Support for the Defense and Social Integration Centers (CDIS): Development of an educational kit for the rehabilitation and education program for children aged 12 to 18

Detailed description of project Back

The project “Support for the Defense and Social Integration Centers (CDIS): Development of an educational kit for the rehabilitation and education program for children aged 12 to 18”, implemented in Tunisia from 2024 to 2027 with UNICEF support, aims to strengthen the institutional and pedagogical framework for the social reintegration of vulnerable children. The project targets youth in situations of early school dropout, conflict with the law, or psychosocial risk—offering them tailored educational and rehabilitation pathways through 24 CDIS across the country.

General Objective:

To support the Ministry of Social Affairs in improving the quality, structure, and coherence of educational and psychosocial services provided by CDIS, in order to enhance the social inclusion, protection, and rehabilitation of vulnerable children and adolescents aged 12 to 18.

Specific Objectives:

• To develop and deliver training modules for CDIS staff on children’s rights, inclusive education, gender equality, and sustainable development, combining theoretical knowledge with practical tools.
• To design and pilot a structured, skills-based curriculum for rehabilitation and education, aligned with national education standards and the Second Chance Education Programme.
• To harmonize pedagogical practices and tools across all CDIS by providing standardized technical sheets, teaching aids, and individualized educational plans.
• To organize participatory workshops and training sessions, ensuring full stakeholder involvement and capacity-building of CDIS personnel.
• To promote a child-centered and interdisciplinary approach to care, incorporating psychosocial support, resilience-building, and family mediation.

The project is grounded in an inclusive and rights-based methodology, addressing cross-cutting priorities such as gender equality, protection from violence, social inclusion, and alignment with national education and vocational training systems. Through desk research, stakeholder consultations, and in-field workshops, the intervention seeks to model an improved approach to child rehabilitation, providing institutional learning for future scaling by national authorities.

Type of services provided:

Project activities include:

• Development and structuring of a pedagogical reference framework and standardized educational kit for CDIS staff.
• Diagnostic and institutional analysis of CDIS centres.
• Design and drafting of four thematic training modules.
• Participatory development of a new curriculum for the rehabilitation and education of vulnerable children aged 12–18.
• Organization of workshops and training sessions with CDIS personnel and ministry stakeholders across 24 centres.
• Alignment of the CDIS programme with national education curricula and the Second Chance Education initiative.
• Integration of cross-cutting priorities.
• Finalization and delivery of key deliverables: Inception report, four thematic modules, training report, curriculum package, and final synthesis report.

Key Personnel Provided:

• Team Leader – Educational Strategy & Institutional Coordination: 70 working days.
• Deputy Team Leader – Curriculum Development & Policy Alignment: 44 working days.
• Child Psychologist / Psychotherapist: 58 working days.
• Local Pedagogical Expert (Instructional Design & Field Facilitation): 43 working days.