Achiziții de bunuri și contractări de servicii

Consultancy Title: CRS Moldova Consultant – Textbooks Author Management of Child Protection Services for Master program level

Scope: Design supporting manuals for student and teacher for training of child protection specialists in Moldova according to micro-credential curricula on Management of child protection services

Duration: February 1, 2026 - September 30, 2026

Level of Effort: Maximum 35 Days

Duty station: Remote, with periodic coordination meetings (online)

CRS Moldova point of contact for reporting and submission/approval of deliverables: Sr. Project Officer for Child Protection and Community Engagement

Close coordination with: CRS Sr. Program Manager/Strengthening Families for Thriving Children

Additional communication with: CRS Moldova Lead Consultant on Child Protection Workforce Development

About CRS

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding. Aligned with the Country Office Strategy for 2025-2027, CRS Moldova is working to strengthen Moldova’s child protection and care systems and to support communities to prevent family separation, violence and other risks to families and children. This work involves coordination among a variety of government and non-government stakeholders at the national and local levels to advance system reform and strengthen community engagement for better care.

About the Workforce Strengthening and Community Engagement for Better Care in Moldova Project

Utilizing a system strengthening and a collective impact approach since 2020, CRS supported and expanded Moldova’s commitment for all children growing up in safe and nurturing families. As one of the four demonstration countries in the global initiative Changing the Way We Care (CTWWC), CRS Moldova provided policy development support on case management and financing of social services, mobilized commitment for the transformation of all remaining residential care facilities in the country, and promoted evidence-based and cross-sectoral solutions for preventing separation, including the engagement of faith leaders and other community based actors in strengthening and supporting families. Sustaining these achievements beyond the current transformation effort requires continued support in strengthening Moldova’s child protection workforce to effectively manage cases of vulnerable children and to provide high quality alternative family-based care for children who need it, including children who suffered trauma and children with disabilities. To support these priorities, CRS Moldova launched the new project Workforce Strengthening and Community Engagement for Better Care in Moldova (November 1, 2025 -September 30, 2026). The projects aims to build Moldova’s system for training its child protection workforce, including managers with supervision responsibilities. The new training system for the child protection workforce will be developed by introducing three micro-credential courses in the university graduate curricula on (a) applied case management, (b) management of child protection services, and (c) supervision. Additional modules on management of child protection services and supervision will be developed as part of this project and will target child protection managers, ensuring that the new system applies to all positions in the child protection system and supports career advancement. To ensure full integration and Government financing, the new training program will be developed in close collaboration with four universities and two ministries - the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection (MLSP) and the Ministry of Education and Research (MER), and will be consulted with civil society organizations.

Job Summary

Catholic Relief Services is seeking a national consultant to support the development of the high quality, academically rigorous student and teacher textbooks for the micro‑credential “Management of Child Protection Services”, aligned with the Professional Master’s Program in Child Protection, the new curriculum for this micro‑credential, and the relevant national qualification and educational standards. The textbooks must also be in alliance with national and international standards in child protection and reflect international best practices in social service workforce training and covering the management, administration, delivery and quality assurance of social services for children and families.

The consultant will be responsible for:

• Conceptualization and Planning development of student and teacher textbook for Management of Child protection Services. For that purpose will develop the overall concept, structure, and methodological approach for the student and teacher textbooks on Management of Child Protection Services; conduct a comprehensive literature review of national and international policies, legal frameworks, standards of social services, qualification requirements, and best practices related to child protection and workforce development and ensure the textbook structure aligns with curriculum requirements of the micro‑credential program and the Professional Master’s program.
• Stakeholder Engagement and Validation of the concept and structure of textbooks. Will organize and facilitate consultations with relevant stakeholders (academia, practitioners, government institutions, NGOs, and professional associations) to review and validate the concept and structure of both textbooks and integrate feedback collected through consultations into the improved concept note and structural outline.
• Student and Teachers Textbooks Development on Management of Child Protection Services for Professional Master Program. Will draft the full student and teacher textbooks, ensuring that content are aligns with the micro‑credential curriculum and Professional Master’s program, reflects competencies required by the new national qualification standards is consistent with national child protection policies, legal provisions, and social services quality standards, complies with international standards and best practices for training and professional development of child protection professionals. as well as prepare all pedagogical elements, including case studies, practical exercises, assessments, teaching notes, tools, and examples relevant for both educational levels.
• Review and Improvement the draft student and teacher textbook on Management of Child Protection Services for Master Program based on inputs from: national experts (e.g., Ministry of Labour and Social Protection representatives, practitioners, academia) and international experts in child protection systems and social services workforce development. Ensure that revisions maintain consistency, clarity, academic rigor, and practical relevance.
• Finalization and Approval the draft student and teacher textbook on Management of Child Protection Services for Master Program. Deliver final, fully edited textbooks. Facilitate the formal review and approval process for the final textbooks with relevant educational and governmental bodies. Prepare and deliver a final presentation of the textbooks to stakeholders, highlighting structure, content, and alignment with national and international standards.

