Consultancy National Child Protection Consultant- MHPSS Consultant (Open to South Sudanese Only)

Consultant

Overview

Provide MHPSS technical support to improve mental health services in South Sudan.

You have:

• University Degree or Diploma in Social work, counseling or psychology.
• Minimum 2+ years of counseling experience, preferably in remote/online/tele-counseling in national/state structures or NGO.
• Experience in basic trainings, capacity building sessions and peer support groups required.
• Ability to discuss sensitive issues with respect and empathy.
• Ability to work within a team structure with technical staff from MoH.
• Strong sense of honesty, integrity, hard-working, self-motivated person and understanding of ethics and confidentiality.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work within different cultural environments.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, Outlook/Exchange, Windows operating systems.
• Very good oral and written English skills.
• Fluent in local languages (e.g., Juba Arabic).

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, We champion

Background/Rationale for the Assignment Devastated by decades of conflicts, war, and socio-economic debilitation, South Sudan is currently facing the worst situation resulting from the outburst of COVID-19 pandemic since 5 April 2020. So far, thousands of families have been affected and infected with COVID-19 across the country. In the Health facilities, people coming either for testing or for results collection and other health-related services are showing a high level of fear regardless of their medical status. Most of them, including caregivers and relatives of people infected, are experiencing psychological distress amplified by an escalation of social stigma and discrimination speech and behavior. Children, their caregivers, and families need protection and psycho social support. UNICEF is working with the Ministry of Health and co-chairing Mental Health and Psycho social Support (MHPSS) Technical Working group, including the RCCE TWG and CESM sub-committee, to prevent the spread of COVID-19, protecting and promoting 'family's psycho social well-being including but not limited to remote MHPSS services.

MHPSS has increasingly become an essential and cross-sectoral component of the UNICEF Child Protection response in South Sudan. As a core component of humanitarian response, MHPSS can also serve as an entry point for access to other services, including health, nutrition, WASH, and educational or vocational training, as well as referral for other child protection care and services. MHPSS has shown its relevance in the work of Ministry of Health (MoH) where there are no human resources able to address cases of psychosocial distress. Call Center staff are meeting more and more difficult emotional cases among the populations who are using the hotlines 6666 set up for the COVID-19 response.

UNICEF has made an important step by contributing to train Health Care Workers and Call Center staff in basic Mental Health and Psychosocial Support. However, there are still some gaps and needs in terms of psychosocial support. Beneficiaries seeking support through the hotline, are often worried, hopeless, with moderate to severe levels of stress, including their families or careers. Many of them are experiencing stigma and discrimination in the community. Call Center staff are most of the time overwhelmed themselves and powerless in front of these critical incidents. That situation justifies the need to bring onboard MHPSS experienced human resources to assess potential severe cases through Psychological First Aid, active listening, and referrals to appropriate services. The South Sudan UNICEF Child Protection Section is,, seeking for two (2) qualified and experienced candidates to fulfill the position of MHPSS Focal Points at the Call Centre of the Ministry of Health.

Purpose & Expected Results The purpose of the d two (2) National Mental Health Psychosocial Support Focal Points (MHPSS FPs is to provide MHPSS technical support to MoH, Primary Health Emergency Operation Center (PHEOC) staff, and key units. The proposed Focal Points will work closely with the MOH-PHEOC units, including call center, Infectious disease Control Unit (IDU) Case Management Unit (CMU) COVID-19 testing staff of the Laboratory, Contact Tracers (CTs). The MHPSS Focal Points will provide Psychological First Aid (PFA) to the staff of the above-mentioned units while building the capacities of MOH- PHEOC staff to provide PFA. They also will support Call Center and other units staff through guidance, coaching, and mentoring on MHPSS related matters.

Main Responsibilities

To perform this job successfully, the successful candidate will be able to perform the tasks listed below and which are representative of the nature and level of work assigned.

1. Provide basic individual or group Psychological First Aid services remotely and in-person where possible, including appropriate referral to more specialized case management services as needed for families infected and affected populations by COVID-19 for appropriate treatment and improve the patient's condition. 2. Contribute to the development of appropriate and formalized referral pathways between partners, other organizations, and utilize these agreed referral pathways.

