Национален консултант за детско и младежко участие

National Consultant on Child and Adolescent Engagement for Validating the Key Findings of Report Card 19

UNICEF Bulgaria Country Office is seeking a consultant to conduct consultations with children and young people, with the aim of validating the key findings and recommendations of Report Card 19.

Since 2000, the UNICEF Innocenti Report Card series has focused on the rights and well-being of children in the countries of the European Union (EU) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) – some of the world’s wealthiest countries. The reports have delved into critical questions such as: How many children live in poverty in rich countries? What are the inequalities that children experience at school? What are children’s living conditions? How many children have access to clean, green play spaces? What is the state of children’s mental health in today’s world?

Report Card 19 analysis recent trends in child well-being over a five-year period relating to the same six key indicators that were at the core of Report Card 16 published in 2020: life satisfaction, adolescent suicide, child mortality, overweight, academic proficiency and social skills. It seeks to understand the reasons for these trends and how they can inform actions to improve child well-being. The report presents a mixed picture. Over the past 25 years, there have been notable improvements in child well-being in this group of countries: steady decline in child mortality, overall reduction in adolescent suicide and increase in school completion rates.

But the last five years have shown warning signs in deteriorating life satisfaction and falling academic skills in most countries. Obesity rates are also rising. This combination of trends presents a major challenge to EU/OECD countries in providing children with the conditions for a good childhood and a positive future. The report shows that the hard-won progress in child well-being in this group of countries is becoming increasingly vulnerable to global events and shocks.

One of the key recommendations for addressing the negative trends is the engagement of children and adolescents in discussions on child-wellbeing. Understanding children’s experiences, listening to their views and ideas and working with them are essential steps to finding solutions that will promote child well-being. With this purpose, UNICEF Bulgaria intends to hire an external consultant to support collecting and understanding children’s views and ideas on this topic.

The consultant is expected to carry out the following tasks:

1. Conduct up to two consultations with children and adolescents in various locations.

2. Prepare a comprehensive report summarizing the key findings, recommendations, and notable quotes from the consultations.

3. Create a concise two-page summary for dissemination to national institutions and the public.

4. Facilitate a public event with young people and different stakeholders.

5. Prepare a short report summarizing the key results and recommendations from the public event.

The assignment is envisaged to take place from 23 June 2025 through 31 December 2025, and shall not exceed 20 working days. 

Qualification Requirements:

• An advanced university degree in Social Sciences, Psychology, Education, Child Development, or a related field.
• Proven experience in moderating or facilitating consultations, workshops, or focus groups, particularly with children and adolescents.
• Experience working with international organizations, NGOs, or government agencies, preferably in the field of child rights and wellbeing.
• Strong facilitation and moderation skills, with the ability to engage and communicate effectively with children and adolescents.
• Excellent report writing skills, with the ability to synthesize information and present findings clearly and concisely.
• Strong organizational and time management skills, with the ability to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines.
• Understanding of child rights, and issues related to child wellbeing.

Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications by 20 June 2025 to the following e-mail address [email protected], indicating they are applying for “National Consultant on Child and Adolescent Engagement for Validating the Key Findings of Report Card 19”. The applicants should provide a CV in English, a proposed fee for the assignment in Bulgarian leva, as well as any additional supporting documents relevant to the application. Only short-listed applications will be moved to the next stage.