Country: South Africa
Closing date: 19 May 2016
Background and Justification
Youth are at the core of South Africa’s development agenda. The National Youth Policy 2015-2020 is intended to lay the foundation for youth, who will shape South Africa’s future.
The policies and strategies of the National Department of Health address key issues of adolescents and young people. However, there are challenges in implementation and in tracking results at field level. These challenges are multi fold and linked with issues related to quality of services, data collation and management as well as system and demand linked challenges.
The national mid-term review of the maternal, newborn, child and women’s health and nutrition strategy outlined key highlights and recommendations for improving adolescent health outcomes including HIV/AIDS and TB in the country. Steps towards implementing the recommendations are being incorporated in the ongoing decentralized health systems strengthening work in select districts known as the 3 feet approach.
There is an urgent need and focus on adolescents in the HIV epidemic response, ensuring the scale up of access and coverage for HIV testing amongst adolescents and young people, including ensuring treatment and care when needed. Supporting adherence strategies linked with a comprehensive prevention programme will also be critical areas of work.
Over the last few years, there have also been several initiatives reaching out to adolescents through mobile technology. Several mhealth programmes are reaching adolescents and young people with key messages on health, sexual and reproductive health, including HIV/AIDS and TB.
UNICEF is a lead technical partner working closely with the National Department of Health and the respective provincial departments and district management teams towards supporting improved health outcomes for women, children and adolescents across the maternal and child health and nutrition programmes, and the HIV/AIDS and TB programmes. The focus on adolescents within ongoing programmes, understanding the current status, gaps and tracking results for adolescents will be a key area of work in the coming months.
It is proposed to hire a consultant to support the above working closely at all levels with the Government at national and with the respective provinces and district teams and partners, towards strengthening the focused response to adolescents including a comprehensive HIV prevention programme and linking adolescents to treatment and care as needed.
Scope of Work
*Goal and Objective:** Under the supervision of the Chief of Health and Nutrition, the consultant will support the focus on adolescents and young people across the continuum of care including results for HIV and TB. There is specific focus on adolescents and ensuring alignment and synergies with the ongoing 3 feet work in select provinces and districts.
Provide details/reference to AWP areas covered:
The assignment aligns with output 4 of the AWP.
Activities and Tasks: The specific tasks are:
Support the completion of the disaggregation of data for adolescents in the ongoing work with partners and available programme data at different levels (national, province, district, facility) – template to be mutually agreed on, with updating at regular intervals
Review the existing All In global tools and documents, and complete a report outlining the synergies with ongoing work in South Africa as well as available information to complete the adolescnet programme assessements for All In.
Finalize a report outlining the gaps and missing data/information using the All In tool for South Africa towards highlighting the issues and supporting the gathering of this information across stakeholders as needed.
Support the development and roll out of an integrated adolescent and youth focused HIV programme working with districts and provinces to ensure integration in ongoing work and support tracking of results for adolescents linked with the 3 feet work (focus on HIV continnuum (facility and community) as well as supporting cross sectoral coordination – improved counseling and testing, treatment and retention in care).
Provide inputs and support partners in mHealth working on adolescent and youth projects ensuring alignment with ongoing programmes.
Participate in technical working groups and forums focusing on adolescents to inform programming
Provide oversight and support to the proposed HIV prevention demonstration projects including PrEP in select sites working closely with the Government and partners.
Prepare regular briefs and contribute towards working papers, policy briefs as needed.
Support the documentation of best practices and lessons learned working closely with the agency and persons involved in documentation including the identification of these practices.
Any other tasks linked with adolescent health programming for improved service delivery platforms for adolescents as needed (as per discussions with supervisor).
Work relationships:
The consultancy involves working closely with the national department of health, provincial and district managers and partners working in adolescent health
Outputs/Deliverables:
Deliverables
Duration
(Estimated # of days or months)
Timeline/Deadline
Schedule of payment
Inception report with outline of plan for meeting the deliverables during the consultancy sharing key overview of data for adolescents nad young people in the country
1 month
1 month
Month 1
Draft report template for capturing key adolescent health and HIV data – for feedback and review
2 months
2 months
Month 2
Report outlining the synergies with ongoing work in South Africa as well as available information to complete the adolescnet programme assessements for All In.
