Consultant - Safeguarding assessments (PSEA and child safeguarding), Education Cannot Wait (ECW), Hosted Fund, Remote, 14 months, REQ #576425

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, EDUCATION 

Education Cannot Wait (ECW) is the first global movement and fund dedicated to education in emergencies and protracted crises. It was established in 2016 during the World Humanitarian Summit by international humanitarian and development aid organizations, along with public and private donors, to help reposition education as a priority on the humanitarian agenda, usher in a more collaborative approach among actors on the ground and foster additional funding to ensure that every crisis-affected child and young person is in school and learning.

ECW positions education strongly on the humanitarian agenda and advocates for quality education that is inclusive and integrated with protection for communities and learning spaces in emergencies and protracted crises. Embedded within the United Nations system, ECW adheres to and ensures that safeguarding standards, including protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) and Sexual Harassment (PSH), are applied throughout its investments.

Its orientation towards safeguarding is informed by, inter alia, the strategy to prevent and respond to sexual exploitation and abuse across the United Nations system, and Security Council Resolution 2272 (2016) addressing sexual exploitation and abuse in peace operations. ECW also aligns with UNICEF as its host institution regarding HR, legal, finance and administrative policies and procedures, and with safeguarding efforts undertaken by members of its governance body. As a fund investing in tackling challenges of access to education for children and youth in emergencies and protracted crises, ECW recognizes its responsibility to drive up PSEA, PSH and child safeguarding standards and practice and ensure a ‘do no harm’ approach. Action on safeguarding is aligned to UNICEF’s Safeguarding Policy 2024 and other strategies and frameworks in ECW, including the gender strategy and the risk management framework.

How can you make a difference? 

The purpose of the assignment is to undertake UN PSEA assessments of ECW grantees that are CSOs. It is anticipated that each PSEA assessment will take 2 days to complete and will involve the specific tasks detailed in deliverable 1 below. Consultants should expect to have gaps between working days to allow for CSO grantees to respond to requests for information. This consultancy is therefore best suited to consultants who are willing and able to work on a flexible basis. ECW’s Risk & Compliance Manager will be the formal supervisor for both consultants. However, the consultants should expect to work very closely with ECW’s senior consultant for Safeguarding for additional guidance and advice where necessary.

DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNMENT

Deliverables

Description

Estimated number of days

Deadline/timeline

Deliverable 1: Conduct PSEA Assessments (as directed by ECW)

1. Send tasking instructions to the ECW grantee.
2. Review the self-assessment of the ECW grantee and supporting documents.
3. Conduct a formal PSEA assessment and complete ECW’s PSEA assessment due diligence sheet.
4. Recommend areas for capacity strengthening.
5. Agree with ECW on the outcomes of the formal PSEA assessment.
6. Communicate with the ECW grantee the results of ECW’s PSEA assessment and agree on next steps.
7. Prepare a Capacity Strengthening Implementation Plan (CSIPs) (if needed).
8. Ensure all relevant fields in the UNPP PSEA module are completed when undertaking a PSEA assessment.
9. Update ECW’s internal safeguarding databases when a PSEA Assessment is undertaken.
10. Track progress made by ECW grantees to meet the requirements of UN PSEA Assessments (including CSIPs).

60 

(2 days x 30 assessments)

31 December 2025

 

Each PSEA assessment should be completed within 2 months from the time it is initiated. Deliverable 2: Conduct ECW Child Safeguarding (CSG) Capacity Assessments

1. Conduct an ECW CSG assessment and complete ECW’s due diligence sheet. This includes sending instructions to the ECW grantee and reviewing the self-assessment of the ECW grantee and supporting documents.
2. Recommend areas for capacity strengthening.
3. Update ECW’s internal safeguarding database when an ECW Child Safeguarding Assessment is undertaken.

 

 

4