National consultant to develop a parent/Caregiver CSE guidance Manual and Technical Handover Package

Purpose of consultancy:
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) partners with the Government of the Republic of Mauritius to empower adolescents and young people to achieve their full potential, safeguard their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), and build healthy, respectful futures. Out-of-school adolescents face severe vulnerabilities, including high rates of unintended pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), HIV, substance abuse, digital risks, date rape, and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).

In response to these challenges, UNFPA supported the adaptation and roll-out of the Comprehensive Sexuality Education Manual for Out of School Young People in the Republic of Mauritius (comprising a Facilitator's Manual, Participant's Workbook, and Training of Trainers Facilitator's Guide). Aligned with UNESCO's International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education (ITGSE) and the Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) Ministerial Commitment, the national package addresses two distinct age
cohorts (10–14 years and 15–20+ years) through low-tech, highly interactive participatory methodologies across three core pillars:
 

Section 1: Who Am I?: Focuses on personal identity, values and rights, adolescent growth and development, sexual and reproductive anatomy, body image, self-confidence, and challenging restrictive gender roles.
Section 2: Where Am I Going?: Focuses on future planning, setting short- and long-term goals, navigating peer pressure, managing media/social media influences, and building healthy, consensual relationships.
Section 3: How Do I Get There?: Focuses on decision-making regarding pregnancy prevention, modern contraception, STI/HIV prevention and care, consent, and protection from sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).

While trained youth educators and community facilitators deliver these sessions in out-of-school community spaces, evidence consistently demonstrates that intergenerational dialogue and parent-child communication (PCC) serve as a critical protective factor. Open, supportive communication at home reinforces positive health behaviors, delays sexual debut, and improves self-esteem. However, parents and caregivers frequently experience embarrassment, fear, cultural taboos, or a lack of factual information when discussing sexuality with their children. To bridge this gap, UNFPA requires the services of a qualified National Consultant to develop a culturally sensitive,
practical Parent/Caregiver CSE Guidance Manual and accompanying Technical Handover Package to support the national roll-out.
 

Throughout the assignment, the Consultant will apply a Gender-Transformative and Rights-Based Approach. Rather than drafting content from scratch, the Consultant will adapt proven regional parent-child communication methodologies and map them directly onto the Mauritian Out-of-School CSE curriculum and national legal framework.

Description of services:

The Consultant will be specifically responsible for the following tasks: 

● Conduct a targeted desk review of the Mauritian Out-of-School CSE manual suite, the Children's Act 2020, and regional PCC tools (UNESCO Our Talks, regional PCC manuals).
● Facilitate consultations with Ministry leads, parent groups, youth representatives, and CSOs across Mauritius and Rodrigues to identify communication barriers and parent information needs.
● Draft the 5-module Parent CSE Guidance Manual (40–50 pages maximum) aligned with Sections 1, 2, and 3 of the national out-of-school CSE curriculum.
● Draft a condensed 4-page Parent Quick-Reference Pocket Guide with practical communication tips, emergency helplines, and youth health service referral maps.
● Embed critical national legislative protections into the parent manual, specifically including the Children's Act 2020 prohibiting child marriage/cohabitation under age 18, the 12-year age threshold for independent STI/HIV testing and care consent, and reporting cyber exploitation via MAUCORS (Mauritian Cybercrime Online Reporting System).
● Pre-test manual activities and messaging with sample parent focus groups in community settings in both Mauritius and Rodrigues.
● Facilitate a multi-stakeholder validation workshop to review the draft manual package with Ministry officials, CSOs, and parent/youth representatives.
● Produce a concise 3-page Technical Handover Note for Ministry and CSO leads to guide parent orientation sessions, and conduct a 2-hour technical debrief session. 

Duration and working schedule :
The consultancy will be conducted over a period of 30 working days billable, spread over a 60-to-90 calendar day period.

Place where services are to be delivered:
Home-based in Mauritius

Delivery dates and how work will be delivered:
Work delivered in electronic copy.

Deliverable 1 : Approved Inception Report detailing refined methodology, desk review summary of national CSE manuals & legal frameworks, stakeholder consultation schedule, and annotated.
Table of Contents for the Parent Manual. (7 days)
Deliverable 2 : First Draft of the Parent CSE Guidance Manual (Modules 1–5; 40–50 pages) and Draft Parent Quick-Reference Pocket Guide (4 pages). (12 days)
Deliverable 3 : Validation Workshop Report, Field Pre-testing Summary (Mauritius & Rodrigues parent groups), and Stakeholder Feedback Integration Matrix. (6 days)
Deliverable 4 : Finalized, print-ready Parent CSE Guidance Manual, Quick-Reference Pocket Guide, 3-page Technical Handover Note for Facilitators, and Completion of Technical Debrief Session. (5 days)

Monitoring and progress control, including reporting requirements, periodicity format and  deadline:
The consultant will report directly to the Head of Office, UNFPA Mauritius, and coordinate closely with the Sexual and Reproductive Health Coordinator at the MoHW.
The consultant will have Regular check-ins (bi-weekly) with UNFPA and MoHW to review progress and address challenges, and will maintain a log of activities and submit brief progress updates alongside deliverables.

Payment Schedule:
● 20% upon submission of the inception report (Deliverable 1)
● 60% upon submission of deliverables 2 and 3 together
● 20% upon submission of deliverable 4

Education:
●Advanced degree (Master’s or above) in Public Health, Sexual and Reproductive Health, Social Sciences, Health Systems, or related fields.

Experience:
● At least 5 years of proven experience in youth SRH programming, research, health needs assessments, and data analysis.
● Demonstrated experience in both quantitative and qualitative research methods.
● Previous consultancy experience in similar assignments in the health sector, preferably within the region.

Skills:

● Excellent analytical, writing, and reporting skills.
● Strong facilitation and communication skills.
● Familiarity with the socio-cultural context of the country.
● Fluent in both written and spoken English and working knowledge of French