Post:Technical Support to the Eastern Cape Department of Social Development to conduct a mapping of the ECD services and programmes in the Eastern Cape
Job
from UN Children's Fund
Country: South Africa
City: Pretoria
Organisation: UN Children's Fund
Theme: Protection and Human Rights
Job years of experience: 5-10 years
Job type: Consultancy
Assignment
Technical Support to the Eastern Cape Department of Social Development to conduct a mapping of the ECD services and programmes in the Eastern Cape province
Location South Africa
Duration 3 months
Estimate number of working days 90 days
Start date June 2013
End date August 2013
Reporting to
Submission deadline
Chief for Education UNICEF and the Director for Children Eastern Cape DSD
17 May 2013
Background
The Early childhood Development sector caters for the growth and development requirements of young children from birth to nine in South Africa, through meeting their needs and rights using various services and programme strategies. This involves provisioning of services such as birth registration, shelter, water, sanitation, access to early learning, health care, nutrition, parent and care giver capacity, protection, psycho social support etc. In order to further support sustainable and holist child development, specific programmes are developed and implemented to strengthen child care provisioning. Examples of ECD programmes in South Africa include the child support grant, ECD Subsidies, Grade R and ECD Expanded Public Works Programme for practitioner training. This terms of reference is therefore, designed for conducting a mapping of ECD programmes and services in Eastern Cape that are currently in operation by government and non-government stakeholders meeting the needs of young children specifically in the ECD age group of conception to five year.
Justification
The Eastern Cape’s vision for ECD is for every child from conception to five years old to have access to comprehensive and developmentally appropriate Early Childhood Development programmes and services. The government of Eastern Cape lead by the Department of Social Development is in the process of developing a provincial strategy for ECD which will enable the establishment of a multi-sectorial system of providing comprehensive ECD programmes and services. This will consist of differentiated packages of interventions that will include nutrition, health, early stimulation and child protection programmes and services some of which are already being implemented. This comprehensive approach to ECD provisioning has a lot of implications for the target groups, children, practitioners and parents and other stakeholders, such as government departments and civil society organizations. The comprehensive approach is imbedded in multi-sectoral planning, agreements and differentiated programmes and services to meet all the needs of young children in their different contexts.
In 2010 Stats SA indicated that the population of children under the age of five in Eastern Cape was estimated to be 362,000. The Living Conditions Survey 2008/2009 indicates that Eastern Cape is one of the provinces in South Africa with the highest number of children experiencing high poverty rates. After Limpopo that has 80% child poverty rates Eastern Cape comes second with 77%. Internationally ECD is one of the sectors that has been identified as the most important tool for reducing poverty and reversing the cycle of poverty and inequities, because when very young children have access to quality nutrition, health care, early stimulation, protection and human interaction, it increases their education achievement potential and improves their life time earnings and their ability to be responsible for their lives and those of others in society. Increasing access to quality ECD services and programmes is therefore critical.
The 2011 General Household Survey indicates that Eastern Cape’s access to ECD programmes for children birth to four is at 32% which is the fifth highest in the country with Gauteng (43%) as the lead. The overall national access figure to ECD programmes is 35%. This is very low when you consider the population of birth to four children which is currently at 5,685,451 million (SA Statics 2012) .The Eastern Cape’s vision is to provide quality access to ECD through various innovative modalities, such as non-centre based programmes, developing and promoting ECD Centres of Excellence and developing capacities in the communities for the care, protection and education of young children. A mapping of the ECD programmes and services operating in Eastern Cape will provide the much needed information and data to better plan for ECD provisioning through the development of the provincial ECD Strategy to improve over all the quality of the current ECD access. The mapping will also assist in helping the province to ensure that ECD access is equitable in terms of targeting all children including those excluded by geographical location, through reaching them using innovative ECD programme delivery mechanisms.
