Consultant - Development of Best Interest Procedure (BIP) Guidelines at the International Organization for Migration (IOM)

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) - Established in 1951, IOM is the leading inter-governmental organization in the field of migration and works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners. IOM is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It does so by providing services and advice to governments and migrants.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Consultant - Development of Best Interest Procedure (BIP) Guidelines for Migrant Children.

CFCV No. : CFCV2022/57
Location: Lagos
Organizational Unit: Migration Management (MM)
IOM Classification: Consultant
Type of Appointment: Consultant, 5 Months
Estimated Start Date : As soon as possible

Objective

• To address these child protection challenges at national and state level, IOM, under The Cooperation on Migration and Partnerships to Achieve Sustainable Solutions (COMPASS) project, is supporting the Federal Government of Nigeria to develop harmonized Best Interests Procedure guidelines (best interests’ assessment (BIA), and best interests’ determination (BID)) for vulnerable Child Migrants in Nigeria. 
• The guidelines will also factor in the similar processes for vulnerable adults unable to make decisions due to medical and mental health concerns.

Context

• Driven by the demand for cheap labour, commercial sex, trafficking and smuggling, networks across borders and within the country capitalize on the economic, social, and political vulnerabilities of potential migrants to lure and exploit their victims. 
• In response to this, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has partnered with the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) to return Nigerians who were stranded in various transit countries through IOM’s Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration programme. 
• The recent outbreak and spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has further exacerbated the precarious situation of vulnerable migrants in irregular migration situations thousands of migrants are still stranded in Libya, Niger, Mali as well as the Middle East, including Lebanon and Oman. Whilst most irregular migrants originate from the South-South and South-West, recent trends point to an increase of migrants returning to the Northern and Southeast states of Nigeria, especially with respect to children and those with Health or Psychosocial concerns.
• Although Nigeria has domesticated the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and enacted the Child rights Act (2003) in 23 states, 11 states in the northwest and northeast region of the country are yet to domesticate the act.
• Relevant state and non-state stakeholders have emphasised on the need to review and revise state legislations to reflect current trends on child protection concerns, develop harmonized tools and Best Interest Procedures (BIP) guidelines for best interest assessments (BIA) and best interest determination (BID), as well as operationalize state-based policies and action plans to address the needs of children. Whilst most states of high return have domesticated the child rights act, more needs to be done to further strengthen the capacity of protection actors in providing assistance for the high number of migrant children who return unaccompanied and often have been exposed to violence, exploitation and abuse.

The BIP guidelines will:

• Formalize and harmonize the process of determining best interest and increase consistency and quality of services that significantly impact on the lives of migrant children.
• Ensure that the best interests’ principle (set out in Article 3 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child) is respected.
• Be aligned to the existing case management and child protection systems in Nigeria.
• Offer more details on how to implement BIP for vulnerable child migrants in Nigeria including for child victims of trafficking (VoTs).

Core Functions / Responsibilities

• Prepare a mapping strategy and inception report detailing the modalities and methodology of the BIP guideline development exercise.
• Conduct a desk review on existing literature and policy documents on existing BIP procedure including 2018 UNHCR Guidelines on assessing and determining the best interest of the child, 2011 UNHCR handbook for the implementation of BID Guideline, 2010 save the children Toolkit for Decision making and other relevant documents that relate to BIP for vulnerable children including VoT’s.
• Draft and develop guidelines for BIP.
• Support the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs with the establishment of BID panel at national level.
• Assist in the facilitation of a three-day validation workshop on the draft guidelines.
• The guidelines should be reviewed and endorsed by the established National BID panel, IOM and the Federal
• Ministry of Women Affairs including UNICEF, UNHCR, Save the Children, and SOS Children’s villages.

Tangible and measurable outputs of the work assignment:
First deliverable:

• Inception report
• Desk Review
• Monitoring and Evaluation framework
• Mapping Matrix for stakeholders
• Development of draft BIP guidelines (BID&BIA)

Second deliverable:

• Present draft BIP guidelines (BID&BIA) to IOM and FMWA
• Convene consultative meetings with child protection stakeholders to present the draft guidelines
• Share revised BIP guidelines incorporating feedback from stakeholders
• Convening the Review meeting of the revised BIP guidelines

Third deliverable:

• Validation of BI processes guidelines
• Piloting and finalization of the guidelines

Final deliverable:

• Develop training materials (BIP training manual/training protocols)) for Training of Trainers (ToT) and subsequent training of partners on the newly developed guidelines
• Conduct training on BIP for the National BID panel Performance indicators for the evaluation of results
• One Inception report submitted
• One desk review submitted
• One Monitoring and Evaluation framework developed
• One Mapping Matrix for stakeholders conducted
• BIP (BIA&BID) Guidelines developed and presented to IOM FMWA
• One consultative meeting organised
• One review meeting organised
• BIP (BIA&BID) training manual and protocol for ToT developed
• TOT on BIP conducted

Required Qualifications, Experience and Skills

• Five years’ experience in child protection programming, working with vulnerable groups (Persons Living with Disabilities, Persons with MHPSS and medical concerns) migration management, trafficking in persons, smuggling of migrants, Health interventions, and Gender programming.
• Advanced University Degree in any of these fields: Social work, Human Rights, International Development, Development Studies, Economics, International Relations, Law with specialization in international human rights law
• Experience in developing standard operating procedures and guidance documents with Government institutions. Experience with developing child protection (Case management, Child friendly justice, Family Law, Child friendly social services or alternative care) documents or protection tools or guidance documents is an advantage.
• Experience in structurally formulating and conducting assessments, with skills in organizing focus group discussions.
• Experience in developing training modules/materials and delivering training is required
• Experience in leading and conducting Qualitative and Quantitative Research in Nigeria and West Africa
• Experience in liaising with governmental authorities, other international/national institutions, and bodies.
• Previous working experience in the West African region or Nigeria desirable.
• Proven ability to write concise reports in English and facilitation skills highly desirable
• Excellent Microsoft Package skills and ability to take notes/drafts and produce high-quality written reports.
• Motivated, committed, responsible, and able to work independently with limited direct supervision.
• Proficiency in data collection, analysis and interpretation using various statistical packages such as Stata or SPSS

Languages:

• Fluency in English; Knowledge of multiple / Local languages advantageous.

Travel required:

• Possible travel to Edo, Delta, Abuja, and other states in Nigeria if required.

Required Competencies:
Values:

• Inclusion and respect for diversity: respects and promotes individual and cultural differences; encourages diversity and inclusion wherever possible.
• Integrity and transparency: maintain high ethical standards and acts in a manner consistent with organizational principles/rules and standards of conduct.
• Professionalism: demonstrates ability to work in a composed, competent, and committed manner and exercises careful judgment in meeting day-to-day challenges.

Core Competencies - behavioural indicators:

• Teamwork: develops and promotes effective collaboration within and across units to achieve shared goals and optimize results.
• Delivering results: produces and delivers quality results in a service-oriented and timely manner; is actionoriented and committed to achieving agreed outcomes.
• Managing and sharing knowledge: continuously seeks to learn, share knowledge and innovate.
• Accountability: takes ownership for achieving the Organization’s priorities and assumes responsibility for own action and delegated work.
• Communication: encourages and contributes to clear and open communication; explains complex matters in an informative, inspiring, and motivational way.

Application Closing Date
30th May, 2022.