UNICEF Moldova TERMS OF REFERENCE. International Individual Consultancy

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1 UNICEF Mldva TERMS OF REFERENCE Internatinal Individual Cnsultancy Internatinal cnsultant t develp cncept nte and guidelines n hw t ensure access and participatin f children with severe disabilities and sensrial disabilities in educatin within the large cntext f inclusive educatin in the Republic f Mldva Duratin: 66 days, March 2016 January 2017 Lcatin: Republic f Mldva, mre specifically, Chisinau (capital city) fr main wrk and Orhei, Hancesti, Cahul, Balti, Hirbvat fr specific visits under the assignment. Outcme 1: The Gvernment addresses disparities in access t quality educatin, health, prtectin and justice services fr all children and their families. Output 5: Including all children in quality learning. By 2017, the gvernment prmtes full enrlment and retentin f all children (3-15), especially mst vulnerable, and applies new educatin standards fr learning envirnments 1. Backgrund Mldva inherited an educatin system by which children with disabilities wuld be placed in special residential schls, children s hmes, hme tuitin r kept at hme with n educatin at all. Special schls existed fr children with cgnitive impairments, children with visual impairments, children with hearing impairments, children with physical impairments. Inclusin f children with disabilities in regular schls started with spradic cases, mainly prmted by parents f children with disabilities and NGOs. With the supprt f internatinal rganisatins, civil sciety, parents and sme schls, but als because f the deinstitutinalisatin prcess, the prcess f integratin f children with disabilities in regular educatin gained mmentum and in August 2010, the Ministry f Educatin issued an rder t all the schls t pen the drs fr children with disabilities. This was fllwed by the apprval f the Prgramme fr Develpment f Inclusive Educatin in 2011 and f the Cde f Educatin and sectr strategy Educatin 2020 in These legal and plicy dcuments set the basis fr inclusive educatin. These were accmpanied by the develpment and funding f the Minimum Inclusive Educatin Package that includes resurce centres and supprt teachers at schl level. Further, the per-pupil funding frmula was adjusted t prvide fr 2% f the ttal amunt fr inclusive educatin. In rder t supprt inclusin f children with disabilities in regular schls, psts fr Psychpedaggical assistance services (PAS) were created in 2013 in all the districts f the cuntry. They assess the child s develpment, identify supprts needed and prvide guidance t schls and services t children with disabilities in regular schls.

2 In 2014, the Republican Centre fr Psych-pedaggical Assistance (RCPA) started functining and prviding methdlgical supprt and guidance t the district educatin authrities, PAS and schls n the inclusin f children with SEN, including children with disabilities, in educatin. Due t their activity during the last tw years, the number f identified and supprted children with SEN in regular schls tripled. The first t benefit frm inclusin were children with special educatinal needs (SEN) including children with mild disabilities. Children with severe disabilities and children with sensrial disabilities are still amng the mst exclude frm educatin, being kept at hme r in hmes fr children with severe disabilities, with very little r n educatin at all. Fr instance, girls with severe disabilities are in the hme fr children with severe disabilities in Hancesti, and bys are in the hme in Orhei. Children with sensrial disabilities are in special residential schls in Chisinau, Cahul, Balti and Hirbvat. Inclusin f children with severe disabilities in regular schls will nt be determined by deinstitutinalisatin. Children will cme t regular educatin institutins mainly frm cmmunities. Very few f them wuld have had attended kindergarten befre jining primary schl and few children will cme t regular institutins frm special r auxiliary schls. Their inclusin in regular schls is nt cmmn and there is little knwledge abut hw t d it best. The tw hmes under the MLSPF fr children with severe disabilities will stay fr the time being. Hwever, educatin shuld be made part f the prcess and services prvided t children whithin the respective institutins. In , effrts will be made t imprve the access f children with severe disabilities and children with sensrial disabilities t educatin. Regular schls will be guided in the integratin f children with severe disabilities and children with sensrial disabilities. The tw hmes fr children with severe disabilities frm Orhei (bys) and frm Hancesti (girls) will learn t prvide educatin t children in respective institutins, and the special schls in Chisinau, Cahul, Balti, and Hirbvat will be guided in prviding supprt t children in their transitin t regular schls. Based n the abve, UNICEF Mldva is lking fr an internatinal cnsultant t develp, in cnsultatin and clse cllabratin with the wrking grups and experts frm Mldva, the cncept nte and the guidelines fr inclusin f children with severe disabilities and children with sensrial disabilities in regular educatin. 2. Purpse f Special Service Agreement: Under the umbrella f inclusive educatin, the cnsultant will develp the cncept nte and guidelines n hw t include children with severe disabilities and children with sensrial disabilities in regular educatin institutins in the Republic f Mldva. The dcuments will guide central and lcal authrities and institutins in the rganisatin f educatin with clear recmmendatins fr different structures n what shall be dne n shrt, medium and lng term t ensure educatin f children with severe disabilities and children with sensrial disabilities in regular educatin settings. 3. Objective f the Special Service Agreement The specialist will have the fllwing majr areas f respnsibilities: Develp the cncept nte and guidelines fr educatin f children with severe disabilities and children with sensrial disabilities in the Republic f Mldva.

3 Present the glbal perspective and internatinal gd practices, applicable in Mldva tday, regarding the educatin f children with severe disabilities and children with sensrial disabilities in regular educatin institutins. The expert will have t cnsult the reprt prepared by the experts in Mldva n the assessment f the situatin regarding educatin f children with severe disabilities and children with sensrial disabilities in the cuntry. Prepare a backgrund nte n the educatin f children with severe disabilities and children with sensrial disabilities in the Republic f Mldva by revising the situatin analysis reprts prduced by the RCPA, meeting with stakehlders and visiting settings in which children with severe and children with sensrial disabilities are placed and learn. Develp the cncept nte and design the detailed structure f the guidelines ensuring that stakehlders are meaningfully invlved. Draft the guidelines and submit t UNICEF, ME, RCPA and t ther natinal and lcal stakehlders fr cmments. Finalize the guidelines taking int accunt cmments and feedback frm stakehlders. Design and lead the validatin meeting in clse cllabratin with UNICEF, ME, RCPA. Present the final versin f the cncept nte and guidelines t UNICEF. Prvide guidance t RCPA and ME f the Republic f Mldva in prmting inclusin f children with severe disabilities and children with sensrial disabilities in regular educatin institutins. Organise mnthly n-line sessins with RCPA fr fllw up n the prmtin and implementatin f the guidelines. In prviding the cnsultancy the specialist will: Cllabrate clsely with UNICEF, the Ministry f Educatin (ME) and RCPA; Lead the prcess and wrk with the wrking grups experts hired by the RCPA fr the assessment f the situatin and participatin in the develpment f the guidelines; Cmply with the requirements f the technical assignment stated in these Terms f Reference n time and t a high standard. 4. Details f hw the wrk shuld be delivered and delivery dates. The cnsultant will wrk with the wrking grups created by the RCPA and experts hired t participate in the develpment f the guidelines. The experts frm Mldva will prepare reprts n the assessment f the situatin regarding educatin f children with severe disabilities and children with sensrial disabilities in the cuntry. The cnsultant will study the reprts befre starting the wrk. The cnsultancy is planned fr 66 days, f which 16 days in the cuntry. The cnsultant will undertake tw visits t the cuntry. During the first visit, the cnsultant will meet the wrking grups and experts, meet the relevant central and lcal authrities and stakehlders, visit the tw hmes fr children with severe disabilities and three special schls fr children with sensrial disabilities. During the secnd visit, the cnsultant will present the draft cncepts and guidelines in a validatin meeting with relevant stakehlders. The cnsultant will incrprate the cmments and prpsal frm the validatin meeting and present the final cncept nte and guidelines t UNICEF in English, in electrnic frmat. The cnsultant will guide the RCPA and the ME, thrughut 2016, in the prmtin f inclusin f children with severe disabilities and children with sensrial disabilities in regular

