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Title of Assignment : Individual contractor to support RBC Mental Health Division to implement the Adolescent Mental Health Program in Rwanda
Type of the Consultancy : Individual Contractor
Category of the Consultancy : National
Proposed level of Consultancy: Senior Level
Section: Health Section
Location : Kigali, Rwanda
Duration : 11months
Background :
Worldwide, the burden of mental health illnesses poses serious public health challenges. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about 450 million people suffer from mental and behavioural disorders, and that one person in four, will develop one or more disorders during their lifetime. Many mental disorders usually start during childhood or adolescence, a period of transition from childhood to adulthood, spanning from 10 to 19 years of age and may, continue till adulthood. Worldwide, 10-20% of children and adolescents experience mental disorders.
According to 2018 Rwanda Mental Health Survey (RMHS), the top four leading causes of mental health illnesses in Rwanda are major depressive episode (11.9%), Panic disorder (8.1%), Obsessive Compulsive and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder with a prevalence of 3.6%. According to the same survey, 10.2% of adolescents aged 14-18 years of old reported mental disorders Rwanda Ministry of Health, 2019). Findings from the RMHS converge with those reported by Gishoma et al, (2015) highlighting that one young man or woman out of Thirteen (7.46 %) is alcohol dependent, one young man or woman out of Twenty (4.88%) suffers from nicotine dependence and one young man or woman out of Forty (2.54%) is cannabis dependent. In addition, the Violence against Children and Youth Survey report reported that before the age of 18, around one in five females and one in 10 males in Rwanda was exposed to sexual violence; four in 10 females and six in 10 males were exposed to physical violence, and one in 10 females and two in 10 males faced emotional violence (UNICEF-Rwanda, MoH-Rwanda, CDC & IDRC, 2017).
Justification :
The 2020 Adolescent Mental Health Landscape Analysis identified gaps in addressing mental health among child and adolescent. Gaps include stigma surrounding mental disorders, few research, lack of mental health professionals specialized in adolescent care. Community awareness and engagement adolescents is still to be promoted. Thus, UNICEF Rwanda in partnership with Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) has launched a one-year Adolescent Mental Health Program with focus on the following four priority areas :
- Policy development ;
- Capacity building ;
- Community awareness and engagement ;
- School mental health.
It is against this background that UNICEF Rwanda seeks to recruit a National Technical Assistant to support RBC Mental Health Division implement the Adolescent Mental Health Program.
Objectives :
The National Technical Assistant is needed in order to provide expertise in the implementation of Adolescent Mental Health Program through :
- Mental Health strategic documents analysis with focus on adolescent (10-19 years old) intervention areas ;
- Development of adolescent mental health pre-service and in-service capacity building plan, its implementation, monitoring &evaluation ;
- Development of a community awareness and engagement plan on adolescent Mental health , its implementation, monitoring &evaluation ;
- Implementation of School-based Adolescent Mental Health program, its monitoring & evaluation ;
- Develop a comprehensive outline for the development of a National Adolescent Mental Health Policy ;
- Feed into global best practice and technical input on adolescent mental health programming.
Work Assignment :
The National Technical Assistant’s scope of work is understood to cover all activities necessary to accomplish the stated objectives.
He/she will be required to achieve the following :
- To co-organize and co-implement a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology for psychologists working in public health facilities alongside UR ;
- To co-organize and co-implement a Bachelor’s degree in mental health nursing for A1 mental health nurses working in public health facilities alongside UR ;
- To develop adolescent mental health related training tools for health facilities and implement the training ;
- To develop a capacity building plan in child and adolescent psychiatry ;
- To conduct a quick assessment of recreational facilities within and out of schools ;
- To develop strategies for adolescent wellbeing in and out of schools ;
- To develop guidelines, design and display adolescent wellbeing awareness messages ;
- To produce quarterly work plans for the program ;
- To produce monthly narrative and financial reports of the program ;
- To prepare and follow up requests of funds ;
- Support any other activities related to adolescent mental health program ;
- To develop terms of reference for a consultancy to design a national adolescent mental health policy and strategic plan.
Deliverables :
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Deliverables
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Reporting
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- Analyze, collate, collect data and assess levels of AMH programing develop and share a well concise annual implementation plan
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Monthly progress report |
- To develop adolescent mental health related training tools for health facilities and facilitate the trainings
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- Facilitate development of guidelines, design and display adolescent wellbeing awareness messages
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- Develop terms of reference for a consultancy to design a national adolescent mental health policy and strategic plan
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- Co-organize and co-implement protocols on a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology for psychologists and a Bachelor’s degree in mental health nursing for A1 mental health nurses working in public health facilities alongside UR
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- Develop strategies for adolescent mental wellbeing in and out of schools and capacity building plan in child and adolescent psychiatry
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- Facilitate implementation and monitoring of School-based Adolescent Mental Health program
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- Support any other activities related to adolescent mental health program
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- Produce regular reports on achievement and strategic meetings on adolescent mental health
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Evaluation Criteria :
The Technical proposal is weighted at 70% and 30% for the Financial proposal. Only candidates passing the technical evaluation will be invited to submit a financial proposal.
Please note that the final monthly remuneration will be negotiated by HR.
Payment Schedule : The Contractor will be paid on monthly basis based on approved monthly report.
General Conditions : Procedures & Logistics :
The National Technical Assistant is expected to work under direct supervision of the Manager of Mental Health Division in Rwanda Biomedical Centre in close collaboration with UNICEF Health Section. The total duration of the assignment shall be 11 months. The Contractor will be paid on monthly basis based on approved monthly report.
The consultant will use her/his own computer. In-country travel fees for field activities and transport arrangement will be done by UNICEF and based on Government daily rates.
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
The best National Technical Assistant will need to prove the following qualifications, skills and experience :
Academic Qualifications :
- Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology and or Mental Health related field from a recognized university ;
- PhD is an asset.
Professional experience :
- Minimum eight years working experience, with a focus on mental health and psychosocial support ;
- Relevant professional experience in the field of adolescent mental health ;
- Proven experience in organizing or facilitating pre-service training and in-service capacity building ;
- Proven experience in areas related to community awareness at a national level ;
- Being a member of adolescent mental/health/life decision-making platforms is an asset
Competencies and skills :
- Excellent and broad understanding of the mental health context in Rwanda ;
- A good understanding of adolescent mental health and wellbeing ;
- Research skills ;
- Teaching skills ;
- Experience working within a multidisciplinary team ;
- Ability to adapt to unexpected challenges such as COVID-19 pandemic ;
- Fluent in English with excellent writing, analytical and communication skills ;
- Good time management and ability to work under tight deadlines ;
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills ;
- High level proficiency in standard computer software, in particular, Microsoft Office and data analysis software
How to Apply :
UNICEF is committed to gender equality in its mandate and its staff. Well qualified candidates, particularly females are strongly encouraged to apply.
Interested candidates should send their complete a CV/resume or Personal History (P11) form, which can be downloaded form (http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/P11.doc), as well as a cover letter explaining what makes them suitable for this consultancy. The application package should be submitted to UNICEF’s online recruitment system.
Qualified and experienced candidates are requested to submit a letter of interest. In their letter of interest, candidates should highlight their previous work experience relevant to the assignment and the attributes that make them suitable for the assignment.
Only successful candidates from the technical evaluation exercise will be contacted and requested to submit their most competitive Financial Proposal.
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.
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 :
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.