National Consultant to Strengthen Service Providers’ Capacity in Case Conference Management/ Home Based with field visits

Background/Context:

UN Women (UNW), grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security. Placing women’s rights at the centre of all its efforts, the UN Women leads and coordinates the United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

UN Women’s triple mandate, along with its global network and deep policy and programming expertise, continues to endow the Entity with a unique capacity to: (i) support Member States to strengthen global norms and standards for gender equality and women’s empowerment, and mainstream gender perspectives in other thematic areas; (ii) promote coordination and coherence across the UN system to enhance accountability and results for gender equality and women’s empowerment; and (iii) undertake operational activities to support Member States, upon their request, in translating global norms and standards into legislation, policies and strategies at country level.

UN Women plays an innovative and catalytic role in the State of Palestine since its inception in 1997 (as UNIFEM). In line with the national priorities, the work of UN Women for the period 2023-2025 is aligned with three of the Palestine United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework’s (UNSDCF) outcomes:

• Palestinians have greater access to economic opportunities that are inclusive, resilient, and sustainable, including decent employment and livelihoods opportunities in an empowered private sector.
• Palestinians, including the most vulnerable, have equal access to sustainable, inclusive, gender responsive and quality social services, social protection, and affordable utilities.
• Palestinian governance institutions, processes, and mechanisms at all levels are more democratic, rights-based, inclusive, and accountable.

Its three-year Strategic Note supports the efforts to achieve measurable results in country in terms of four UN Women global Strategic Plan impacts (2022-2025): (SP Impact 1). Governance and participation in public life; (SP Impact 2). Women’s Economic Empowerment; (SP Impact 3). Ending Violence Against Women and Girls and; SP Impact 4. Women peace and security, Humanitarian & Disaster Risk Reduction.

In line with the Palestinian Government’s commitment to achieve gender equality and combat Violence Against Women (VAW), and in full partnership with the Justice, Security and Social Sectors, UN Women within its joint programme with UNDP and UNICEF- “ Reinforcing equal access to justice for all Palestinians - SAWASYA III” is supporting the justice, security and social institutions to mainstream gender into their plans, procedures and policies, and establish/ provide gender responsive services to women victims and survivors of violence, and women in conflict with the law.

During the second phase of its joint rule of law programme, “Sawasya II,” UN Women supported the Ministry of Social Development (MoSD) in revising the Case Conference Manual to ensure its alignment with the rights and needs of women with disabilities.

Building on this foundation, UN Women, under the third phase of the programme, “Sawasya III” continued its support to the Ministry and other partners within the National Referral System (NRS), to ensure the efficiency and gender- responsiveness of the case management processes. The support included amongst others; targeted capacity-building support to social counselors (women’s protection and disability counselors), police officers from the Family and Juvenile Protection Department (FJPD) at the PCP and sharia prosecution on gender responsive and disability -inclusive management of cases of women with disabilities victims and survivors of violence.

While these efforts have contributed to strengthening the institutional framework and enhancing the capacities of service providers, there remains an ongoing need to review and analyze processes, procedures, and practices. This is essential to better understand how these frameworks are applied in practice, particularly in the context of case conferences for women with disabilities. The review and analysis will examine how coordination mechanisms, the distribution of roles and responsibilities, and the level of complementarity among service providers—particularly women’s protection counselors and disability inclusion counselors—are implemented in practice, as well as their impact on the quality, consistency, and effectiveness of services and support provided across all phases of the case conference process.

In this context, UN Women seeks to engage a qualified national consultant to conduct a structured review and analysis of at least five case conference files related to women with disabilities (within an agreed timeframe). The assignment aims to identify good practices, gaps, opportunities, challenges, and areas for improvement, and to generate evidence-based recommendations to strengthen the efficiency, effectiveness, coordination, and gender and disability-responsiveness of case conference phases.

Objectives of the Assignment:

The objectives of the assignment are to conduct a structured analytical review of at least five case conference files related to women with disabilities within an agreed timeframe. The review aims to assess the efficiency, effectiveness, gender responsiveness and inclusivity of the case conference processes and procedures. Additionally, the analysis will examine the level of complementarity and cooperation resulting from the division of roles and responsibilities between women’s protection counselors and disability inclusion counselors at the MoSD. The assignment will further identify good practices, gaps and challenges, opportunities for improvement, priority areas for action, and key lessons learned.

