Home-based Consultancy: Coordinator of Expert Network on Implementation of e-Mental Health solutions for Adolescents and Youth (20 working days; with travel as needed) - Europe and Central A

Contract

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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, care.

Purpose of Activity/Assignment

Support UNICEF ECARO ADAP team with coordination of the UNICEF Expert Network on the Implementation of e-MH Solutions for children, adolescents and young people.

Background

The UNICEF ECARO team has been investing in the development of youth-centered e-MH solutions designed to reduce the gap in access to MHPSS care and support services and to improve the health and wellbeing of adolescents, youth and their caregivers in the Region. The region’s work on e-MH solutions has focused on developing uSupport an on-line, on-demand mental health platform which, in turns, builds on the expertise of a number of UNICEF country offices as well as multiple other partners. This work has been carried out by the UNICEF Regional Office (led by the ADAP team together with the T4D section) and developed in close collaboration with other ECARO sections, selected country offices, youth advisory groups, the UNICEF Office of Innovation and the UNICEF HQ Programme Division as well as with WHO and several international e-MH partners.

In October 2023, the UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, the eMental Health International Collaborative (eMHIC), and the Brain Health Institute of the McKinsey Health Institute convened a two-day Expert Dialogue on Digital MH Solutions for Adolescents and Youth. This dialogue brought together 30 global experts, including experts from WHO, to discuss issues around the use of digital tools to support the psychosocial wellbeing and address the mental health challenges faced by children and youth (0 to 25 years old). This initial Expert Dialogue served as a basis for identifying some key principles and developing practical guidance for the implementation of effective digital mental health solutions for adolescents and youth across different contexts, including in emergencies.

• Creating an enabling environment for innovation and the implementation of digital mental health solutions that serve adolescents and youth
• Reaching underserved communities and ensuring accessibility of care & support with digital MH tools
• Developing evidence-based, effective, and engaging digital MH tools for adolescents and youth
• Incorporating ethical, safety and safeguarding considerations

Scope of Work

• Support the establishment and coordination of the UNICEF Expert Network on the Implementation of e-MH Solutions for children, adolescents and young people. Tasks & deliverables: development of draft TORs for sharing/approval of UNICEF internally followed by approval from the Network.
• Support the Secretariat function of the e-MH Expert Network. Tasks and deliverables: supporting the ECARO team in the organization of two deep-dive webinar style expert discussions on selected e-MH implementation topics; drafting of invitations, development of the agenda for the deep dives, communication with partners – including eMHIC, Brain Health Institute, WHO and experts
• Support Knowledge management from the deep-dive expert discussions. Tasks and deliverables: drafting of expert deep dive summary reports on selected aspects of supporting e-MH solutions for children, adolescents and youth. These may serve to complement existing meeting reports and/or as a contribution towards the UNICEF Technical Notes on MHPSS.
• Support the organization of the second meeting of the Expert Network on Implementation of e-MH solutions for adolescents and youth to take place in September 2024 in Canada. Tasks and deliverables: coordination with co-organizers, drafting of meeting agenda, invitations, communication with the expert Network. Support the preparation of Draft meeting report.
• Support the UNICEF ECARO team on additional tasks related to technical assistance for the onboarding and implementation of solutions/tools developed by the organisations that are members of the e-MH network of experts. This includes a special emphasis on supporting the e-MH solutions as an integral part of systems- strengthening approaches towards improving the health, wellbeing and resilience of young people; including programmes developed within the scope of the UNICEF-WHO joint programmes as appropriate.

Work Assignment Overview

Tasks / Milestone******Deliverables / Outputs******Timeline / Deadline1. Support the establishment and coordination of the UNICEF Expert Network on the Implementation of e-MH solutions for children, adolescents and young people. Tasks & deliverables: development of draft TORs for sharing/approval of UNICEF internally and of the Network.Terms of Reference for the expert group drafted, shared and agreed.2 working days;

By 15 September 2024

2. Support the Secretariat function for the e-MH network of experts. Tasks and deliverables: supporting the ECARO team in the organization of two deep-dive webinar style expert discussions on selected e-MH implementation topics; drafting of invitations, development of the agenda for the deep dives, communication with partners – including eMHIC, Brain Health Institute, WHO and experts.Two (2) expert deep dives agreed with partners, convened and organized.2 working days;

By 15 September 2024

3. Support Knowledge management from the deep-dive expert discussions. Tasks and deliverables: drafting of expert deep dive summary reports on selected aspects of supporting e-MH solutions for children, adolescents and youth. These may serve to complement existing meeting reports and/or as a contribution towards the UNICEF Technical Notes on MHPSS.Two summary reports from the two deep dives developed and shared for comments.2 working days;

By 15 September 2024

Reports reviewed and shared with UNICEF ECARO for submission to UNICEF HQ MHPSS team as a contribution to the UNICEF PG Technical Notes on e-MH.3 working days;

By 30 November 2024

4. Support the organization of the second meeting of the Expert Network on Implementation of e-MH solutions for adolescents and youth to take place in September 2024 in Canada. Tasks and deliverables: coordination with co-organizers, drafting of meeting agenda, invitations, communication with the expert Network. Contribute to coordinating the UNICEF delegation at the Second Expert Network Meeting and support the preparation of Draft meeting report.Agenda, invitations and organizational arrangements completed for the Second meeting of the Expert Network meeting.5 working days;

By 20 September 2024

Draft meeting report completed.3 working days;

By 30 November 2024

5. Support the UNICEF ECARO team on additional tasks related to coordination and technical assistance for the onboarding and implementation of solutions/tools developed by the organisations that are members of the e-MH network of experts with a special emphasis on supporting the e-MH solutions that are an integral part of systems- strengthening approaches for improving the health, wellbeing and resilience of young people, this may include programmes developed within the scope of the UNICEF-WHO joint programmes.Support drafting and review of selected key documents related to onboarding of solutions/tools developed by the e-MH expert group members/organisations.3 working days;

By 31 January 2025

Estimated Duration of the Contract

20 working days between August 2024 and January 2025.

Consultant's Work Place and Official Travel

The Consultant will be remote/home-based.

As part of this assignment, some international travels are foreseen. The consultant will arrange her/his travel as and when they take place, and related costs will be reimbursed per UNICEF travel policy.

Travel Clause

• All UNICEF rules and regulations related to travel of Consultants apply.
• All travels shall be undertaken only upon the prior written approval by UNICEF.
• The consultant must be fit to travel, be in a possession of the valid UN BSAFE certificate, obligatory inoculation(s) and have a valid own travel/medical insurance and an immunization/vaccination card.

Estimated Cost of the Consultancy & Payment Schedule

Payment will be made on submission of an invoice and satisfactory completion of the above-mentioned deliverables. 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.

Please submit a professional fee (in USD) based on 20 working days to undertake this assignment, without travel fees as these will be reimbursed as and when they take place.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• Master's degree in Education, Public Policy, Social sciences, International Development, Health or related fields is required.
• At least 7 years’ experience in international development work is required.
• Experience and familiarity with concepts, frameworks, and best practices related to working on adolescent health (with focus on e-MH), development and resilience-building are required.
• Demonstrable previous working experience in coordinating expert networks and implementation support networks is desirable.
• Excellent inter-personal and written communication skills in the English language is required.
• Fluency in other UN languages (Arabic, French, Russian, Spanish, and Chinese) is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

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

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most marginalized children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family 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:

Please include a full CV and a Cover Letter in your application. Additionally, indicate your availability and professional fee (in USD) to undertake the terms of reference above. Applications submitted without a professional fee will not be considered. 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.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.