Creative Associates International is seeking a consultant to serve as Early Childhood Intervention and Family Support Specialist for a potential project in Türkiye. The Early Childhood Intervention and Family Support Specialist will be working closely with Creative HQ staff, the Government of Türkiye (GoT) officials, and UNICEF representatives.

About Creative:

Founded in 1977 with a focus on education work, Creative quickly expanded its geographic footprint and technical solutions to include conflict and violence prevention, global education in crisis and conflict, governance, humanitarian assistance, and security sector reform, including disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration. We have worked in some of the most challenging and austere environments across the globe, growing deep local networks, operational know-how, and field-tested solutions. Our successes reflect people working together to realize the positive change they seek.

Description of Project:

UNICEF Türkiye’s 2021-2025 country program prioritizes an integrated approach to early childhood development (ECD), enhancing cognitive, physical, and psychological development in children. The Government of Türkiye (GoT), through the 12th Development Plan (NDP), is committed to scaling up ECD services, and UNICEF supports this by providing technical advisory guidance in the establishment of the early identification and intervention system and enhancing caregivers’ knowledge in early parenting and nurturing care.

If selected for this project, Creative will work closely with UNICEF Türkiye to enhance the knowledge and skills of staff working in the field of early childhood development (ECD) and early intervention, thereby improving access to timely, individualized, and family-centered developmental support for children and their families.

Description of Role:

The Early Childhood Intervention and Family Support Specialist will be responsible for developing and delivering training on Individualized Family Support Plans (IFSP) and an Routines-Based Interview-informed (RBI) Ecomap. He/she will create all training materials for RBIs and Ecomap protocols and create the IFSP forms to socialize with educators. This position will be hybrid, combining online work with in-person implementation in Ankara, Bursa, Mersin, Hatay, Kahramanmaras, and Gaziantep.

• Combine expertise in early childhood intervention, individual planning, identification of support mechanisms, networks of families, parenting support, and early childhood development to create learning materials for educators.
• Create and conduct trainings on IFSPs, Ecomap, and RBIs.
• Integrate considerations regarding gender and social inclusion, disability inclusion, and cultural contexts throughout trainings and IFSPs.
• Coordinate closely with team members to align trainings and target interventions.

• Advanced degree in Pediatrics, Psychology, Social Work, Special Education, Early Childhood Intervention, or related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in family-centered early intervention services, including in-depth knowledge and practical experience with RBI and Ecomap methodologies in early childhood intervention.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in content development and delivery of training programs of IFSP and Ecomap, as well as implementation of them in the field.
• Proficiency in designing and delivering training programs and ECD intervention models and standards.
• Demonstrated expertise in designing and implementing Individualized Family Support Plans (IFSP).
• Strong facilitation, communication, and coaching skills for adult learners.
• Familiarity with international best practices in early childhood intervention and family support.
• Experience working on the establishment of an early intervention system through a cross-sectoral workforce.
• Familiarity with vulnerable and refugee groups and humanitarian response.
• UNICEF or other UN experience a plus.