Developpement of Focused PSS Response – Curriculum for caregivers

CONTEXT 

The Middle East faced many waves of violent conflicts over the past decades, but the recent conflict in Syria remain by far the deadliest, causing thousands and thousands of refugees most of which are children. Since March 2011, political and civil unrest in Syria has resulted in over 120,000 deaths, of which nearly 11,000 are children, and over 2.2 million registered displacements into surrounding and nearby countries, of which nearly a million are children. As of 31 December 2016, more than 1.01 million Syrian refugees were registered with UNHCR and are living in over 1,750 locations across Lebanon.

Irrespective of where Syrian refugees are living, their lives, especially those of children and caregivers, are being shaped by violence, displacement, and a persistent lack of opportunities. The crisis is impacting children and their caregivers physically, psychologically, and socially. Persons, especially caregivers affected by this emergency are showing many psychological symptoms, including withdrawal, anxiousness, fear, denial, anger, sadness, restlessness. The number of caregivers requiring support is increasing whilst putting them in difficult position to support their children and seek the support they themselves need.

As caregivers of children exposed to worst forms of child labour, UNICEF and Mouvement Social applied a range of PSS activities/sessions by building on the MS successive experience since 2009 and by gathering different approaches that combined social support, life skills, intercultural mediation and psychological follow-up. This combination have succeeded so far to support caregivers, through community based mechanisms and processes. 

Ensuring caregivers are being supported remains a joint responsibility that extends to actors beyond the child protection sector, including first and foremost, the concerned governments, but also humanitarian coordinators and civil society organizations, among others; the development of a Psychosocial Support Curriculum tailored on the needs of caregivers of children involved in specific worst forms of child labour grounded by this particular local expertise that encompasses specific aspect related to culture, language and available resources remains a priority to respond not only to the additional CP key concerns arising from the Syrian crisis but to supply all CP providers in the Middle East with substantial CP curricula to face protection challenges and contribute to sustainable and tailored response.

OUTCOME

A Psychosocial Support Curriculum for caregivers of children being involved in worst forms of child labor in their community is developed aiming at alleviating psychosocial distress and promoting resilience in relation with providing care and support for children.

OUTPUTS

The overall objective of this exercise is to build a relevant, effective and sustainable PSS curriculum suitable for CP context in Lebanon. The specific outputs are;

An assessment is carried out to understand the psychosocial problems faced by caregivers of children being involved in worst forms of child labour and the coping mechanisms that they are resorting to.

A Psychosocial Support curriculum is developed outlining a number of distinct group sessions and focusing on alleviating psychosocial distress, promoting resilience in relation with providing care and support for children involved in worst forms of child labour.

M&E tools specific to the curriculum are designed and tested.

PROFILE REQUIREMENTS (education, experience, technical knowledge, languages, skills and personal traits)

Mouvement Social is looking for an Arabic native speaker qualified consultant with experience in designing curricula for psychosocial support response.

The consultant should have the following qualifications:

Education:

(CV required)

Graduate (or post-graduate) in social sciences or psychology or sociology or a related field.

Experience:

(CV required)

5 to 8 years of relevant professional experience in the areas of child protection and Psychosocial Support (CV is required)

Technical expertise:    

(Provision of sample work may be required)

In one or multiple areas as follows: child protection, mental health and psychosocial support. Proven experience is required in the area of Technical Psychosocial support service delivery.

Knowledge of Lebanon context and the Syria crisis response is an asset.

Ability to produce high standard deliverables in English.

Solid background knowledge on UNICEF work in emergencies, especially related to child protection

Languages:

(Interview required / written exercise may be required)

Arabic (native speaker and proven verbal and written fluency) and English oral and written proficiency.

Personal skills:

Sensitivity towards ethics with regards to MHPSS assessment methodology, human and child rights issues, different cultures, local customs, religious beliefs and practices, personal interaction and gender roles, disability, age and ethnicity

Strong analytical and interpersonal skills

Duration: 55 days till the end of the year