Reference terms
Position title :Mental Health Specialist and Regional Psychosocial Support
Code : SR-31-9500
Country : Chad
’ation place : N’djamena
Date of taking office :01/10/2024
Contract duration : 6 Months
Under the supervision of : Head of Mission
Functional supervision : Regional Protection Advisor
Place of assignment: without family
General context of the project
INTERSOS has been working in the Lake region since 2017 and recently intervened in the vicinity of Ndjamena to respond to the displacement of thousands of people following community clashes in the region region of the’Extreme-North of Cameroon in 2021 and floods in the city of N’Djamena in 2022.
The areas on which INTERSOS focuses its interventions are the following: protection through the strengthening of’ an environment promoting the promotion and protection of human rights, and specifically the protection of the’child through the establishment of the Spaces Friends of’Children, the management of PE cases, the conduct of rapid protection assessments, the restoration of social cohesion, etc, monitoring of borders, community rehabilitation,’ water, hygiene and sanitation, food security and health/nutrition.
General objective of the position
Support the HQ Protection Unit in mapping existing MHPSS resources, including, development of MHPSS-specific tools and implementation of the MHPSS component of the INTERSOS protection programme in West and Central Africa.
Provide technical advice and training to protection personnel, and, ensuring that the specific components of the MHPSS programme are delivered in accordance with internal guidelines and in line with international standards and principles, to achieve mission objectives in an effective manner, in accordance with INTERSOS’ human resources vision and values.
Main responsibilities and tasks
Deliverables Keys
Mapping of existing psychosocial support activities (PSS) of INTERSOS in missions in West and Central Africa (Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, etc, Central African Republic).
Mapping of mental health needs and gaps in relevant missions.
Based on the mapping, develop the framework and the PSS response strategy for the mission in line with the INTERSOS Protection Strategy, and, the Global Protection Framework and MHPSS global guidelines, as well as mission priorities and contexts.
Design and develop an MHPSS toolkit with appropriate resources and guidelines to provide unstructured psychosocial support to children and adults, and pilot it in 2 countries.
Design and develop an MHPSS toolkit with a program to provide structured PSS sessions for children and women, and pilot it in 2 countries.
Train field teams on the basics of PSS, including basic counseling and emotional support, and on the developed PSS response framework and MHPSS toolkit.
Technical Leadership
Map the internal and external tools and manuals used by INTERSOS staff in these missions.
Identify the main mental health issues and contributing factors in communities for men and women, in each of the countries where we operate in West and Central Africa, in collaboration with the Protection Coordinators and Focal Points in each country.
Develop guidance documents for MHPSS interventions by identifying community practices, including, assets and structures that promote good mental health and ensure that our programming builds on those assets.
Develop a roadmap for the development of the emergency PSS response package/framework in active and protracted crises.
Contribute to the development of the MHPSS global guidelines by ensuring that contextual issues and understanding of West and Central Africa are covered.
Work with INTERSOS health advisors and the mental health specialist to ensure continuity of care throughout the MHPSS pyramid.
Work with protection coordinators to design interventions that support the PSS embedded in our CP/GBV response.
Design key messages for MHPSS awareness based on issues identified in the community and ensure that teams are aware of these messages and able to effectively disseminate them in the community community.
Ensure MHPSS outreach materials are designed using integrated cultural and traditional practices that the community uses to deliver messages.
Develop comprehensive MEAL tools to assess distress among customers and measure the impact of INTERSOS MHPSS services. Develop standard MEAL tools and indicators to measure the impact, effectiveness and quality of MHPSS interventions for children, adults and people with disabilities, and, and ensure the control and standardization of these tools. Increase and improve the monitoring and evaluation of MHPSS programs, and determine impact.
Ensure that our MHPSS response is community based in accordance with the overall CBP and MHPSS guidelines.
Coordination
Support Protection Coordinators and Focal Points in including priorities and PSS response in the protection analysis and strategies of their missions, and provide technical support and assistance to Coordinators and Focal Points for the implementation of MHPSS activities through appropriate tools and methodologies.
Ensure that MHPSS interventions at missions are sensitive to DMA and ensure that the DGA and context are appropriate in addressing CP issues, and, GBV and other protection issues.
Accompanying the Protection Coordinators, and, Focal Points and MHPSS Specialists in the country to develop and revise trend analyses on prevalent protection concerns at each mission location for a tailored response.
Work with MHPSS Protection Coordinators, Focal Points and Specialists to strengthen the PSS in case management by providing guidance on problem identification, empathy, and, session structure and references.
In coordination with the Protection Coordinators, offer training and workshops to protection personnel to develop skills on MHPSS topics. Develop training materials in accordance with national policies and international standards. Missions will be selected based on field priorities.
Support the Protection Coordinators in the development and implementation of a system of care for staff.
In line with the current comprehensive protection strategy and community protection approach, design and develop a community-based approach to MHPSS.
Maintain and update regional MHPSS platforms for the synchronization of protection data management and reporting.
Provide technical support to psychologists for high-risk individual cases affected by the crisis, GBV survivors, child protection cases, etc.
Networking & Partnerships
Maintain collaborative working relationships with relevant clusters and working groups at regional and national levels and ensure compliance with possible monthly reporting requirements of the cluster.
Represent INTERSOS in the MHPSS regional meetings and share best practices and lessons learned.
Act as a focal point in the protection cluster for the MHPSS technical working group.
In coordination with the Protection Adviser, ensure that key MHPSS concerns are brought to the attention of relevant stakeholders to advocate for respect for human rights and ensure minimum standards of protection.
Network with MHPSS leaders from other missions and organizations to share best practices and resources.
Required profile
Education
- University degree in social sciences, psychology, social work, human rights, international humanitarian law or other fields related to social development and humanitarian work
- Preference in a related field
Professional Experience
- Minimum of four years of relevant professional experience in protection-related sectors (including MHPSS), preferably within an INGO, and two years for a higher education degree (Master/LLM)
Professional requirements
- Mastery of computer science (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, the INTERSOS MHPSS platform is a plus)
- Strong theoretical, technical and practical knowledge of MHPSS
- Demonstrated ability to work in a humanitarian context (experience with IDPs is an asset)
- Very good understanding of protection, human rights law and international humanitarian rights and principles
- Excellent expertise in the analysis and reporting of human rights and protection issues
- Experience in writing proposals is an asset
Languages
- French & english
Personal requirements
- Flexibility and ability to work in precarious, stressful and challenging environments
- High confidentiality, respect and non-discriminatory attitude
- Diplomatic skills in networking with partners, authorities and donors
- Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines
- Excellent time management, resourcefulness and attention to detail
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and ability to work and integrate into a multicultural team
- Commitment to INTERSOS Principles
How to apply
Interested candidates are invited to postulate by following the link below: https://www.intersos.org/en/field-eng/#intersosorg-vacancies/vacancy-details/66b3611e67720c00280436d0/
Please note that our application process consists of 3 Very fast steps: S’register (including your name, email, password and nationality), to connect and postulate by joining CV in version PDF. With this platform, candidates will be able to follow the history of their applications with INTERSOS.
Please also mention the name, position and contact information at least three references: two line supervisors and one HR referent. Family members are to be excluded.
Only candidates selected for the first interview will be contacted.