All deliverables must ensure alignment with the national qualification standards for child protection specialists,

consistency with the national policy and regulatory framework on child protection and social service compliance with international standards and good practices in child protection, child rights, and social services workforce training, use child-centred, and rights‑based approaches throughout all content and be validated by Professional Master program author and CRS Moldova Lead Consultant on Chil Protection Workforce Development.

Provide periodic progress updates and a final report documenting methodology, consultations, feedback incorporated, and justification of final structure and content.

Payment and Travel Expenses

Payments will be processed after completion of the following four action steps:

1. Submission of deliverable(s) by the consultant on monthly basis.
2. Submission of an invoice specific to the deliverable(s) by the consultant.
3. Approval of the deliverable(s) by CRS.
4. Approval of each invoice by CRS.

Payment will be made within 15 days after the above steps are completed.

Candidate Profile

Basic Qualifications

• At least ten years of progressively responsible experience in the field of social protection, child protection, and/or education program development.
• Minimum ten years of experience collaborating with national governments, academic institutions, and international and national civil society organizations, including demonstrated ability to work effectively with high‑level stakeholders, university leadership, and technical experts
• In‑depth knowledge and strong understanding of national and international child protection standards, including child safeguarding frameworks, competency and qualification frameworks, and national professional standards for the training and development of the social service workforce, as well as global guidelines for the training and professional development of the social service workforce.
• Demonstrated experience in designing and developing child protection policies, academic programs at the university or postgraduate level, and competency‑based curricula, including writing or co‑authoring student textbooks, teacher/trainer manuals, course syllabi, and assessment tools.
• Strong track record in curriculum pedagogy, including integration of adult learning principles, participatory methods, case-based learning, and practice-oriented instruction relevant to child protection.
• Comprehensive knowledge of social service systems and structures, including statutory and non‑statutory services, gatekeeping mechanisms, child protection case management, family support services, and alternative care systems.
• Demonstrated experience in social service management, including planning, organizing, directing, budgeting, human resource management, and supervision within child protection or family‑support agencies.
• In-depth knowledge of quality assurance mechanisms applicable to child and family services, including service standards, minimum care standards, supervision frameworks, and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Proven ability to develop and sustain effective working relationships and conduct successful advocacy with a broad range of stakeholders (government agencies, international organizations, donors, academia, practitioners, and community‑based organizations).
• Excellent planning, coordination, communication, and presentation skills, with the ability to manage complex, multi‑stakeholder processes meet deadlines, and deliver high‑quality academic products.
• Experience conducting research, literature reviews, and evidence synthesis in the fields of child protection, social work, psychology, or related disciplines, with the ability to translate research into practical learning materials.
• Strong writing and editing skills, including the ability to produce clear, structured, and academically rigorous content for both students and instructors.
• Familiarity with digital learning tools and modern instructional design approaches, including e-learning components, blended learning models, and online facilitation (an asset).

Education and Experience

PhD degree in Social Work, Child Protection, Education Sciences, Social Policy, Social services administration or a closely related field.

Extensive professional experience in the management, delivery, or oversight of social services for children and families, including system strengthening, case management, family support, alternative care, and workforce development.

Demonstrated experience in developing university‑level textbooks, curricula, or training modules on child protection, social work administration, management of social and child protection services, or related fields.

Experience conducting research and evidence synthesis relevant to social and child protection service systems, organizational management, and child and family welfare.

Required Languages

Fluent Romanian and English, both written and spoken with proven ability to produce high‑quality academic and technical materials

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (SKAs)

• Strong relationship‑building and partnership management skills, with the ability to influence, negotiate, and secure meaningful collaboration from government agencies, academia, practitioners, and civil society partners.
• Advanced strategic, analytical, problem‑solving, and systems‑thinking skills, including the ability to analyse social service systems, identify capacity gaps, and propose practical, evidence‑based solutions for strengthening service management.
• Excellent academic and technical writing skills, including the ability to produce clear, structured, and pedagogically sound textbook content, teacher guides, and other learning materials.
• Strong presentation, facilitation, training, mentoring, and coaching skills, with demonstrated ability to communicate complex concepts related to social service management to diverse audiences, including postgraduate students and adults.
• Knowledge of management principles relevant to social and child protection services, such as planning, budgeting, human resources management, supervision, quality assurance, organizational leadership, and monitoring and evaluation within child and family services.
• Highly proactive, organized, resourceful, and results‑oriented, with the ability to work independently and meet tight deadlines.
• Demonstrated commitment to child rights, equity, safeguarding, and evidence‑based professional standards in social services and education with the ability to reflect these principles throughout the textbook content.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Coordination of all consultancy meetings with key stakeholders and peer review deliverables by CRS Moldova Lead Consultant on Child protection Workforce Development, other international consultants engaged in reviewing and assistance for development of the new micro-credential program for child protection specialists at master level degree.

CRS' talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation. CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Application Form
Scope of Work
Interested candidates are welcome to apply by sending their Application form with email to procurementmd@crs.org  mentioning in the subject line the title of the position “Textbooks Author Management”.
Closing Date: February 9th, 2026.