Furthermore the mapping will provide an opportunity for various stakeholders in ECD to play their role of sharing information on their participation in caring for, protecting and educating young children in their homes, community and formal early learning centres . The shared information from the mapping exercise will be a source of knowledge that will be used by the province to:
further improve the Draft ECD Strategy
develop and improve provincial ECD programmes and services
discover creative and innovative ways of setting up enriched early childhood environments
develop models for partnerships in ECD among and between , government, non-government role players, community ECD structures, schools, ECD Centres and families
Ensure that young children’s experiences are adequate and of quality in all aspects of early development.
The mapping exercise which will include geographical representation of the information gathered will provide an example in the country of Information being plotted on maps in a user friendly format. This will be used by stakeholders in ECD to access the information on what is happening in different parts of the province and to be able to make comparisons on the good practices that exist and their contribution to early development.
The mapping will also provide insights into how the provincial strategy should address local and context specific challenges in meeting the needs of very young children
Objective of the assignment
The objectives of this assignment are to:
3.1. Conduct a mapping of ECD programmes and services and analysing the types of programmes, capacity gaps, infrastructure and challenges.
3.2. Develop a provincial a database of programmes and services and dashboard for monitoring progress and managing for results
3.3. Develop ECD information packages to assist in the planning and implementation of ECD programmes and services in the province.
Scope of the Work
The scope of the work will include:
4.1. Inception Report; including detailed method, scope and study framework.
4.2. Identifying the programmes and services according to types or packages, and target groups
4.3. An indication of the geographical spread of the programmes and funding distribution.
4.4. A critical analysis of gaps and challenges in the identified services and programmes
4.5. Development of recommendations to the province and their implications on the ECD strategy for the province.
Expected Deliverables
The expected deliverables are:
5.1. A report of the mapping exercise which will include a data base of the programmes, types of programmes location and target groups.
5.2. The report must also include a geographical representation of the programmes.
5.3. The report should include the following sections:
• Executive summary
• Introduction
• Methodology
• Findings
• Analysis of findings
• Recommendations
• Conclusion
• References
• Annexure
Desired Background and Experience
Experience in results based management and the development of results based plans of actions and frameworks
Call for proposals
7.1. Proposals will be called from potential candidates who will be able to complete the assignment successfully.
7.2. The selection of the service provider will be done jointly between UNICEF and the Eastern Cape DSD ECD Committee
7.3. The proposal called for to include the following:
• How the assignment will be accomplished with detailed time-frames
• Information collection methods
• Consultation approaches and methodology
• Information Analysis approach
• A detailed cover letter, indicating the service provider/consultant, relevant experience and ability to execute the assignment.
• A detailed Curriculum Vitae of the service provider/consultant , indicating all experience and in particular experience related to the specific work assignment.
7.4. In addition to the proposal the following is required from
o individual Service Providers
o Curriculum Vitae
o Person Details form (available from UNICEF)
o Three references
o Health statement (available from UNICEF)
o Bank Details
The payment schedule will be as follows:
• 30% upon submission of work plan and inception report
• 40% on submission of draft report
• 30% on submission of final report
Conditions
The service provider will report directly to the provincial Department of Social Development, Director for Children and the UNICEF Education Specialist responsible for ECD.
The service provider will work in their own office space and use their own equipment
Any air tickets for travel, will be authorized by and paid for by UNICEF directly, and will be for the attendance of relevant meetings and workshops
Please also see UNICEF’s Standard Terms and Conditions attached.
How to apply:
Enquiries:
Please direct any enquiries to: safpretoriavacancy@unicef.org
Applications with all supporting documents (CV and P-11 form) should be addressed to: safpretoriavacancy@unicef.org with the subject line “mapping of the ECD” deadline for submission: 17 May 2013.
South African Nationals/candidates who have permanent residence/temporary residence and/or valid work permit for the duration of the contract will be considered.
If you have not been contacted within one month of the closing date, please accept that your application was unsuccessful.
Only short listed candidates will be contacted and regret emails will only be sent to interviewed candidates.
