Individual International Consultancy for Finalisation of an Introductory Training Programme for Social Workers in Viet Nam on Child and Youth Mental Health, Viet Nam

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Background:

Mental disorders represent a serious health and social challenge.  Mental disorders are responsible for about 12-15% of the world’s total disability – more than cardiovascular diseases, and twice as much as cancer (WHO, 2010). Children and youth with mental health problems are a particularly vulnerable group at increased risk for discrimination, academic failure, delinquency, substance abuse, child abuse and neglect, and sexual abuse. In spite of the known negative effects of mental disorders, access to appropriate services is limited across the world, with children and young people most often failing to receive services.

Community-based mental health services offer significant benefit to those suffering from mental illness and their communities. There is robust evidence that coordinated pharmacotherapy, psychosocial interventions and access to social services is essential for decreasing the prevalence of mental disorders and improving the lives of people living with mental illness. Early identification of mental health problems in the community can improve outcomes for people living with mental health problems, including reducing disability and use of higher level services like psychiatric inpatient utilization. Community-based services can include resources for those who are at risk for suicide as well as for family of people who have committed suicide in order to prevent suicide and support those impacted by it. Furthermore, linking people to educational, social assistance programmes and employment opportunities, participation in meaningful community programmes and activities can improve people’s chances for long-term, meaningful recovery.

Viet Nam, like many other countries, is striving to develop effective community-based treatment for mental health problems in order to identify people in need of help and provide effective treatment in the community setting close to home. The National Programme on community-based social assistance and rehabilitation for people with mental illnesses and mental disorders for the period 2021-2025 (the Prime Minister’s Decision 1929/QD-TTg dated 25 Nov 2020) aims at at least 60% social workers and social work collaborators working in mental health care at community and in facilities improved their capacity through training courses.

In order to provide better services for people, especially children and youth with mental health needs UNICEF has supported Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) to recruit an international consultant to help develop and conduct a pilot training course on an introductory training programme for social workers on child and youth mental health in the past few years. Given recent emergency contexts including COVID-19 and natural disasters, MOLISA Social Protection Department (SPD) requests UNICEF to support the review, revision and finalization of the mentioned training programme as well as development of an e-learning programme on this subject.

Due to COVID-19 situation with travel restriction UNICEF is looking for international consultant who works or lives in Viet Nam to ease the travel burden.

How can you make a difference?

Objectives

In close cooperation with UNICEF and MOLISA SPD, the consultant is expected to provide technical assistance for the review, revise and finalization of the face-to-face and develop an e-learning training programme for social workers on Child and Youth Mental Health.

Specific objectives are:

• Review, revise the training programme for social workers on Child and Youth Mental Health.
• Facilitate a pilot training course and finalize the face-to-face training programme for social workers on Child and Youth Mental Health.
• Develop an e-learning training programme for social workers on Child and Youth Mental Health.

Specific Tasks

In consultation with UNICEF and MOLISA SPD, the consultant shall perform the following tasks:

Task 1: Review and revise the training programme for social workers on Child and Youth Mental Health. This includes initial review and identification of what need to be adjusted from the current training programme (1 day), attending meetings with SPD, concerned experts and local consultant(s) (3 days), and revision of the training programme (6 days). 10 days.

Task 2: Facilitate a pilot training course for selected social workers and finalize the training programme upon feedback from participants of the training. 10 days.

Task 3: Finalize the face-to-face training programme upon feedback from participants, concerned experts, SPD and UNICEF. 5 days

Task 4: Develop an e-learning training programme for social workers on Child and Youth Mental Health. 7 days

Total: 32 days.

Please see the full TOR for Methodology and deliverables:  Vacancy Notice Finalise Training Prog on SW on CYMH.docx

Reporting

The consultant will work under the supervision of the Child Protection Specialist Alternative Care and under overall guidance of the Chief of the Child Protection Section.

The UNICEF Child Protection Section will support MOLISA in the organization of the technical meetings, consultation workshops and the training as well as translation of relevant documents, deliverables and interpretation related to this assignment. 

Performance indicators for evaluation

Timeliness, inclusion of and response to UNICEF and MOLISA comments, quality of services rendered.

The performance evaluation is conducted upon the completion of deliverables according to timeline as mentioned above.

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

The consultant should have the following qualifications to effectively carry out the proposed tasks:

– Education: Post graduate degree in Social Work, Psychology or other relevant discipline(s).

– Proven knowledge in international standards and practice on social work and mental health

– At least ten years as an academy with practical working experience in providing training on social work, especially on clinical social work in mental health for children and youth.

– Proven knowledge and working experience in development of training programmes including e-learning on social work, particularly on children and youth mental health in Viet Nam.

– Strong ability and experience in facilitating training courses.

– Working experience and familiarity with UNICEF vision, mission and programming on child protection, particularly on children and youth mental health is preferable.

– Fluency in written and spoken English is required.

Assessment criteria:

For evaluation and selection method, the Cumulative Analysis Method (weight combined score method) shall be used for this recruitment:

a) Technical Qualification (max. 100 points) weight 70 %

– Education: Advanced Degree in psychology, social work and/or related field, 15%

– Proven knowledge in international standards and practice on social work and mental health, 15%

– At least 10 years as an academy with practical working experience in providing training on social work, especially on clinical social work in mental health for children and youth, 20%

– Proven knowledge and working experience in development of training programmes including e-learning on social work, particularly on children and youth mental health in Viet Nam, 20%

– Strong ability and experience in facilitating training courses, 10%

– Working experience and familiarity with UNICEF vision, mission and programming on child protection, particularly on children and youth mental health, 10%

– Fluency in written and spoken English, 10%.

The passing score for the technical assessment is 50%.

b) Financial Proposal (max. 100 points) weight 30 %

The maximum number of points shall be allotted to the lowest Financial Proposal that is opened/evaluated and compared among those technical qualified candidates who have attained a minimum 70 points score in the technical evaluation. Other Financial Proposals will receive points in inverse proportion to the lowest price.

The Contract shall be awarded to candidate obtaining the highest combined technical and financial scores, subject to the satisfactory result of the verification interview if needed.

Submission of applications:

Interested candidates are kindly requested to apply and upload the following documents to the assigned requisition in UNICEF Vacancies: http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/

1. Letter of interest and confirmation of availability;
2. Technical proposal which clearly explains the outline on how to deliver the tasks and deliverables;
3. Performance evaluation reports or references of similar consultancy assignments (if available);
4. Financial proposal: All-inclusive lump-sum cost including consultancy fee, travel and accommodation cost for this assignment as per work assignment. 
5. CV/P11 form (UN Personal History Form)  P 11 form.doc

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.

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

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.