Research Officer at Fight for Right Ukraine

PURPOSE

Fight for Right Ukraine (FFR) is recruiting a research officer to undertake and coordinate research on advancing legal capacity reform in Ukraine. The research will contribute to the development of a larger strategy on deinstitutionalization and full inclusion of persons with disabilities in the country.

ROLE

Undertake research on laws and policies regulating exercise legal capacity in Ukraine; scan international models on supported decision making; consider community capacities and needs for supporting people in exercising the right to decide; map out a transition strategy from the current system of guardianship to a supported decision-making approach.

WHO IS INVITED TO RESPOND

FFR is recruiting a bilingual Ukrainian/English research officer with a post graduate degree and experience in policy research and analysis. The successful candidate will have knowledge of social policy in Ukraine, and experience in human rights analysis. Applicants need not be based in Ukraine; the research officer will work remotely.

FFR is committed to inclusion, diversity, and equity and encourages people with disabilities and of diverse, intersecting, and marginalized identities to apply.

Closing date: Friday, September 20, 2024

Job Posting: Research Officer, Fight for Rights Ukraine

INTRODUCTION

Fight for Rights (FFR) Ukraine is leading the development of a national strategy to ensure that all persons with disabilities are valued in society, have choices, and can live decent and independent lives in the community. The focus of this strategy is on creating the conditions for deinstitutionalization and full inclusion in the community of all persons with disabilities.

FFR is recruiting a research officer to undertake and coordinate research on one of its priority pillars for this strategy: Ensuring the right to legal capacity on an equal basis, including the abolition of guardianship and the full adoption of a supported decision-making approach.

This document provides background, terms of reference, job description, and application instructions for those interested in applying for this position. The researcher can work remotely and does not need to be based in Ukraine.

BACKGROUND CONTEXT

FFR’s deinstitutionalization and full inclusion strategy rests of four main pillars and pre-requisites:

• Ensuring the right to legal capacity on an equal basis, including the abolition of guardianship and the full adoption of a supported decision-making approach

• Development of income benefits and community-based supports to enable independent living

• Ending institutional care and transitioning to independent living and community supports
• Enabling labour market access for people with disabilities on an equal basis.

The strategy is guided by the norms and rights recognized in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The first three pillars are priorities for research and development over the coming 1.5 years. Stage 1 of this research focuses on pillar 1: Ensuring the right to legal capacity on an equal basis.

FFR is collaborating with League of the Strong, other NGOs, and an international network of advisors and supporters in developing the strategy, and its guiding ‘theory of change.’ Initial work is completed on stakeholder mapping, which FFR is considering building on. Data has been collected on types of institutions for people with disabilities, and numbers of residents. Projects are underway to assess individual needs of residents, and piloting instruments for this purpose. Preliminary research has been undertaken on needs for and models of supported independent living. Further research is needed on implementing these models in the Ukraine context, costing of institutional vs. community care, and financial modelling for the transition to community supports, and sustaining a community support system.

Cross-cutting these initiatives is the need to examine current legal and policy regimes regulating the four pillars/pre-requisites against a set of human rights and inclusivity indicators, and to consider needed law/policy changes and best practices for closing the gaps.

This concept note outlines the main tasks for the policy research agenda for the first pillar – on ensuring the right to legal capacity.

RESEARCH FRAMEWORK

Research objectives for Stage 1 – Legal Capacity

The overall research objectives are:

1. Law and policy framework – recommended law and policy reforms to implement a fully inclusive system for recognizing and supporting the exercise of legal capacity, without discrimination based on disability.
2. Community-based supports model and delivery – identification of models for supporting decision making for people with disabilities, and how these could be developed in the Ukrainian context, including for people with significant intellectual, cognitive and psychosocial disabilities, and those who may not have family or other support in their lives.
3. Transition strategy – how to transition from the current system of guardianship to a fully inclusive approach – looking at both law/policy reforms needed and community-driven strategies – and the policy and program mechanisms for this purpose.

Research Tasks

To meet these objectives, several research tasks need to be undertaken:

1. Develop the data model of benchmarks (i.e., indicators and measures) for assessing existing law and policy provisions related to the legal capacity pillar.
2. Scan existing legislation and policy provisions to identify the main sources of law and policy to be assessed.
3. Data entry in the database and scoring of law and policy provisions.
4. Analysis of findings pointing to key gaps, promising provisions, and provisions which fail to meet indicators.
5. Identify law and policy reforms needed to establish and activate this pillar for full inclusion and independent living.
6. Undertake an international scan of law, policy and best practice provisions to provide guidance for the reform process.
7. Literature scan for effective models of community-based supports for decision making and consider how to implement in the Ukrainian context.
8. Identify community capacity needs to deliver new models, and the factors and needs to consider in the conflict and post-conflict periods.
9. Focus groups with FFR members and partners for input and feedback on the benchmarks, community capacity needs, preliminary findings, and recommendations.
10. Prepare reports and presentations.

RESEARCH OFFICER: JOB DESCRIPTION

Fight For Rights/Ukraine and IRIS Institute/Canada are seeking a qualified, self-motivated, and experienced researcher for a 1-year contract to start September 2024 in the position of Research Officer. The successful candidate will have experience in policy research, preparation of research reports and briefs, literature review, environmental scans, qualitative research, project management and public presentations. Working under the research directors, the Research Officer plays a key role in all identified research tasks, with responsibility for project management and coordination.

The researcher will be responsible for undertaking the research tasks identified for pillar 1 – ensuring the right to legal capacity – of FFR’s deinstitutionalization and full inclusion strategy. Over the course of the 1-year contract, the researcher may be asked to undertake or contribute to research of a similar nature on the other pillars.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Coordinate with research directors to develop a detailed research plan
• Manage and coordinate research assignments
• Create action plans, set project goals, and manage research tasks to completion
• Perform policy and law reviews
• Organize and maintain research databases with the technical team
• Compile, analyze and organize findings
• Work with research advisory groups to gather input to the research program
• Document, report, and present research findings to senior management and stakeholders
• Assist in sharing research findings, including preparing various information resources, and preparing content for social media.

Requirements and Qualifications:

• Post graduate degree, or a mix of education and experience in social sciences required
• Strong interpersonal, teamwork, relationship-building and inter-disciplinary skills
• Demonstrated proficiency with office and data management applications (e.g., MS Office, Word, Excel, PowerPoint), and knowledge of reference material search and retrieval procedures
• Self-directed, with attention to detail, strong follow-through, and the ability to remain organized and responsive to multiple priorities and deadlines
• Strong writing and editing skills; demonstrated ability to develop accurate reports
• Strong oral and written skills in both Ukrainian and English
• Knowledge of disability related policy in Ukraine.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND TO APPLY FOR THE POSITION:

Please send a cover letter and CV. Requests for further information can be sent to this email address.

If interested, please submit your cover letter and CV by the end of day Friday, September 20.

FFR is committed to inclusion, diversity, and equity and encourages people with disabilities and of diverse, intersecting, and marginalized identities to apply.

2024-09-09T14:36:15.000 2024-09-20T23:59:59.000 Full time TELECOMMUTE Ukraine Fight for Right