Job title: National Consultant on Development and Piloting of ECD Parenting Support Training Package for Primary Health Care Services and Pre-Primary Education Facilities

Job no: 594187

Contract type: Consultant

Duty Station: Ashkhabad

Level: Consultancy

Location: Turkmenistan

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

The purpose of this consultancy is to support the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan, Ministry of Education of Turkmenistan and UNICEF in developing and piloting an integrated parenting support programme within primary health care (PHC) services and selected preschool education (kindergarten) facilities. The consultant will design an evidence-based, culturally appropriate training package based on UNICEF's Early Childhood Development (ECD) guidance, the UNICEF Parenting Framework, and the Child Development Guide for Turkmenistan. The consultancy will include the development of training and facilitation materials, delivery of a Training of Trainers (ToT), piloting of parent education sessions, refinement of the package based on feedback, and preparation of recommendations for institutionalizing and scaling up the programme nationwide.

In close collaboration with UNICEF Turkmenistan, the selected consultant will be responsible for designing and implementation of:

• Review relevant UNICEF ECD, parenting, and child development guidances and assess the existing parenting support model within primary health care (PHC) and selected preschool education (kindergarten) services.
• Design a comprehensive five group-based parenting sessions’ training package for PHC providers and pre-primary education facilities, including a facilitation guide, parent education modules, practical tools, and monitoring instruments in Turkmen and Russian languages.
• Deliver a Training of Trainers (ToT) for approximately 25 national and subnational health professionals and 15 methodologists from pre-primary education facilities using participatory adult learning methodologies.
• Test the parenting support sessions through selected PHC and pre-school (kindergarten) facilities and refine the training package in Turkmen and Russian languages based on feedback and lessons learned.
• Develop supportive supervision and monitoring tools to ensure quality implementation and measure participant engagement and learning.
• Prepare a final facilitation package in Turkmen and Russian languages, implementation and scale-up plan, and recommendations for institutionalizing the programme within the national health system.

Minimum requirements:

• Education: Public health, medicine, psychology, education, social work, social sciences, early childhood development, or another relevant field.
• Work Experience: At least 5 years of progressively responsible professional experience in early childhood development (ECD), parenting programmes, maternal and child health, health promotion, social and behaviour change (SBC), education, or related fields.
• Demonstrated experience in designing competency-based training packages, facilitation guides, curricula, and learning materials for adult learners.
• Proven experience delivering Training of Trainers (ToT) and facilitating participatory training for health professionals, educators, or other frontline service providers.
• Experience developing monitoring and evaluation tools, documenting lessons learned, and incorporating feedback into programme improvement.
• Experience working with government institutions and multi-sectoral partners; previous collaboration with UN agencies or other international organizations is an asset.
• Skills: Strong knowledge of early childhood development, positive parenting, responsive caregiving, child health, and adult learning methodologies.
• Excellent analytical, writing, facilitation, and communication skills.
• Ability to produce high-quality technical documents and training materials within tight deadlines.
• Understanding of ethical principles related to working with children and families.
• Language Requirements: Fluency in Turkmen and Russian (spoken and written) is required. Working knowledge of English is an asset.

To get additional information and apply for the position, please follow the link.