This review is intended to support strengthening case management practices and enhancing coordinated, inclusive, and gender-responsive service delivery for women with disabilities.

The consultant will be reporting to UN Women Sawasya III Rule of law and Protection Specialist and will be supported by the Prosecution and Inclusion Analyst, in addition to the CSO support and Finance Associate who will be the point of contact on the contract and payment issues.

Description of Responsibilities/Scope of Work

Developing the inception report:

• To meet with UN Women’s technical team and the Ministry of Social Development (MoSD), including the Head of the Women and Gender Unit and the General Directorate for Persons with Disabilities, to discuss and agree on the assignment’s objectives, methodology, tools, and key deliverables, as well as modalities for accessing case conference files and relevant data.
• To develop and submit an inception report detailing the report’s structure, methodology, including a mixed methods approach comprising a review of case conference files, key informant interviews and/or consultations with relevant service providers, decision-makers, and, where feasible and appropriate, consultations/ interviews with women with disabilities survivors of violence, in a manner grounded in informed consent and guided by ethical and do- no- harm principles. The inception report should also present the analytical framework, sampling approach, data collection tools, assessment criteria and methods for assessing efficiency, effectiveness, responsiveness inclusivity, and gender-responsiveness of services provided throughout the case conference phases.
• To develop and apply the ethics framework for review and analysis in line with UN Women’s policy, ensuring adherence to principles of confidentiality, privacy, informed consent, data protection, do-no-harm, and the safe and meaningful participation of women with disabilities and other stakeholders throughout the assignment.

Implementation Phase:

1)Data collection and Analysis of Case Conference Files:

• To select a representative sample of case conference files (at least five cases) related to women with disabilities within an agreed timeframe.
• To conduct a structured review and assessment against the agreed upon criteria of the selected files.

2)Development of Analytical Report:

• To develop and submit a comprehensive analytical report, including key trends and patterns observed in case management practices. Thew report should also identify good practices, gaps and challenges, opportunities for improvement, priority areas for action, and key lessons learned.

Reporting on the assignment:

To develop a final narrative report that includes a description of the assignment, applied methodology, main findings, observations, challenges and recommendations for future related programming along with relevant annexes including the list of meetings dates and participants.

Deliverables:

The consultancy has three main deliverables:

Deliverable Expected completion time (due day) Approved inception report

2 weeks from signing the contract.

Approved draft of analytical report

2 months from signing the contract.

Approved final analytical report and approved final narrative report

3 months from signing the contract.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel:

Home based consultancy that requires field visits to partner institutions, including the Ministry of Social Development (MoSD) and its partners, in addition to possible movements between cities – if needed

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Leading by Example

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies:

https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment/application-process#_Values

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES:

• Very strong background in gender equality, violence against women (VAW), and women’s access to justice, with a solid understanding of disability inclusion.
• Strong expertise in case file analysis and assessment of case management practices, including the ability to identify patterns, gaps, and systemic challenges.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze roles, responsibilities, and coordination mechanisms within multi-sectoral case management systems.
• Strong analytical and reporting skills, with proven ability to develop clear, evidence-based findings and actionable recommendations.
• In-depth understanding of case management approaches and coordination mechanisms within the National Referral System (NRS) or similar frameworks.
• Ability to translate analysis into practical, context-specific recommendations to improve institutional processes and service delivery.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to work effectively with diverse actors, including government institutions.
• Proven ability to build and maintain effective working relationships, demonstrating responsiveness to institutional needs and priorities.
• Ability to manage time effectively, work under pressure, and meet tight deadlines.
• Consistently work approaches professionalism, integrity, and a constructive attitude.

IV. Required Qualifications

Education and Certification:

• A master’s degree in law, Public Health, Social Work, Human Rights, Gender Studies, or any other related field is required.
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• At least three years of relevant professional experience in case management of women survivors of violence, or social protection services is required.
• Demonstrated experience in working on cases of violence against women with disabilities, women’s protection and access to justice is required.
• Experience in developing analytical and assessment reports – preferably in areas related to women with disabilities is required.
• Experience in working on the National Referral System (NRS) and/or with justice and social sector institutions in Palestine is highly desirable.
• Experience with the UN system and/or international organizations is an asset.
• A sample of a relevant analytical report (e.g. case analysis reports, assessments, or studies) on women with disabilities must be attached as part of your application.

Languages:

• Fluency in Arabic is required.
• Working Knowledge of English is desirable.