Purpose of consultancy:
Background and Rationale
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is committed to achieving a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person's potential is fulfilled. Central to its mandate is the promotion of gender equality and the elimination of gender-based violence (GBV), ensuring that the most vulnerable populations—particularly women and youth—have access to life-saving reproductive health services and protection mechanisms. By partnering with national governments, UNFPA seeks to strengthen community-based systems that empower individuals to claim their rights and foster resilient, inclusive environments that "leave no one behind."
The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has been instrumental in improving human capital outcomes for poor Filipino households through conditional cash transfers and social services. As participating families progress toward self-reliance and prepare for program exit, there is a critical need to strengthen community-based leadership to sustain these developmental gains. Parent Leaders (PLs) have emerged as vital figures in this transition, serving as "community connectors" who safeguard the well-being of children, women, and other vulnerable sectors. Their sustained presence allows them to model gender equality, prevent gender-based violence, address child protection concerns, and mobilize support for families at risk.
As the program continues to strengthen community-based support systems and prepare households toward self-reliance and program transition, there is a need to develop a 4Ps Parent Leaders Handbook that will serve as a practical guide for Parent Leaders in performing their roles as community advocates, support partners, and leaders in promoting positive social and gender norms, social protection, gender equality and inclusion, child protection, and community participation
To support the development of the Handbook, the engagement of a Consultant is necessary to facilitate the development process, including content development, consultations, workshops, and finalization of the Handbook.
Objectives:
The consultancy aims to facilitate the development of a Parent Leaders Handbook that will serve as a guide for Parent Leaders in performing their roles and responsibilities in the community and in supporting program implementation.
Specifically, the Consultant shall:
Scope of work:
A. Duties and Responsibilities of the Consultant
Under the overall leadership of DSWD and technical guidance of UNFPA, the Consultant will undertake the following:
1. Inception and Planning
2. Research and Consultations
3. Content Development: Develop and draft the Parent Leaders Handbook, covering key areas such as:
4. Validation and Refinement
5. Finalization and Capacity Support
B. Expected Outputs/Deliverables
The Consultant shall deliver:
Please note that if the consultant determines that additional experts or personnel are needed to complete all deliverables in this project, all associated expenses, including travel costs, professional fees, and any other related expenses, will be covered by the consultant.
Work Schedule Arrangements:
The consultancy entails a commitment to accomplish the project, commencing promptly upon contract approval. This includes consultation workshops and meetings with UNFPA and its strategic partner: DSWD. The rest of the processes can be efficiently carried out via virtual means, facilitating a flexible home-based work environment.
Duration and Delivery dates, Proposed Payment Schedule and how work will be delivered (e.g. electronic, hard copy etc.):
The consultant will be paid on a per deliverable basis, following the schedule below:
Upon submission and acceptance of:
Upon submission and acceptance of:
Upon submission and acceptance of:
A detailed project timeline, including specific deliverables and their associated deadlines, will be mutually agreed upon by the consultant and UNFPA. This timeline will be outlined in an inception report to be submitted by the consultant at the commencement of the engagement.
Place where services are to be delivered:
Final site selection will be undertaken in coordination with DSWD and UNFPA. Activities are expected to take place in Metro Manila for national-level engagements, and in Catanduanes, Camarines Sur and Eastern Samar for provincial-level implementation.
Location of Activities:
Please note that UNFPA will cover travel-related costs for the consultant (one person) only, including airfare, land transportation, daily subsistence allowance, and fieldwork-related expenses (e.g., consultations, validation activities, and training sessions), in addition to the professional fee. Any travel costs for additional personnel engaged by the consultant shall be borne by the consultant.
Monitoring, Supervisory, and quality check arrangements:
The UNFPA Gender/GBV Programme Team and DSWD-4Ps will work hand in hand to monitor the progress of all deliverables and the entire consultancy.
Supervisory Arrangements:
The project will be under the overall management of UNFPA-Gender/GBV Unit with day-to-day technical backstopping from DSWD-4Ps. The consultant is expected to work closely with both parties involved.
UNFPA and DSWD-4Ps will have frequent interactions with the consultant at various stages to:
Required expertise, qualifications, and competencies, including language requirements:
The following experience and qualifications are required for the IC:
Education:
Experience and Competencies:
gender equality, GBV prevention and response, social and behavior change (SBC), and social norm change, with a particular focus on engaging parents in transformative, rights-based programming.
Preferred Qualifications:
Please note that should the consultant determine that additional experts or personnel are required to complete the deliverables, all associated costs—including travel, professional fees, and other related expenses—shall be borne by the consultant.
Inputs/services to be provided by UNFPA or implementing partner (e.g support services, office, equipment), if applicable:
UNFPA will manage the logistical requirements for the activities outlined in this TOR, including arrangements for the venue, accommodations (as necessary), and meals. The DSWD 4Ps team will provide support for specific logistical needs, as required.
UNFPA and the DSWD 4Ps teams will also provide relevant reports, databases, research materials, and other key documents to support the implementation of the project.
Other relevant information or special conditions, if any:
Submission Requirements:
Interested applicants are required to submit the following:
At least 2 professional references

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