Job ID: #574194
Closing date: 17 May 2013
http://reliefweb.int/job/574194/technical-support-eastern-cape-department-social-development-conduct-mapping-ecd-services
Job
from UN Children's Fund
Country: South Africa
City: Pretoria
Organisation: UN Children's Fund
Theme: Protection and Human Rights
Job years of experience: 5-10 years
Job type: Consultancy
Assignment
Technical Support to the Eastern Cape Department of Social Development to conduct a mapping of the ECD services and programmes in the Eastern Cape province
Location South Africa
Duration 3 months
Estimate number of working days 90 days
Start date June 2013
End date August 2013
Reporting to
Submission deadline
Chief for Education UNICEF and the Director for Children Eastern Cape DSD
17 May 2013
Background
The Early childhood Development sector caters for the growth and development requirements of young children from birth to nine in South Africa, through meeting their needs and rights using various services and programme strategies. This involves provisioning of services such as birth registration, shelter, water, sanitation, access to early learning, health care, nutrition, parent and care giver capacity, protection, psycho social support etc. In order to further support sustainable and holist child development, specific programmes are developed and implemented to strengthen child care provisioning. Examples of ECD programmes in South Africa include the child support grant, ECD Subsidies, Grade R and ECD Expanded Public Works Programme for practitioner training. This terms of reference is therefore, designed for conducting a mapping of ECD programmes and services in Eastern Cape that are currently in operation by government and non-government stakeholders meeting the needs of young children specifically in the ECD age group of conception to five year.
Justification
The Eastern Cape’s vision for ECD is for every child from conception to five years old to have access to comprehensive and developmentally appropriate Early Childhood Development programmes and services. The government of Eastern Cape lead by the Department of Social Development is in the process of developing a provincial strategy for ECD which will enable the establishment of a multi-sectorial system of providing comprehensive ECD programmes and services. This will consist of differentiated packages of interventions that will include nutrition, health, early stimulation and child protection programmes and services some of which are already being implemented. This comprehensive approach to ECD provisioning has a lot of implications for the target groups, children, practitioners and parents and other stakeholders, such as government departments and civil society organizations. The comprehensive approach is imbedded in multi-sectoral planning, agreements and differentiated programmes and services to meet all the needs of young children in their different contexts.
In 2010 Stats SA indicated that the population of children under the age of five in Eastern Cape was estimated to be 362,000. The Living Conditions Survey 2008/2009 indicates that Eastern Cape is one of the provinces in South Africa with the highest number of children experiencing high poverty rates. After Limpopo that has 80% child poverty rates Eastern Cape comes second with 77%. Internationally ECD is one of the sectors that has been identified as the most important tool for reducing poverty and reversing the cycle of poverty and inequities, because when very young children have access to quality nutrition, health care, early stimulation, protection and human interaction, it increases their education achievement potential and improves their life time earnings and their ability to be responsible for their lives and those of others in society. Increasing access to quality ECD services and programmes is therefore critical.
The 2011 General Household Survey indicates that Eastern Cape’s access to ECD programmes for children birth to four is at 32% which is the fifth highest in the country with Gauteng (43%) as the lead. The overall national access figure to ECD programmes is 35%. This is very low when you consider the population of birth to four children which is currently at 5,685,451 million (SA Statics 2012) .The Eastern Cape’s vision is to provide quality access to ECD through various innovative modalities, such as non-centre based programmes, developing and promoting ECD Centres of Excellence and developing capacities in the communities for the care, protection and education of young children. A mapping of the ECD programmes and services operating in Eastern Cape will provide the much needed information and data to better plan for ECD provisioning through the development of the provincial ECD Strategy to improve over all the quality of the current ECD access. The mapping will also assist in helping the province to ensure that ECD access is equitable in terms of targeting all children including those excluded by geographical location, through reaching them using innovative ECD programme delivery mechanisms.
Furthermore the mapping will provide an opportunity for various stakeholders in ECD to play their role of sharing information on their participation in caring for, protecting and educating young children in their homes, community and formal early learning centres . The shared information from the mapping exercise will be a source of knowledge that will be used by the province to:
further improve the Draft ECD Strategy
develop and improve provincial ECD programmes and services
discover creative and innovative ways of setting up enriched early childhood environments
develop models for partnerships in ECD among and between , government, non-government role players, community ECD structures, schools, ECD Centres and families
Ensure that young children’s experiences are adequate and of quality in all aspects of early development.
