Individual Consultancy for Evidence on Norms and Standards for Residential Football Academies, Florence, Italy, OSE (Remote/Work from home) Req#591312

Contract Duration – 17 months

Working arrangement: Remote

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UNICEF Innocenti seeks a consultant to undertake policy‑oriented research to examine residential sport academies as de facto care institutions and environments for children, with a focus on residential football academies. The objective of this research will be to generate evidence‑based recommendations to inform FIFA and other global, regional and national public and private sports bodies in norm‑setting and national regulatory frameworks aimed at safeguarding children’s rights and wellbeing.

The primary objective of the research is to generate robust, policy-relevant evidence on residential sport academies, with a focus on football academies, as de facto care environments for children, in order to inform the development of enforceable norms, standards, and regulatory approaches at both global and national levels. The consultant will also work to translate research findings into concrete, actionable recommendations for policy, funding conditionalities, and oversight mechanisms, as part of UNICEF’s regulatory-shaping agenda with FIFA and national authorities. They will identify critical leverag