3 months
3 months
Month 3
Progress report outlining progress with incorporation of the adolescent health component in the 3 feet work (including key data for adolescents)
4 months
4 months
Month 4
Report outlining the progress with the mHealth projects working closely with partners
5 months
5 months
Month 5
Final report template for capturing key adolescent data
6 months
6 months
Month 6
Progress report outlining progress with with incorporation of the adolescent health component in the 3 feet work (including key data for adolescents)
7 months
7 months
Month 7
Report on the implementation of the PrEP projects per site
8 months
8 months
Month 8
Documentation reports focusing on the adolescent work
9 months
9 months
Month 9
Progress report outlining progress with with incorporation of the adolescent health component in the 3 feet work (including key data for adolescents)
10 months
10 months
Month 10
Progress report outlining progress with with incorporation of the adolescent health component in the 3 feet work (including key data for adolescents)
11 months
11 months
Month 11
Final report highlighting progress across all deliverables and progress with key monitoring indicators (Agreed mutually) with regards to adolescent health
12 months
12 months
Month 12
Payment Schedule
As outlined above linked with deliverables.
Desired competencies, technical background and experience
Education: An individual with any of the following - masters degree in public health, social sciences, nursing and allied sciences
Length of relevant work experience: a minimum of seven years experience in the public health sector.
Competencies: The individual must have demonstrated ability and experience in supporting work related to adolescents linked with health systems strengthening work. Prior work in HIV and TB is needed. An understanding of the South African health system, the different levels of health care service delivery, current policies and strategies, its challenges, as well as prior experience with developing, implementing and monitoring results driven frameworks for public health programmes is required. Field experience with maternal, newborn, child health and nutrition programmes and adolescent programmes in South Africa with an understanding of field level challenges is an added advantage. Prior experience with working with the national department of health, provinces, districts and development partners will be an added advantage. An understanding or exposure to the 3 feet work in the 4 districts will be an added advantage.
Languages needed: English. Working knowledge of the languages spoken in South Africa is an added advantage.
Administrative issues
Focal point: Chief of Health and Nutrition
Conditions
The contractor will work on its own computer(s) and use its own office resources and materials in the execution of this assignment. The contractor’s fee shall be inclusive of all office administrative costs
Local travel (outside Gauteng) and airport transfers (where applicable) will be covered in accordance with UNICEF’s rules and tariffs.
Flight costs will be covered at economy class rate as per UNICEF policies.
Any air tickets for travel, will be authorized by and paid for by UNICEF directly, and will be for the attendance of meetings and workshops (if contractor is from outside Gauteng)
The candidate selected will be governed by and subject to UNICEF’s General Terms and Conditions for individual contracts.
As per UNICEF DFAM policy, payment is made against approved deliverables. No advance payment is allowed unless in exceptional circumstances against bank guarantee, subject to a maximum of 30 per cent of the total contract value in cases where advance purchases, for example for supplies or travel, may be necessary
Risks
Risk: The provincial scale up plan is dependent on the commitment and support from the respective provincial management.
Mitigation measures: discussions and agreement for scale up has already been done with the Limpopo and Eastern Cape provincial management and the national department of health.
There is full support presently. UNICEF will continue to engage with the respective stakeholders for supporting the scale up
How to apply:
Qualified candidates are requested to submit a cover letter, CV, and signed P11 form (which can be downloaded at http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/index_53129.html to safpretoriavacancy@unicef.org
with subject line “Implementation and monitoring of the adolescent HIV programming across the continnuum of care”**. Please indicate your ability, availability and** fee/rate (daily? Monthly?)** to undertake the terms of reference above.
Submission deadline: 19 May 2016
Applications submitted without the below mentioned documents will not be considered.
- Detailed Cover letter, CV and P11 form.
- Consultant fee/ rate (daily/monthly).
- Proof of medical insurance.