Home-based individual contractor: Project Coordination Support for the Development of Online MHPSS Platform (Mental Health PsychoSocial Support) (11.5 months)

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

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For every child, support

Mental health disorders are one of the most important public health challenges in Europe, with more than a third of the population estimated as being affected every year. Most countries in Europe and Central Asia have mental health policies and legislation, and many are making progress with the implementation of community-based mental health services. However, access to Child and Adolescent Mental Health (MH) Services still varies considerably across the ECA Region – from a high of 12.9 per 100,000 young people receiving help in Finland, to 0.5 per 100,000 in Bulgaria, down to practically no services available in some countries in Central Asia. For adolescents and young people who are in situations of vulnerability, including due to living with a chronic or infectious health condition, or due to their migration status, institutionalization, or social exclusion on grounds of ethnicity, sex, religion or other factors the situation is even more precarious.  Left untreated, the long-term risks of MH conditions for these young people include poor performance at school, a greater risk of drug and alcohol misuse, contact with the criminal justice system, unemployment as well as stigma, discrimination and social exclusion, thereby limiting opportunities to lead fulfilling lives as adults. Furthermore, the consequences of being unable to find help can be catastrophic. Nearly one in five deaths among 15 to 19-year-olds in the EU is caused by intentional self-harm – second only to transport deaths. Countries in the ECA Region have among the highest suicide rates globally.

The COVID-19 crisis in the Region and throughout the World has further heightened the vulnerabilities of children, adolescents, caregivers, families and communities to psychological distress and mental health disorders. The pandemic resulted in increased stress, anxiety, depression, fears, tensions, family conflict, substance abuse, violence and a range of other mental health issues. It also increased recognition of the importance of providing access to mental health and psycho-social support (MHPSS) for all vulnerable populations, including children, adolescents and young people. COVID-19 has also led to an increased openness towards providing such services using on-line platforms. There is consensus that a mix of services combining in-person and online MHPS support is the best option. However, COVID-19 has led to a “de-facto” increase in digital health interventions and the use of a variety of non-traditional platforms for the provision of MHPSS. Providing mental health and psychosocial support through online digital platforms/portals/hubs represents an unprecedented opportunity to drastically scale up access to such services for children, young people, caregivers, families and communities. It is an important vehicle to scale up access and uptake of such services towards the SDG goals of universal health coverage for all.

How can you make a difference?

UNICEF Country Offices (COs) in the ECA Region have seen increased interest from governments and the public, including parents and young people to address mental health and psychosocial support issues.

UNICEF has defined MHPSS as a programming priority for the Region, not only in the context of the COVID-19 crisis, but also from a medium to long-term perspective. UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (ECARO), in close collaboration with governments, civil society, youth organizations, academic institutions, the private sector as well as other UN partners (including WHO, UNODC, UNAIDS, UNFPA, UNHCR, IOM,  and others) is working to scale-up access to integrated MHPSS programming for children, adolescents, youth and their caregivers and families.  

The COVID-19 situation has resulted in some MHPSS services being adapted for provision through on-line platforms, including innovative approaches for providing information and tools to increase youth coping-skills and life-skills and provide access to psychosocial support through on-line peer counselling and/or counselling by trained psychologists.

Online solutions are increasingly becoming a new way of responding to urgent needs and broadening access to information, support and services for a wide range of users. There is increasing evidence on the effectiveness of such platforms when compared to face-to-face support, proving them to be a relatively effective tool for reaching adolescents and providing information and services such as stress-reduction; anxiety relief; coping skills; emotional regulation strategies; anger management; support for addictions and  eating disorders; relaxation & mindfulness techniques; cognitive behavioral therapies, etc. Globally, over 3000 apps have been developed to provide various forms of mental health and psychosocial support. While not all of these have been assessed or certified for quality, their use has skyrocketed indicating that they fill a real need for information and support, particularly among younger generations.  Adapting to innovative online solutions was identified as one of key priorities at the LEADING MINDS Conference on child and adolescent mental health organized by UNICEF in November 2019.

UNICEF ECARO will be working with international partners and partners at country level in selected countries to develop a prototype platform / hub for the provision of information, skills, services and support to adolescents and young people in the ECA Region.  The approach to developing the platform will be iterative, based on an agile project development methodology building on lessons learnt from implementation of the various stages of the project.

The purpose of this consultancy is to provide overall coordination support to the development of the above-mentioned project. The Consultant will work under the supervision of the Regional Office and will support various phases of project development, including development of the project implementation plan; coordination and collaboration with country level partners; identification and coordination with expert partners on content development; coordination with the information-technology partners/IT companies who will develop the technical aspects of the platform; coordination with youth groups; development of the platform prototypes, including as well as monitoring and reporting.

Key tasks, deliverables and expected timelines

Contractual arrangements:

• Location and duration: This assignment is home-based and will be for a period of approximately 11.5 months (starting early December 2020).
• Schedule of payments: Fees will be paid on a monthly basis against summary progress reports and invoices submitted by the consultant and approved by the Regional Office 
• Property rights: UNICEF shall be entitled to all property rights, including but not limited to patents, copyrights and trademarks, with regard to material created by the consultant which bears a direct relation to, or is made in order to perform, this contract.  At the request of UNICEF, the consultant shall assist in securing such property rights and transferring them to UNICEF in compliance with the requirements of the law governing such rights.
  • Regular information updates on work progress to the supervisor, based in the UNICEF ECA Regional Office (in Geneva and Almaty).
  • Timely submission of deliverables according to the schedule in these TORs.
  • Demonstration of high standards of work.Performance indicators: Performance will be closely monitored throughout the duration of the consultancy through regular conference calls and e-mails between the supervisor and relevant colleagues in the Regional Office with the consultant. the consultant will be assessed against the following indicators:

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

• First level university degree in education, social sciences, international development or another relevant subject
• Experience in innovations for social change and in agile project management
• Familiarity with UNICEF’s work around adolescent mental health in the ECA Region;
• Experience in the youth sector, and in policy and programming around youth mental health issues; including a good understanding of mental health issues in Eastern Europe and Central Asia;
• Excellent communication skills and ability to present information in a clear and concise way;
• Experience in resource mobilization, including proposal writing; Donor reporting and relations experience;
• Strong IT skills, including knowledge of programming languages and graphic design software;
• High level of English and Russian are essential; knowledge of regional languages – in particular Kazakh and/or Ukrainian are strong assets.  
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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.

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.

How to apply: 

Interested candidates should submit:

• A letter of interest indicating how he/she meets UNICEF requirements for this assignment;
• A CV and/or Personal history form (downloadable from http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/P11.doc). Alternatively, if a candidate profile in the UNICEF e-Recruitment System is available, you may download it and submit it as part of application.
• A short technical proposal clearly indicating the Response to the TOR, including the consultants’ understanding of the work and proposed action plan for delivering the outputs; including a list of documents/sources suggested by the consultant – if any;
• A financial proposal indicating the monthly fee. Proposals without fees will not be considered.
• A minimum of three references /contact person details

PLEASE APPLY ONLY IF YOU HAVE AVAILABILITY FOR THE FULL PERIOD OF THIS CONTRACT. 

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.