Posting Title: Consultant to Develop Tailor-made Training Materials for Judiciary Customer Care Desks
StaffDepartment/Office: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
Duty Station: NAIROBI
Posting Period:15 September 2021 – 23 September 2021
Job Opening Number: 21-United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime-163933-Consultant
Staffing Exercise N/A
Result of Service
• An inception report detailing the methodology for carrying out the assignment and a work plan, including timelines and itineraries for travels.
• A comprehensive report on customer care desks and workshop facilitated.
• A customer care training kit and validation workshop facilitated
• A report on two trainings of Judiciary staff
Work Location – Nairobi-based, with travel within Kenya
Expected duration – 55 Working Days between September and December 2021*Duties and Responsibilities*
1.Background of the Assignment
As the global guardian of the United Nations standards and norms in crime prevention and criminal justice, UNODC is mandated to support Member States in upholding the rule of law, promoting crime prevention and effective, fair, humane and accountable criminal justice systems. Within the framework of the UNODC Regional Programme for Eastern Africa (2016-2021), and in close cooperation with the Regional Section for Africa and the Middle East at UNODC headquarters, the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme of ROEA seek to implement these objectives through support to major justice reforms processes undertaken by East African States.
In line with this mandate the UNODC project ‘Strengthening the Administration of Justice and operationalising alternatives to imprisonment in Kenya’ aims to support the Government of the Republic of Kenya to strengthen efficiency in the delivery of judicial services, enhance coordination within the criminal justice sector and widen the use and application of alternatives to imprisonment. The project is designed to implement a part of the Programme for Legal Aid and Empowerment in Kenya (PLEAD). The Programme is funded by the European Union and targets the counties with the five largest urban centres of the country (Kisumu, Mombasa, Nairobi, Nakuru and Uasin Gishu) and seven counties of the most marginalised area within the country (Garissa, Isiolo, Lamu, Mandera, Marsabit, Tana River and Wajir).
The PLEAD component implemented by UNODC targets support to the following institutions in the justice chain (national partners):
- The Judiciary;
- The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP);
- The Kenyan Probation and Aftercare Service (KPAS);
- The Witness Protection Agency (WPA);
- The National Council on the Administration of Justice (NCAJ).
The Judiciary has since the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution been continuously improving its services to the people of Kenya. A pillar of its reforms was the Judiciary Transformation Framework (JTF) 2012-16 which provided for a stronger focus on service delivery and the establishment of mechanisms for reporting on maladministration. One of the achievements under JTF to enhance access to justice was the establishment of a customer care desk in every court station. The JTF was followed by the Sustaining Judiciary Transformation (SJT) (2017-2021) which, as parts of its effort to ensure excellence in service delivery, seeks to enhance and normalise citizen-centric services and customer care; inter alia through training on customer care.
The Judiciary is further guided by its 2019-2023 Strategic Plan. The Plan was developed against the backdrop of growing expectations by the public for the Judiciary to provide quality services. Under its overarching goal of enhancing access to justice, the Plan aims to enhance access to court services by developing and operationalizing modern customer service centres in all courts. Accordingly, customer care desks provide important services to the citizens, as they are often the first point of contact for those who visit courts and act as a link between courts and the citizens.
The 2017 PLEAD Baseline Study revealed that while there were examples of effective customer care desks, most of them were ineffective. They were manned by staff with limited information about the operations of courts, they lacked relevant IEC materials to provide to court users and some of them were located where they were not visible as well as having poor signage. Among the recommendations of the study were, therefore, to provide customer care desks with IEC materials and to conduct training of relevant staff so that the desks could provide relevant information to court users.
In consequence, PLEAD seeks to provide support to the vision of the Judiciary of having effective customer care desks and thus enhance access to justice for the citizens. This, inter alia, entails having staff who can swiftly and effectively respond to the needs of customers, including attending to inquiries and addressing complaints.
2.Purpose of the assignment
The assignment aims, on the one hand, to identify ways and means to increase the effectiveness of customer care desks in courts and, on the other hand, to design training materials for staff who man the customer care desks and deliver two trainings using the training materials developed. This is to allow the Judiciary to improve the services provided to citizens and improve their access to justice.
