Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) works for the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action, and peace and security.

In September 2017, Hurricane Irma, one of the powerful and catastrophic Category 5 Atlantic Hurricanes in recorded history, caused profound levels of devastation to several Caribbean countries, including the islands of Antigua and Barbuda and Turks and Caicos. Impacts of the storm include loss of life, loss of livelihoods, and major structural damage to the housing stock and wider infrastructure.

In a recent Post Disaster Needs Assessment by the Antigua and Barbuda Government, psychosocial support and counselling was identified as a key priority area for affected persons, particularly elderly women and men and youth. Though no formal mental health assessment has been conducted, every woman and man interviewed in the post disaster context indicated that psychosocial support was a priority need, and in several instances, this was placed above other needs such as employment, physical health and safety. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in elderly women and men who may have experienced destruction to their houses during the hurricane has been reported in previous assessments conducted by the National Gender Machineries and UN Women MCO.  Some of the symptoms of PSTD were seen to be sleep disturbances and high blood pressure. With many families and extended family and friend groups sleeping in close quarters, increased vulnerability to sexual violence and to sex between teenagers staying together has also been flagged as a concern.

As of December 2017, the recovery and rebuilding process continues in both territories. In the case of Barbuda, persons remain in shelters located both in Barbuda and in mainland Antigua. Essential services in Barbuda such as schools and health centres are scheduled to re-open in January 2018. It is evident therefore that there remains a critical need for psychosocial support during this process, until a sense of normalcy is returned.

In this effort, UN Women has been working closely with colleagues in UNFPA and other UN agencies to provide gender responsive emergency services to women, men and their families.

Duties and Responsibilities

Objectives of the assignment

Under the overall supervision of the UN Women MCO –Representative, the consultant will be contracted to provide expertise on gender responsive mental health intervention, with an emphasis on GBV. The consultant will support the Directorate of Gender Affairs in Antigua and Barbuda, and the Gender Affairs Coordinator in Turks and Caicos.

Scope of Work and Deliverables

The consultant is expected to deliver the following results:

• Psycho-social mapping and direct assistance in Antigua and Barbuda and Turks and Caicos, including the identification of psycho-social and mental health interventions needed;
• Specialized psychosocial support provided to women and men, including virtual support where applicable;
• Development of a psychosocial assessment on the situation of vulnerable groups in shelters and a plan for the establishment of a referral system to address mental health needs of the affected populations;
• Professional training and mentorship provided to key stakeholders and staff based on identified training needs;
• Final report outlining support and recommendations no longer than 15 pages.

Reporting Requirements

The consultant will work closely under the overall supervision of the UN Women MCO-Caribbean Representative, with direct reporting to the Deputy Representative.

Competencies

Core Values / Guiding Principles:

Integrity and Fairness:

• Demonstrate consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct.

Professionalism:

• Demonstrate professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work. Conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results.

Cultural sensitivity and valuing diversity:

• Demonstrate an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff. Demonstrate an international outlook, appreciating difference in values and learning from cultural diversity.

Core Competencies:

Work in teams:

• Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.

Communicating and Information Sharing:

• Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for effective communication.

Self-management and Emotional Intelligence:

• Stay composed and positive even in difficult moments, handle tense situations with diplomacy and tact, and have a consistent behaviour towards others.

Conflict management:

• Surface conflicts and address them proactively acknowledging different feelings and views and directing energy towards a mutually acceptable solution.

Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making:

• Demonstrate informed and transparent decision making.

Good analytical skills

Flexibility

Strong work ethics and commitment to humanitarian issues

Required Skills and Experience

Minimum Requirements

The consultant should meet the following criteria:

Education:

• University degree in clinical psychology, psychiatry or social work with strong experience in mental health and direct counseling is required.

Required skills and experience:

• At least 10 years of work experience in MHPSS programming, preferably including direct assistance to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), masculinity, gender equality and broad based knowledge of social protection;
• Sound knowledge of international standards on gender equality and women’s empowerment including those relevant to humanitarian action;
• Cross-cultural working experience in the field of community based psychosocial support is desired;
• Knowledge and experience implementing the IASC guidelines on MHPSS in Emergency Settings desirable;
• Demonstrated expertise in conducting participatory assessments and approaches;
•  Experience in mental health and/or psychosocial support training would be an asset;
• Experience on safe house/shelter management would be an asset;
• Professional experience in working in the Caribbean region is required.

Languages :

• Fluency in English is required.

References:

• Minimum of three client references that include the name of the contact person, title and contact information.

Remuneration:

• The consultancy fee will be negotiated before contracting. Each payment will be based on a predefined and formal agreement between UN Women and the consultant and will be disbursed based on satisfactory completion of agreed deliverables.

Hardware, Software and Communication:

• The consultant must be equipped with a laptop, which must be portable and must run at least Windows 7. The consultant must be reasonably accessible by email and telephone (preferably mobile). The use of reliable, internet-based (Skype or equivalent) is required.

Location and Duration:

• The Psychosocial & Mental Health Consultant will be home based with travel to  Antigua and Barbuda, and Turks and Caicos;
• The Consultant will be engaged for a maximum of 40 working days during the period February 1st – May 31st, 2018.

Other

• The consultant contracted will be required to sign a statement of confidentiality and freedom from any conflict of interest with potential future contractors with respect to the TORs and work that they will be delivering.

Note: Submissions to UNDP Jobs are limited to a maximum of 10 MB, virus-free or corrupted contents to avoid rejection, and no more than 1 email transmission.  As such, all application materials must be scanned into one document and submitted.