Organizational Profile
Fondazione L’Albero della Vita – The Tree of Life Kenya is an organization registered in Kenya as a Trust with the aim of ensuring the wellbeing, protection and promotion of the rights of children and their families and encouraging community development.
The Tree of Life envisions a world without poverty where children can enjoy their rights; grow up in a safe environment, protected from all kinds of violence and abuse, with access to equal opportunities.
The organization has been working in Kenya since 2011, focusing on the sectors of Child Protection, Education and safeguarding of children.
The Tree of Life has been operating in the space of Juvenile Justice, Care Reform, Alternative Family Care, TVET and job inclusion for vulnerable youth, as well as improving education, Wash, nutrition and health services in the ASAL and in the informal settlements of Nairobi.
The Tree of Life has recently started a new program in Kenya in collaboration with several Kenyan Government Departments, and national and international partners. The project, entitled “RISE”, is funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) and aims at activating and strengthening formal, inclusive educational services, personal and professional development and sexual and reproductive health pathways to children and youth, both vulnerable and in conflict with the law in Kenya, focusing on the role of Government institutions, educative communities and the private sector. The proposed action is part of a framework of major structural changes in Kenya in the field of Education (reform of the education system), Protection (Care Reform) and the juvenile / child justice system (Restorative Justice, ADR).
Job Title: Consultant for supporting an Inter-Agency Technical Working Group (TWG) of the child justice system in Kenya.
Brief Description of the Role: The consultant will support the activation and operations of the TWG in coordination with NCAJ.
Giving reference to the Status Report on Children in the Justice System in Kenya, prepared in 2019 by the NCAJ Special Task Force on Children Matters and taking into consideration the ongoing reforms in education, child protection and child justice systems, the consultant will support the coordination of the technical working table that will periodically bring together representatives of different ministries and public institutions involved in education, juvenile justice and child protection in Kenya, with the aim of strengthening collaboration and coordination between the agencies, putting into practice a real inter-ministerial co-planning and facilitating the definition of roles for a better and effective management the identified needs.
The consultant will guide the process of rethinking the allocation of resources and generation of innovative proposals that correspond to the emerging needs of the sector in line with new directives and legislation on children who are vulnerable and those in conflict with the law.
The consultancy will therefore include analysing the policy making framework focusing on this specific sector, analysing the Kenyan public in relation to child justice, mapping key stakeholders and resources, supporting the technical working group with relevant materials, content and tools as well as facilitating the conceptualization of new and innovative initiatives to support the sustainable provision of education and Alternative care services for children in the justice system. This will culminate in the development of a policy document to address the identified gaps and issues. Therefore, the exploration of advocacy strategies and lobbying opportunities will be of paramount importance to ensure the realization and approval of the policy document within the project period.
Supervisor: Programme Coordinator.
Duty station: Nairobi.
Tree of Life can provide an office space to support day to day work and perform the deliverables.
Starting date: expected starting date is end January 2023.
Duration of the assignment: the consultancy should be provided over a period of 30 non-consecutive months (result-based), and will planned and distributed in accordance with a joint work plan.
Deadline for application: 5th December 2022.
Type of Contract: Contract under consultancy, as per Kenyan labor law.