3.Specific tasks to be performed by the consultant
The consultant will work under the overall supervision of the Regional Representative, direct supervision of the Head of the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme UNODC ROEA and in close technical cooperation with Programme and Associate Programme Officers of PLEAD, and within the framework of the UNODC Regional Programme for Eastern Africa (2016-2021).
The consultant shall perform the following tasks:
a) Development of an inception report
The consultant shall develop an inception report for approval by UNODC detailing the methodology for carrying out the assignment and a work plan, including timelines and itineraries for travels.
As part of the process to develop the inception report the consultant shall review the key manuals and policies applicable to customer care desks. The report shall also describe the consultations already undertaken with the Human Resource Management and Development Directorate of the Judiciary.
b) Development of a comprehensive report on customer care desks
Following a desk review of applicable materials and field visits to court stations in at least four PLEAD focal counties the consultant shall develop a comprehensive report on customer care desks.
As part of the field work, the consultant shall collect the views of court users. Including their views on what information should be provided to them and gaps in the services currently provided. The consultant shall make efforts to include the views of women, youths/children and people with disabilities, and stipulate their experiences in the report. In addition, the field work should include interviews with staff of customer care desks with the aim of understanding their perception and experiences of assisting court users.
The report shall include references to relevant reports by the Judiciary on customer care and service delivery. It shall highlight good practices developed at various court stations to assist court users. It should also consider the relevant manuals and guidelines developed by the Judiciary as well as those of the Government of Kenya. As part of the development of the report, the consultant shall collect copies of records which are kept in customer care desks (ie which data is currently collected), any relevant statistics and feedback already collected at various court stations and office of respective Registrars of the Courts (Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, High Court, Employment & Labour Relations Court, Environment & Land Courts.
The report on customer care desks shall include recommendations on how to improve service delivery, increase the effectiveness, efficiency and impact of the services provided to court users. In this respect, the report shall guide on the minimal resources required in terms of human resources and equipment to operate an effective customer care desk. It shall also give recommendations in terms of IEC materials to be provided and how to make the customer care desks more accessible. If necessary, the report shall propose the formal adoption of processes and templates to support the operations of customer care desks. In addition, it shall consider how the effectiveness of customer care desks should be evaluated in the future, such as through customer satisfaction/feedback surveys.
As part of the development of the report on customer care desks, the consultant shall facilitate a two-day workshop with stakeholders which shall be dedicated to reviewing and improving the report on customer care desks.
c) Development of customer care training kit
The consultant shall develop a training kit to support the delivery of a three-day course for customer care staff. The kit should include a layout of the course (including a class schedule), succinct instructions for the delivery of the course and training materials for the staff who will undertake the course. The overall aim of course shall be to improve the experience of litigants and their access to justice.
The training materials should be designed in such a way that they can serve as reference materials in the day to day operations of customer care desks.
The trainings materials shall provide references to the relevant policies, statutes and guidelines. In particular, the materials shall provide an overview of the content of policies which safeguard the rights of litigants and accused persons – such as the bail and bond policy. The materials shall also explain court procedures and outline the mandate and functions of the different criminal justice actors.
The training materials shall provide guidance on the use of ICT resources – such as the Judiciary’s Case Tracking System (CTS). The materials shall also serve to make staff conversant in applicable processes, such as handling of complaints and correct way of paying fees.
Furthermore, the training materials shall cover general principles of customer care, including:
- Reliability – ability to perform service dependably and accurately.
- Responsiveness – willingness to help customers and provide prompt service.
- Assurance – courtesy, knowledge and ability of employees to inspire trust and confidence.
- Empathy – caring and individualized attention to the court user.
The consultant shall facilitate a one-day validation workshop for the training kit.
d) Delivery of two 3 day training courses for customer care staff
- Following the development of the customer care training kit the consultant shall deliver two 3 day training courses for customer care desks. The trainings should inspire to improve the ability of staff to provide prompt service and enhance empathy by making staff competent enough to deliver the required services while having the best interest of the court user at heart.
The consultant shall submit a succinct report on the delivery of the training courses. The report shall highlight any challenges encountered.
Qualifications/special skills
Academic Qualifications: An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in communications, international relations, public administration or other relevant discipline is required. A first-level university degree in similar fields in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Experience:
- At least 10 years of professional experience in developing training materials on customer care is required.
- Work experience within the justice sector in Kenya is desirable.