3. Collaborate with local partner organizations or hotlines for joint MHPSS work

4. Identify where appropriate and collaborate with existing religious healing services

5. Participate in inter agency coordination mechanisms and assessments for the provision of mental health and psychosocial support during COVID-19

6. Support in planning and participate in capacity building trainings of partners and self-care sessions for call center staff as directed by the Supervisor

7. Organize regular peer support groups for Call Center staff in order to create a space for sharing and discuss their emotional difficulties and coping mechanisms

8. Share relevant information on a weekly basis with UNICEF. Document progress on cases received, maintaining strict protocols for confidentiality and consent, and ensure that data protection protocols are respected

9. Contribute to the development of strategy and mechanisms to integrate a psycho social component into National Hotline (6666) in keeping with IASC guidelines of mental health and psycho social support in emergencies.

10. Work with the Ministry of Health in the use of consistent, standardized tools for monitoring and evaluating processes and outcomes of UNICEF MHPSS activities. Accordingly, attend relevant meetings with MHPSS inputs.

11. Provide inputs in designing and dissemination of MHPSS IEC material

12. Participate in community-based psycho educational messages in English and selected local languages including radio messaging for various audiences and any other relevant activities following UNICEF operational guidance for implementation and adaptation of MHPSS during COVID-19

13. Regularly compile information, emerging challenges and prepare written reports as required to submit to UNICEF MHPSS Consultant

Qualifications and Competencies This position demands a dynamic individual with a demonstrated ability to achieve results. The qualified candidate will be knowledgeable of MHPSS with the following requirements:

• University Degree or Diploma in Social work, counseling or psychology, and a minimum of 2+ years of counseling experience, preferably in remote/online/tele-counseling in national/state structures or NGO. • Experience in basic trainings, capacity building sessions and peer support groups required • Ability to discuss sensitive issues with respect and empathy including the ability to provide basic psychosocial support services • Ability to work within a team structure with technical staff from MoH, Incident Manager, Call Center staff, contact tracers. • Flexible, and can cope with stressful workloads and working with limited resources, • Strong sense of honesty, integrity, hard-working, self-motivated person and understanding of ethics and confidentially, • Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work within different cultural environments, must • Ability to working both individually and as part of a team • Strong organizational skills and able to independently manage multiple tasks under strict deadlines • Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, Outlook/Exchange, Windows operating systems

Language skills • Very good oral and written English skills • Fluent in local languages (e.g., Juba Arabic)

Deliverables The consultancy duration consists of activities related to Child Protection assorted activities with smart deliverables, which are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time bound with specific delivery dates.

Deliverables Duration (Estimated # of Days) Deadline 1. Draft a detailed work plan for the consultancy period 1st week 15 September 2. Conduct 4 peer support group reviews per month including compilation of sessions reports 21 days Every 26th 3. Participate at least in 2 awareness radio programmes including reports with guidance and technical supervision from MHPSS consultant of UNICEF At least one session per month Every 26th 4. Provide remote or in-person PFA sessions to MOH- PHEOC staff Each month End of each month 5. Provide remote /online PFA sessions to callers when they request MHPSS related information from call centre on COVID-19 Each month End of each month 6. Conduct psychoeducational sessions with the staff of MoH on specific topics related to Mental Health at workplace Each month Every 26th 7. Organize capacity building sessions for MoH Call Centre and other sections such as Laboratory, IDU, Case Management and other sections of MOH- PHEOC including provision of pre-counseling prior to services. Each month Every 26th 8. Prepare end consultancy report with recommendations to UNICEF and MOH- PHEOC Last week of the assignment

Estimated Duration of the Contract

Four months

Duty Station and Official Travel Juba is the duty station

Estimated Cost of the Consultancy All applicants are required to submit a detail financial proposal and technical proposal;

Payment Schedule

Every 27th or 30th of each month . Payment will be made based on the completed deliverables and a report from the consultant.

UNICEF Supervisor - Child Protection Specialist

Nature of Penalty Clause in Contract If the final reports and documents are not submitted according to the deliverables stated in these TORs, the payments will be withheld. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory if work/outputs are incomplete, not delivered, or for failure to meet deadlines. All materials developed will remain the copyright of UNICEF and UNICEF will be free to adapt and modify them in the future

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

The functional competencies required for this post are...

View our competency framework at

http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

Apply now

Potential interview questions

Added 6 years ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unicef.org