection, system of alternative care for children (residential and family-based).
- Experience in strengthening social workforce and system of social services
- Experience in development of national wide strategies and plan of actions in area of child protection.
- Experience in building a dialog with national and local governments and CSOs.
- Experience providing consultancy services to UNICEF and other UN agencies.
Language:
- Ukrainian – Advanced [C1]
- English – Upper-intermediate [B2]
Skills and competencies:
- Good analytical skills.
- Good coordination skills
- Good communication skills
Application Procedure
If you are interested in joining the project and contributing to meaningful change, please send your CV and a motivation letter to: [email protected].
Please use the following subject line:
“Vacancy: Consultant – Social Service System Strengthening Expert — [Your Name]”