The mapping exercise which will include geographical representation of the information gathered will provide an example in the country of Information being plotted on maps in a user friendly format. This will be used by stakeholders in ECD to access the information on what is happening in different parts of the province and to be able to make comparisons on the good practices that exist and their contribution to early development.
The mapping will also provide insights into how the provincial strategy should address local and context specific challenges in meeting the needs of very young children
Objective of the assignment
The objectives of this assignment are to:
3.1. Conduct a mapping of ECD programmes and services and analysing the types of programmes, capacity gaps, infrastructure and challenges.
3.2. Develop a provincial a database of programmes and services and dashboard for monitoring progress and managing for results
3.3. Develop ECD information packages to assist in the planning and implementation of ECD programmes and services in the province.
Scope of the Work
The scope of the work will include:
4.1. Inception Report; including detailed method, scope and study framework.
4.2. Identifying the programmes and services according to types or packages, and target groups
4.3. An indication of the geographical spread of the programmes and funding distribution.
4.4. A critical analysis of gaps and challenges in the identified services and programmes
4.5. Development of recommendations to the province and their implications on the ECD strategy for the province.
Expected Deliverables
The expected deliverables are:
5.1. A report of the mapping exercise which will include a data base of the programmes, types of programmes location and target groups.
5.2. The report must also include a geographical representation of the programmes.
5.3. The report should include the following sections:
• Executive summary
• Introduction
• Methodology
• Findings
• Analysis of findings
• Recommendations
• Conclusion
• References
• Annexure
Desired Background and Experience
- Degree in the Social Sciences field
- At least 5 years or more of professional experience in evaluation and research
- Experience in electronic mapping
- Excellent written communication skills in English
- Familiarity with South Africa’s ECD landscapes an advantage.
- Experience in conducting interviews and analyzing results.
- Skilled in facilitations meetings and workshops
- Experience with working in an intersectoral context
- Good computer skills including Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Internet searches.
Experience in results based management and the development of results based plans of actions and frameworks
Call for proposals
7.1. Proposals will be called from potential candidates who will be able to complete the assignment successfully.
7.2. The selection of the service provider will be done jointly between UNICEF and the Eastern Cape DSD ECD Committee
7.3. The proposal called for to include the following:
• How the assignment will be accomplished with detailed time-frames
• Information collection methods
• Consultation approaches and methodology
• Information Analysis approach
• A detailed cover letter, indicating the service provider/consultant, relevant experience and ability to execute the assignment.
• A detailed Curriculum Vitae of the service provider/consultant , indicating all experience and in particular experience related to the specific work assignment.
7.4. In addition to the proposal the following is required from
o individual Service Providers
o Curriculum Vitae
o Person Details form (available from UNICEF)
o Three references
o Health statement (available from UNICEF)
o Bank Details
The payment schedule will be as follows:
• 30% upon submission of work plan and inception report
• 40% on submission of draft report
• 30% on submission of final report
Conditions
The service provider will report directly to the provincial Department of Social Development, Director for Children and the UNICEF Education Specialist responsible for ECD.
The service provider will work in their own office space and use their own equipment
Any air tickets for travel, will be authorized by and paid for by UNICEF directly, and will be for the attendance of relevant meetings and workshops
Please also see UNICEF’s Standard Terms and Conditions attached.
How to apply:
Enquiries:
Please direct any enquiries to: safpretoriavacancy@unicef.org
Applications with all supporting documents (CV and P-11 form) should be addressed to: safpretoriavacancy@unicef.org with the subject line “mapping of the ECD” deadline for submission: 17 May 2013.
South African Nationals/candidates who have permanent residence/temporary residence and/or valid work permit for the duration of the contract will be considered.
If you have not been contacted within one month of the closing date, please accept that your application was unsuccessful.
Only short listed candidates will be contacted and regret emails will only be sent to interviewed candidates.
Job ID: #574194
Closing date: 17 May 2013
http://reliefweb.int/job/574194/technical-support-eastern-cape-department-social-development-conduct-mapping-ecd-services
