Since early January 2019, the humanitarian situation in Burkina Faso has further deteriorated. The number of IDP has unprecedently increased due to increased attacks by armed groups. The general security situation was worsened by the intensity of violence between Burkina Faso armed forces and armed groups. As of 31 March 2022, violence and insecurity have caused the displacement of 1,850,293 people compared to 1,218,754 in May 2021, out of which 61.29 % are children. This situation is compounding already existing needs and threatening civilians lives and livelihoods of vulnerable groups, especially children and women.

According to the CPAoR -field reports, about 80% families and children of all ages are vulnerable to psychosocial distress. With recurrent displacements, children are exposed to separation from their caregivers, lack of birth registration, gender-based violence (GBV) including high risks of rape, sexual assault, and widespread child marriage, as well as the high risk of worst forms of child labor, child recruitment by armed groups and child trafficking. Access to health care including mental health, nutritious foods, safe drinking water and other social services has been severely compromised, impacting all aspects of children’s lives – their safety, health, and wellbeing. Displaced children and their families are being hosted in communities that had limited access to social services even before the current crisis, which has put a further strain on the already vulnerable population.

Because of the psychological distress, some nursing women are facing the drying up of breast milk with a direct consequence on the life of the children and the family. With the current humanitarian context, Children’s exposure to violence has been exacerbated. Up to 25% of children aged 0-17 suffer from physical violence, while psychological violence affects more than 1 in 4 children aged 0 to 17. School closure and promiscuity, inadequate infrastructures, including in the IDP sites, expose children, especially girls, to risks such as GBV and SEA.

Justification:

Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) is an institutional priority for the UN and for UNICEF. The UNICEF Strategic Plan 2022-2025 integrates MHPSS within each of UNICEF’s Goal Areas for children, caregivers and parents and young people, building upon existing programming through child protection, education, and health, with a focus on addressing inequities related to gender and disabilities.

In 2022, over 200,000 children are targeted by psychosocial support services through community volunteers, government social workers and local community-based organizations. However, the current child friendly center-based model though necessary is insufficient to reach the majority of children requiring psychosocial support at the community level. Currently, community based psychosocial support programmes are not commonly delivered by the partners, including the community volunteers, who lack the technical capacity to design, implement and monitor these kinds of psychosocial support programmes, in line with minimum international standards.

Given the complexity of the technical area and the urgent need to rapidly scale up the programme, the MHPSS consultant is required to support the integration of the mental health and psychosocial intervention within the UNICEF programs and different sections. In fact, in several regions, especially those affected by the security and humanitarian crisis, dedicated support to both the community and partners to provide mental health and psychosocial support is required. This will be in addition to the current locations with established Child Friendly Spaces (CFS) where majority of children have been receiving intermittent support and services due to lack of structure and systematic approach of providing psychosocial support to the children. This is borne out of the fact that those implementing MHPSS programmes have very basic technical knowledge on MHPSS and will need continued support in terms of capacity building to implement the community-based model that is of high quality, conflict-sensitive and able to reach even those at the periphery of for both the released and soon to be released children and their peers in the region.

Goal and Objectives:

The consultant will support the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of UNICEF MHPSS interventions in Burkina Faso, ensuring overall efficiency, effectiveness, and delivery of results in accordance with the IASC MHPSS guidelines, the UNICEF MHPSS Operational Guidelines, the UNICEF Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action and national and international humanitarian standards.

The Consultant, will be responsible of following major duties and key end-results:

1. A MHPSS need assessment for children and their families is conducted in the affected regions (Sahel, Est, Nord, Boucle du Mouhoun and Cascades regions)

2. A harmonized training material is developed for CPAoR and MHPSS-Technical Working Group and nutrition Component to strengthen the delivery of community based psychosocial support

3. The mental health and psychosocial support component is integrated within the Education interventions, especially in the scaling up of school-based crisis prevention and management committees and the Safe School approach

4. The mental health and psychosocial support component is integrated within the Health/Nutrition interventions, ensuring that children and adolescents with severe mental health problems, as well as their families, are identified, referred and regularly followed up by community members

5. The WASH section integrated MHPSS into their programme and activities

6. Professional trainings are conducted for UNICEF and partners including local CBOs, social workers and other staff based on identified training needs, especially community approaches, psychological first aid and other psychosocial support best practices

7. MHPSS field monitoring reports on the quality of psychosocial support provided by the CBO partners and community volunteers, government social workers are developed monthly using participatory monitoring and evaluation strategies that incorporate both reach and quality service delivery.

Methodology and Technical Approach:

Evaluation Criteria

(a) Administrative evaluation criteria:

1. An identification document showing the candidate's photograph (Passport) ................................... Eliminatory

2. A copy of a bank statement issued on bank letterhead and not more than two months old.................Eliminatory

b) Technical Evaluation Criteria:

Criteria

Points

Experience in developing of training toolkits and facilitating trainings on mental health and psychosocial support

Experience in conducting MHPSS field monitoring visits and MHPSS needs assessments for children and their families

Minimum of 5 years of relevant and demonstrated humanitarian MHPSS work experience, including in emergencies and in conflict settings

Advanced degree with specialization in Psychology, Clinical Social Work or Mental Health (minimum Master’s level)

15

Total

100

Only candidates who obtain a minimum of 70 points/100 in the Technical evaluation will be considered for the next phase of Financial Evaluation.

c) Financial Evaluation:

Only those financial offers from applicants scoring at least 70 points/100 on the technical evaluation will be opened. The financial offers of the candidates selected for the technical evaluation will be analyzed and evaluated according to the budget foreseen for the consultancy. The lowest financial evaluation of the technically qualified candidate will be awarded 30 points. If we designate the lowest financial offer as A, the other financial offers will be evaluated as follows:

Financial offer A divided by the financial offer of the considered applicant and the result obtained is multiplied by 30.

d) Final Evaluation:

The final evaluation will combine the two previous evaluations with a weighting of 70% for the technical evaluation and 30% for the financial evaluation.

The award of the contract shall be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

a) having submitted all the required documentation as mentioned above

b) having received the highest score out of a final weighted evaluation.

Cost and budget

The consultant will provide a technical and a financial offer for this assignment.

The financial offer will include the fees, DSA, travel costs for this assignment.

The Consultant will receive monthly payment in USD upon completion and certification of the deliverables as per payment and delivery schedule agreed between the consultant and his/her supervisor

The Consultant will be paid at the end of his/her assignment upon completion and certification of all the deliverables and satisfactory completion of the assignment

Working Conditions

The consultant is expected to perform his/her duty with his own computer equipment and other standard IT equipment. During the period of the contract, the consultant will be subject to UNICEF security rules, compliance with the rules, standards and procedures governing United Nations personnel and UNICEF, and the ones related to Covid-19.

In applying for this consultancy, applicants are aware that they may be required to work in difficult areas where security conditions may deteriorate at any time for reasons beyond UNICEF's control.

Administrative requirements

The consultant must provide the following documents before signing the contract:

- 1 form "Health Statement" duly completed and stamped

- 1 medical certificate of good health

- 1 beneficiary designation form for MAIP insurance

- 1 proof of health insurance for the period of the consultation

- 1 “Vendor” form duly completed and signed

- 1 copy of the Bank details Statement

- 1 copy of the online training certificate "BSAFE"

- 1 copy of the online training certificate "Prevention of Sexual Harassment and Abuse of Authority"

- 1 copy of the online training certificate “Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA)”

- 1 copy of the online training certificate “Ethics and Integrity at UNICEF

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

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:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

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. The candidate may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid).

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