Role and Responsibilities:
- Collect, review and analyse all the necessary documents and information to understand the background and context of reforms in the education, child protection and child justice sectors. This relates to CBC review, Care Reforms and a Child-friendly justice system in Kenya. – Carry out stakeholder analysis and mapping, with specific focus on the Kenyan Public, the justice system and Private Sector in Kenya, to bring out the roles and responsibilities of key actors in the funding and the implementation of child friendly justice in Kenya. – Work in strict synergy with the Tree of Life, NCAJ and partners engaged in the implementation of the RISE project within the child justice institutions. – Undertake a policy context analysis in relation to the child justice system with a focus on the provision of education and Alternative care services, the guiding principles and changing legislative environment. – Support the activation of the TWG and participation of the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health to ensure comprehensive discussions on education interventions in the child justice system and future strategic directions and collaborations. – Facilitate the building of a common vision by the TWG to be achieved in the three years of work with clear terms of reference, roles and responsibilities and a timetable as a roadmap – Support the formulation of a strategy and themes to work on independently throughout the year and jointly during the workshops – Work together with the TWG with the aim of comprehensively addressing recommendation 4 from the Status Report on Children in the Justice System in Kenya, prepared in 2019 by the NCAJ Special Task Force on Children Matters: “guarantee quality primary and secondary education and a new/expanded secondment of teachers to juvenile justice institutions by the MoE in coordination with the Department of Children’s Services” – Work together with the TWG with the aim of comprehensively addressing recommendation 6 from the Status Report on Children in the Justice System in Kenya, prepared in 2019 by the NCAJ Special Task Force on Children Matters: “strengthen children’s rights institutions through adequate budgetary resources and oversight mechanisms in order to improve conditions in children’s detention facilities and promote socio-family reintegration in accordance with the new Children Act 2022. – Facilitate the development of a policy document that proposes strategic and operational lines of action for future years, facilitating both a new structuring of roles and functions, and at the same time, explore new ways of allocation of resources to adequately support a child friendly justice system in Kenya. – Participate in the presentation of findings/ results to stakeholders in diverse fora.
Key expected Deliverables and output:
- Organize and facilitate at least 9 Technical Working Group workshops.
- 1 Document on the operating rules of the technical working group (TOR) with a joint strategic planning developed.
- 1 policy document, strategic lines and Treasury budgetary allocation proposal on Education and Alternative Family Care developed and validated.
- Press releases organized.
- Presentation of results in conferences.
Requirements
Experience
- At least 5 years of experience in policy making, child justice sector, partnership development, lobbying and advocacy, strategic analysis and development of innovative strategies
- Experience in working with Kenyan Government agencies.
- Demonstrated experiences and skills in facilitating stakeholder/working group consultations.
- Demonstrated capacity of delivering as per schedule and working under pressure.
- Experience of working with diverse teams, as well as ability to work with partners using effective interpersonal and communication skills.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required
- A post-graduate or equivalent qualification/ degree in Law, Leadership & Management, Social sciences, Development Study, Humanities or any other relevant discipline.
- An understanding of the context of Justice possibly with recent experience in Kenya and East Africa.
- Excellent research, conceptual, analytical, documentation and presentation skills.
- Excellent domain of oral and written English.
- Knowledge of AICS (Italian Agency for Development Cooperation) and other global donors is an asset.
- Ability to work independently, suggest practical solutions and follow-up effectively on decisions.
- Good planning skills, pro-activity, creativity, and ability to meet the established deadlines.
- Good organizational and facilitating skills.
- Computer skills (Microsoft office word, excel, etc.).
- Motivated by our vision of creating a world where everyone is an educator, and where Children are the key actors of human and social development, being a faithful reflection of the past, present and future of the growth process.
Other Skills Required
- Honesty and strong ethics are required in order to be successful in this position.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
- Firm belief in teamwork, gender equality, participatory approach and sustainable development.
- Planning and management skills.
Confidentiality
Employees must sign a child Safeguarding Policy and a confidentiality agreement, and may not share organizational materials without the express written permission from a supervisor.
Respect – the Tree of Life aims to always show respect and appreciation for team members, Partners and all.
The consultant is invited to submit to the Tree of Life a formal brief proposal / expression of interest for the above-described service of consultancy and a quotation / fee note.
All financial quotes should be in Kenya Shillings.
The selected Consultant will be offered lumpsum fees inclusive of all costs.
The payments will be made in approximately 3 instalments based upon outputs/deliverables specified in the TOR (under payment schedule) and upon certification of satisfactory work as per work plan and endorsed by the Tree of Life.
While submitting the EoI, the Applicant shall, in particular, ensure to attach the following:
- Recent CV , having 3 references with contacts.
- Profile of the consultant and brief proposal / expression of interest with expected fee. Applications without expected fee will not be considered.
Applicants are requested to explain why they are the most suitable for the assignment.
The soft copy application should be sent to: [email protected]
with the subject indicating: “Consultancy for Inter-agency TWG support”.
Do not attach in this phase ID documents, school or university certificates, or any other document that has not been requested.
Applications received after the deadline or incomplete will not be considered. Only short-listed candidate (s) will be contacted.
The Tree of Life is an equal opportunity employer, and respect all gender, nationality or religious affiliations.