4 educatin institutins. This will imply rganisatin f fllw up n-line sessins with RCPA (with UNICEF participatin) nce a mnth during August December The cnsultant will prepare and share with UNICEF the minutes f the meetings. The cnsultant will develp activities accrding t the schedule belw, and in clse cnsultatin with UNICEF Mldva: Objective 1. Develp the cncept nte and guidelines fr educatin f children with severe disabilities and children with sensrial disabilities in the Republic f Mldva 1.1. Identify gd internatinal practices f inclusin f children with severe disabilities in educatin with fcus n inclusin in regular schls Reprt and pwer pint presentatin n gd internatinal practices f inclusin f children with severe disabilities and children with sensrial disabilities in educatin applicable t Mldva tday 4 days, first half f March Prepare backgrund nte based n the situatin analysis n educatin f children with severe disabilities and children with sensrial disabilities in the Republic f Mldva Inputs t the situatin analysis regarding educatin f children with severe and sensrial disabilities in the Republic f Mldva 4 days, first half f March, 2016 Inputs t the agenda f the visit t the cuntry and meeting f relevant stakehlders 1 day, first half f March 2016 Agenda fr discussins with relevant stakehlders during the first visit t the cuntry 1 day, first half f March Develp the cncept nte and guidelines n educatin f children with severe disabilities and children with sensrial disabilities First draft cncept nte and guidelines 15 days, March April 2016 Final draft with incrprated cmments t the first draft 3 days, Secnd half f April Pwer pint presentatin n the final draft guidelines fr the validatin meeting

5 2 days, Secnd half f April Reprt n the validatin meeting 2 days, Secnd half f April Cncept nte and guidelines n educatin f children with severe and sensrial disabilities in the schls f Mldva in the cntext f prmtin f inclusive educatin 6 days, First half f May Objective 2. Prvide guidance t RCPA and ME f the Republic f Mldva in prmting inclusin f children with severe and children with sensrial disabilities in regular educatin institutins 2.1. Organise mnthly n-line sessins with RCPA fr fllw up n the prmtin and implementatin f the guidelines Minutes f the meeting Mnthly 12 days, by 20 th f every mnth 2.2. Organise final meeting with the ME and RCPA in clse cperatin with UNICEF Final reprt n activities and recmmendatins fr future actin fr the prmtin f inclusive educatin f children with severe disabilities and children with sensrial disabilities. By mid-january Perfrmance indicatrs fr evaluatin f results: The perfrmance f wrk will be appreciated based n the fllwing indicatrs: Cmpletin f tasks specified in TR. Cmpliance with the established deadlines fr submissin f deliverables. Quality f wrk. Demnstratin f high standards f wrk with UNICEF and with cunterparts. 6. Qualificatins/specialized knwledge/experience required t cmplete the task: Advanced university degree in the area f Special Educatin, Inclusive Educatin, Disability studies r related field At least 8 years f experience at internatinal level with develpment f plicy, strategic and methdlgical dcuments in the area f inclusive educatin

6 Demnstrated experience and knwledge f different appraches in rganisatin f educatin f children with disabilities (emphasis n severe disabilities and children with sensrial disabilities is preferred) Ability t wrk with gvernment structures at central and lcal levels Excellent analytical and writing skills Experience in wrking with UNICEF r ther UN Agencies will be an asset. Knwledge f English. 7. Submitting the prpsal Interested individual cnsultants must submit the fllwing dcuments/infrmatin t demnstrate their qualificatins: 1) Duly filled Persnal Histry Frm P11. 2) Financial prpsal (inclusive f all fees and travel expenses: internal and external and fees fr translatrs). 3) Other materials that will demnstrate candidate s expertise in prmtin f inclusive educatin with fcus n inclusin f children with severe disabilities. 8. Definitin f supervisin arrangements The selected candidates will wrk under the direct supervisin f Educatin Specialist. All activities and deliverables will be discussed and planned in cnsultatin with UNICEF. 9. Descriptin f fficial travel invlved The cnsultancy is designed fr 66 wrking days, including 16 days in the Republic f Mldva, frm February t December 2016 and will invlve tw trips t Chisinau, capital city f the Republic f Mldva, and in-cuntry trips t Orhei, Hancesti, Cahul, Balti, Hirbvat. Prir t starting the assignment, the selected candidate shall be required t underg the UN Basic Security in the Field training and certificatin (n-line). 10. UNICEF recurse in the case f unsatisfactry perfrmance: In case f unsatisfactry perfrmance the cntract will be terminated by ntificatin letter sent 5 days prir. In the meantime, UNICEF will initiate anther selectin in rder t identify apprpriate rganisatin/cmpany. 11. Supprt prvided by UNICEF: UNICEF supervisr will regularly cmmunicate with the cnsultant and prvide feedback and guidance and necessary supprt t achieve bjectives f the cnsultancy, as well as remain aware f any upcming issues related t cnsultants perfrmance and quality f wrk.