Regional Mental Health And Psychosocial Support (Mhpss) Specialist

ROLE PURPOSE: The purpose of the Regional MHPSS Specialist is to promote access among children and families affected by conflict in the Middle East to high quality and well-coordinated MHPSS programming in line with global standards and latest research. This builds on a growing and increasingly well-documented recognition of the critical MHPSS needs in the Syria regional response and other crises in the region, and of the lack of available national and local services, NGO responses, referral mechanisms and documentation for this constantly growing challenge. More specifically, the purpose of the MHPSS Specialist is to build a cohesive, well-coordinated and high quality response across multiple Save the Children country offices in order to provide a holistic and integrated approach to addressing the MHPSS needs of children affected by conflict and crisis in the region in general, with a specific focus on the effects of the Syrian conflict.    KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:   Technical Assistance to Country Offices Mapping of existing MHPSS technical tools and programmes that are being used in the MEE region (across age groups, sectors and levels, including community-based) and provide guidance on best use in line with quality standards and benchmarks (e.g. IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergencies). Assess similarities and differences across the country offices and provide assistance in making sure MHPSS is harmonised and “standardised” across the region, yet contextualised. Identify gaps of tools and programming and address these through consolidating material from other regions or create new material as appropriate. Support the development of guidance of what constitutes MHPSS support at the different levels and what are the minimum standards/key principles to be taken into account (in line with global guidance). Support capacity building of CO staff (psychologists and non-psychologists) to have sufficient resources and expertise at hand to build capacity, to monitor, to ensure quality and to develop further in their ability to meet the psychological and psychosocial needs of children, adolescents and their families. Be available to country offices to support review of MHPSS-specific components of proposals.   Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Mapping of existing and, if necessary, development of new MHPSS indicators at outcome and impact level (including for integrated programming). Mapping of existing good practises of MHPSS Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) tools that are being used in the MEE region, review against the ISAC MHPSS M&E framework and/or other relevant guidance; identify gaps and if necessary, develop additional tools. Create a MHPSS MEAL framework for the MEE region, in line with global guidelines and recommendations. Provide support to country programmes in their implementation of MHPSS indictors, programmes and tools, including on ways to measure impact of MHPSS programming for children and their families (taking the specific contexts into account). Support the country offices in documenting good MHPSS practises and gather relevant disaggregated MHPSS data. Assess the effectiveness and appropriateness of MHPSS programmes and tools in the region.   Strategic planning and  Regional coordination  Contribute to the quality assurance of policy developments and advocacy efforts linked to MHPSS (in close coordination with CPI among others). Encourage and facilitate quality assurance of MHPSS tools and approaches in close collaboration with the CPI. Coordinate the MHPSS work of Save the Children in the region, including facilitation of information sharing and learning. Support the integration of MHPSS into other sector programming.   Capacity building & Knowledge management Establish & coordinate regional MHPSS learning centre/peer group with the aim of supporting professional development and sharing learning across countries in terms of promising practices, pilot programmes (e.g. discussion forum, regional MHPSS resource centre, webinars and a MHPSS learning event). Enhance regional capacities on MHPSS, through capacity building to country staff on relevant topics within the field of MHPSS, including Psychological First Aid for child practitioner and how to identify children in need for various levels of MHPSS support (e.g. screening). Particular focus lies on community-based PSS.   Representation Support identification and documentation of important case studies that can showcase MHPSS in the MEE region. Trigger advocacy efforts related to MHPSS programming and drive learning and innovations in liaison with other key stakeholders and in close collaboration with RO Advocacy team. Strengthen Save the Children participation in regional and global networks in order to identify funding and advocacy opportunities and increase visibility and coordination of MHPSS in the MEE region. Collaborate closely with the Save the Children representative of the IASC MHPSS Reference Group.   Comply with Save the Children policies and practice with respect to child protection, code of conduct, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies and procedures.   QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE: Essential Education to Masters Level within the field of mental health, such as psychology, psychotherapy or other relevant area. Significant knowledge and experience from the field of MHPSS, including child trauma, resilience & recovery, child development, work with parents & caregivers and techniques such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Excellent knowledge and experience in using key tools and approaches, including the IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergencies. Significant experience working in emergency response, protracted crises or fragile state contexts (experience from the MEE region is a strong advantage) Strong experience with learning exercises, including management of assessments and evaluations Proven capacity to technically support, train and coach staff, including remote support Ability to write clear and effective assessment and project reports Excellent communication and influencing skills with experience in advocacy Politically and culturally sensitive with qualities of patience, tact and diplomacy A high level of written and spoken English. Arabic is a strong advantage. The capacity and willingness to be extremely flexible and accommodating in difficult and sometimes insecure working circumstances. Experience of representation and ability to represent Save the Children effectively in external forums. Commitment to the aims and principles of Save the Children. In particular, a good understanding of the Save the Children mandate and child focus and an ability to ensure this continues to underpin our support   Desirable Language skills in Arabic Experience of contributing to successful funding proposals for donors Experience or knowledge of working and living in relevant regions/contexts