- Work experience in providing training for justice agencies is desirable.
Language: English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this position, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another United Nations official language is an advantage.
The consultant shall perform the following tasks:
a) Development of an inception report
The consultant shall develop an inception report for approval by UNODC detailing the methodology for carrying out the assignment and a work plan, including timelines and itineraries for travels.
As part of the process to develop the inception report the consultant shall review the key manuals and policies applicable to customer care desks. The report shall also describe the consultations already undertaken with the Human Resource Management and Development Directorate of the Judiciary.
b) Development of a comprehensive report on customer care desks
Following a desk review of applicable materials and field visits to court stations in at least four PLEAD focal counties the consultant shall develop a comprehensive report on customer care desks.
As part of the field work, the consultant shall collect the views of court users. Including their views on what information should be provided to them and gaps in the services currently provided. The consultant shall make efforts to include the views of women, youths/children and people with disabilities, and stipulate their experiences in the report. In addition, the field work should include interviews with staff of customer care desks with the aim of understanding their perception and experiences of assisting court users.
The report shall include references to relevant reports by the Judiciary on customer care and service delivery. It shall highlight good practices developed at various court stations to assist court users. It should also consider the relevant manuals and guidelines developed by the Judiciary as well as those of the Government of Kenya. As part of the development of the report, the consultant shall collect copies of records which are kept in customer care desks (ie which data is currently collected), any relevant statistics and feedback already collected at various court stations and offices of respective Registrars of the Courts (Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, High Court, Employment & Labour Relations Court, Environment & Land Courts.
The report on customer care desks shall include recommendations on how to improve service delivery, increase the effectiveness, efficiency and impact of the services provided to court users. In this respect, the report shall guide on the minimal resources required in terms of human resources and equipment to operate an effective customer care desk. It shall also give recommendations in terms of IEC materials to be provided and how to make the customer care desks more accessible. If necessary, the report shall propose the formal adoption of processes and templates to support the operations of customer care desks. In addition, it shall consider how the effectiveness of customer care desks should be evaluated in the future, such as through customer satisfaction/feedback surveys.
As part of the development of the report on customer care desks, the consultant shall facilitate a two-day workshop with stakeholders which shall be dedicated to reviewing and improving the report on customer care desks.
c) Development of customer care training kit
The consultant shall develop a training kit to support the delivery of a three-day course for customer care staff. The kit should include a layout of the course (including a class schedule), succinct instructions for the delivery of the course and training materials for the staff who will undertake the course. The overall aim of course shall be to improve the experience of litigants and their access to justice.
The training materials should be designed in such a way that they can serve as reference materials in the day to day operations of customer care desks.
The training materials shall provide references to the relevant policies, statutes and guidelines. In particular, the materials shall provide an overview of the content of policies which safeguard the rights of litigants and accused persons – such as the bail and bond policy. The materials shall also explain court procedures and outline the mandate and functions of the different criminal justice actors.
The training materials shall provide guidance on the use of ICT resources – such as the Judiciary’s Case Tracking System (CTS). The materials shall also serve to make staff conversant in applicable processes, such as handling of complaints and correct way of paying fees.
Furthermore, the training materials shall cover general principles of customer care, including:
- Reliability – ability to perform service dependably and accurately.
- Responsiveness – willingness to help customers and provide prompt service.
- Assurance – courtesy, knowledge and ability of employees to inspire trust and confidence.
- Empathy – caring and individualized attention to the court user.
The consultant shall facilitate a one-day validation workshop for the training kit.
d) Delivery of two 3 day training courses for customer care staff
Following the development of the customer care training kit, the consultant shall deliver two 3 day training courses for customer care desks. The trainings should inspire to improve the ability of staff to provide prompt service and enhance empathy by making staff competent enough to deliver the required services while having the best interest of the court user at heart.
The consultant shall submit a succinct report on the delivery of the training courses. The report shall highlight any challenges encountered.
Qualifications/special skills
Academic Qualifications: An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in communications, international relations, public administration or other relevant discipline is required. A first-level university degree in similar fields in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Experience:
- At least 10 years of professional experience in developing training materials on customer care is required.
- Work experience within the justice sector in Kenya is desirable.
- Work experience in providing training for justice agencies is desirable.
Language: English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this position, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another United Nations official language is an advantage.
No Fee
THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.
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