Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Capacity Enhancement Consultant, Pacific Multi-Country Office, Suva, Fiji, 11.5 Months

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, safety.

In the Pacific we work in Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu: These 14 Pacific island countries are home to 2.3 million people, including 1.2 million children and youth, living on more than 660 islands and atolls stretching across 17.2 million square kilometers of the Pacific Ocean, an area comparable to the combined size of the United States of America and Canada. Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu are classified as Fragile States according to World Bank/OECD criteria.

All 14 Pacific Island countries and territories have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, but only a third are on track with reporting obligations. Explore the different areas of our work in the link provided here www.unicef.org/pacificislands.

Background of Assignment:

The Pacific ranks amongst one of the most vulnerable regions in the world in terms of the recurrence, severity, and range of natural hazard experience. PICTs are susceptible to volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, cyclones, earthquakes, floods, tidal surges, landslides, droughts etc.

Children and adolescents are acutely aware of how climate change is limiting their ability to reach their full potential, which poses a risk to their mental health and wellbeing. A 2020 study conducted in Tuvalu revealed that 95 per cent of the participants experience anxiety about climate change, even at levels that impaired their ability to perform typical daily tasks in 87 per cent of cases. In Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Kiribati, 1 out of 2 U-Reporters feel worried about their future because of climate change. This situation is of particular concern in the Pacific Islands context, which has one of the highest suicide rates in the region.

Pacific nations are facing increased demand for MHPSS services. Currently, there is limited expertise available within the government and its partners to deliver quality MHPSS services to children, adolescents, and their caregivers, from preparedness and response perspectives. There has been increased demand from the multi–Country Programme offices requesting capacity building and supportive supervision and coaching to effectively provide quality MHPSS services. In line with UNICEF approaches to MHPSS a multi sectoral orientation workshop is being held for ministries of health, education and those responsible for child protection, from across the Pacific. A consultant is required to follow up on the development of basic action plans in each country, to Governments as they link with communities to enhance capacities for preparedness and delivery of quality MHPSS services. This will entail regular supportive supervision and, coaching and follow up to staff providing MHPSS services as well as monitor children’s progress toward attaining the highest standards of wellbeing.

How can you make a difference?

The primary objective of the deployment of the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support/MHPSS Consultant is to enhance the quality of the MHPSS service delivery through the provision of high-quality capacity and technical expertise, including supportive supervision, coaching, and mentoring. Approaches per sector and country will reflect each country context and a co design process rather than being pre formulated at regional / Pacific level.

The specific responsibilities for this consultancy include:

• Facilitate workshops and meetings across sectors to enhance the capacity of local populations and authorities to provide an MHPSS response to humanitarian crises and natural disasters.
• Design and develop an outline for future MHPSS emergency response programming within the context of disaster preparedness and response strategy.
• Facilitate the agreement and documentation of cross-sectoral connections and arrangements for MHPSS between the health, child protection, and education sectors – for specific actions emanating from the multi sectoral UNICEF workshop 27 – 29 November in Fiji.

Please refer to the ToR ( MHPSS Consultancy TOR.pdf) for further information on the deliverables and the timelines.

GUIDANCE FOR APPLICANTS:

All applications for this consultancy must include a separate financial offer along with the technical proposal.

The financial proposal should be a lump sum amount for all the deliverables and should show a break down for the following:

• Daily consultancy fees – based on the deliverables in the Terms of Reference above
• Travel (economy air ticket where applicable to take up assignment and field mission travel)
• Living allowance where travel is required
• Miscellaneous- to cover visa, health insurance (including medical evacuation for international consultants), communications, and other costs.

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

Education:

• • An Advanced University degree in social work, mental health related field, is required, including direct clinical work experience with children.

Experience, Skills and Language:

• A minimum of 5 years of professional experience at national and international level in mental health and psychosocial support including supervision and direct work with children is required.
• Relevant experience in humanitarian action, and related areas, program/project development, and management in a UN system agency or organization is an asset.
• Understands, uses and adapts the tools, mechanisms and processes developed as part of Humanitarian Reform
• Proven ability to work in the Pacific with partners is highly desirable.
• Fluency in written and spoken English

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit here

Remarks:

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors 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.

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.

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.

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