Consultant: Subject Matter Expert to Develop a Blended Enhanced Course for Probation and After Care Service- Mandera at United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)

Duties and Responsibilities
Background of the assignment:

• As the global guardian of the United Nations standards and norms in crime prevention and criminal justice, UNODC seeks to strengthen the rule of law through the prevention of crime and the promotion of fair, humane and accountable criminal justice systems. To do this, UNODC provides Member States with expertise and advice to develop effective and responsible crime prevention strategies and policies and to build the capacity of their criminal justice systems to operate more effectively within the framework of the rule of law, while promoting human rights and protecting vulnerable groups.
• Within the framework of its project entitled “Programme for Legal Empowerment and Aid Delivery (PLEAD) in Kenya, Phase II” funded by the European Union, UNODC intends to support Probation and Aftercare Service (PACS) in the development and delivery of a blended enhanced course for Probation officers. The overall objective of PLEAD II is to reinforce the rule of law, improve access to justice, increase efficiency and accountability in the justice system, and use of technology as an enabler of justice. This support for PACS falls under outcome three of the programme whose main desired outcomes are:
• Outcome 1: The criminal justice system is able to fight corruption more effectively
• Outcome 2: Improved coordination and collaboration of the justice sector, including promoting interoperability in automation of case and information management of criminal justice systems
• Outcome 3: Increased competence, capacity and efficiency in the criminal justice system
• Outcome 4: Enhanced access to legal aid, especially for the poor and vulnerable.

The beneficiary institutions under UNODC component are nine, namely:
The Judiciary;

• The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP);
• The Kenyan Probation and Aftercare Service (PACS);
• The Witness Protection Agency (WPA);
• The National Council on the Administration of Justice (NCAJ).
• Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC);
• National Police Service (NPS);
• Kenya Prisons Service (KPS);
• Directorate of Children Services (DCS).
• PLEAD II will build upon previous interventions under PLEAD I such as: the development and roll-out of training programmes, including eLearning courses; enhanced use of alternatives to imprisonment; strengthened coordination and collaboration amongst justice sector actors; strategic planning and change management; improved court administration and case management, including e-justice solutions; mainstreaming of alternative justice systems; improving access to legal aid for vulnerable citizens; protecting the rights of children and youth in conflict with the law; raising awareness of justice services and citizen’s rights; and greening initiatives (including solar and sanitation).
• Thus, the need to equip probation officers with requisite skills to meet growing demands in the justice sector is clearly anchored in PLEAD Phase II framework under Outcome 3, Output 3.2 which focuses on Capacity building programmes developed and implemented including e-learning platforms. Hence, this proposed activity resonates well with the aspirations of PLEAD II. Continuous improvement of the capacities of officers is essential in ensuring desired outputs and outcomes are achieved in line with mandates and goals of Probation and Aftercare Service. This activity is targeting about 1,285 serving probation officers whose trainings will be implemented in phases within three years of the project cycle of the PLEAD II.

Purpose of the assignment:

• The overall goal of this consultancy is to engage three subject matter experts in probation work and eLearning content design to work jointly with PACS and Kenya School of Government (KSG) in developing an E-learning Enhanced Course Programme aimed at e equipping Probation Officers with relevant skills and competencies to meet its operational demands for effective service delivery.

Specific tasks to be performed by the consultant:

• Under the overall supervision of the Regional Representative in the UNODC Regional Office for Eastern Africa (ROEA) and the direct supervision of the UNODC ROEA Head of the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme, and in close cooperation and consultation with PACS, and KSG, the consultants will perform the following substantive duties and responsibilities:

Development of an inception Report

• The consultants will prepare an inception report which shall detail their understanding of the assignment founded on the terms of reference. The inception report will also provide detailed timelines and methodology to be applied. The timelines shall require to be aligned to the KSG Workplan.

Development of a Course Concept for the blended Enhanced Course

• In consultation with PACS and KSG, review the lessons learnt from the digitisation of the Induction Course, identify enhanced manual content for blended learning integrating eLearning format, Physical learning and Learning activities.
• Advise PACS on the content that will require practicum and instructional strategy for considerations.

Development of a blended enhanced course

• The consultants will work jointly with PACS and KSG to develop the learning objects and knowledge products including but not limited to content design and development, production of instructional videos, and video editing and integration.
• Contribute to the packaging of the course including uploading, course review, testing, dry-run and final revision of the uploaded content.
• Develop participants’ or facilitators’ support materials that will include support videos, joining instructions, and guide through the course (checklists, mind map, etc) as it would have agreed by PACS and KSG.

Training of PACS trainers on design and delivery of online trainings

• Recognizing that the implementation of eLearning programmes requires requisite skills and competencies of trainers, the consultants will work together with KSG to train PACS Training of Trainers (TOTs) on the Learning Management System (LMS) and online tutoring. The training will include aspects such as features of LMS, moderation of online forums (chats, video conferences), support for participants and generation of reports from LMS.

Reporting and other requirements

• Complete a final, comprehensive and output oriented report, submitted not later than three working days prior to the end of the consultancy.

Qualifications/special skills

• An advanced degree (master’s degree) in Social Sciences, criminology, sociology, psychology, and/ or related subjects.
• 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.
• A minimum 07 years of relevant work experience in offender supervision and rehabilitation including training is required.
• Experience in providing training for law enforcement and justice agencies and in developing policy and procedure manuals or training curricula/materials is required
• Experience in the development of the E-learning Programmes is required.
• Experience of providing technical advice to multidisciplinary teams in government or national stakeholders and international organizations is desirable.
• Work experience with a probation department/service is desirable.

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage.