Consultant - MHPSS Materials Development - Beirut

International Rescue Committee

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 50 countries and more than 25 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities.

The IRC has operated in Lebanon since 2012, delivering lifesaving care and life-changing assistance projects to vulnerable population in the education, early childhood development, protection and rule of law, women’s protection and empowerment, child protection, livelihoods and health programming.

 Background of the project

The situation facing detained children in Lebanon is deeply troubling, exacerbated by the country’s ongoing economic crisis that has disrupted positive coping mechanisms. Within the framework of the “Creating a Safe Haven for Children in Contact with the Law within Lebanese Juvenile Prisons” project, funded by Centre de Crise et de Soutien (CDCS), and through a response strategy involving a holistic approach where IRC and their partner are addressing legal, child protection, and health and MHPSS needs of detained children, emphasizing direct services, capacity-building, and awareness sessions for children, caregivers, and security forces, the IRC – Health program, aims to hire an external consultant, to support with the MHPSS interventions.

Description of the consultancy

As part of the project’s scope, the caregivers of children in contact with the law will participate in awareness-raising activities on the mental health (MH) rights of their care receivers at the partner’s centers. Thus, a desk review on available materials/interventions presented via a clear summary is a pivotal first step to setting the foundation for the developed materials. The awareness materials must be developed in a way that can be delivered by non-specialized MHPSS staff in an interactive and engaging way using the principles of andragogy.

This consultancy additionally entails the development of a peer-to-peer support group curriculum that targets caregivers of children in contact with the law. The consultant must try to adapt existing curricula available to the best extent possible. The peer-to-peer support groups will be facilitated by an MHPSS specialist (psychologist) and must be designed accordingly. It is possible to include the information of the MHPSS awareness-raising session addressing caregivers in the curriculum.

At the level of Internal Security Forces (ISF) officers, they will be receiving MHPSS training that is tailored to them and aims to equip them with the needed skills to communicate and manage better children in contact with the law.

IRC will support the selected consultant by providing guidance materials and documents to orient and facilitate the development of the requested deliverables. The consultant must refer to humanitarian guidelines and technical documents developed by the IASC, UN Agencies (WHO, UNICEF…), or local/ international NGOs in addition to the use of recent academic literature specifically systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

The main tasks and responsibilities of the consultant will be to:

• Develop awareness-raising sessions that are evidence-informed and respond to IRC’s set topics for the population of interest - caregivers of children in contact with the law. A clear guide and other supporting documents for each awareness-raising session and the training in the form of a detailed guide to support the SW in delivering them.
• Develop an intervention on MHPSS group peer-to-peer support that targets caregivers of children in contact with the law.
• Develop an MHPSS training that targets ISF officers equipping them with the needed skills to better communicate and manage children in contact with the law.

Deliverables

The consultant, when selected, is expected to develop:

• Awareness-raising sessions (ARSs) on MH rights that target caregivers of children in contact with the law, aiming to empower and equip caregivers with the needed knowledge to advocate for the MH rights of their care receivers (children in contact with the law).
• MHPSS training targeting ISF officers working with children in contact with the law aiming to equip the security personnel with the skills needed to communicate and manage children in contact with the law.

The development of the ARSs and training must include for every session the following:

• ARSs and training content and additional materials used (PowerPoint Presentations including trainer notes),
• a clear guide that includes the duration of each session, the methodology of delivering the ARSs, points of attention/ concern, dos and don’ts, and detailed description of any recreational activities that may be included in the ARSs,
• training agenda and pre- and post-assessments to measure increase in knowledge,
• supporting materials that can be of use such as illustrations, videos…
• and a list of recent and evidence-based references used and an in-text citation of each resource used within the content developed.

Overall, the ARSs must be simple, adapted to the different target groups (duration, content, activities), creative and engaging, based on international humanitarian guidelines and academic literature with strong evidence, and can be delivered by non-technical MHPSS staff, namely SWs.

A guide for an MHPSS group peer-to-peer support for caregivers of children in contact with the law intervention using participatory, person-centered, and rights-based approaches. The guide should be based on recent publications by WHO such as QualityRights Peer Support Mental Health Services (2021). It must be straightforward and relevant to caregivers from different backgrounds.

• The development of the guide must include per session:
• the group peer-to-peer support content and materials,
• a clear guide that includes duration per session, the methodology of delivering the session, points of attention/ concern, dos and don’ts, and detailed description of any activities that may be included in the session,
• supporting materials that can be of use such as illustrations, videos…
• and a list of recent and evidence-based references used.

Overall, the peer-to-peer support sessions must be simple, creative, engaging, and based on international humanitarian guidelines and academic literature with strong evidence.

Requirements of the Consultant

The consultant should have the following characteristics:

• Be a specialist in mental health and psychosocial support (psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker, public health professional with a background in psychology...).
• Have extensive experience in designing, developing, and implementing innovative and engaging evidence-based or evidence-informed peer-to-peer interventions, curriculums, and training materials in humanitarian settings based on a thorough review of the available literature.
• Have proven skills and a record in MH promotion and community MH supported by a portfolio of developed materials.
• Have extensive experience in working with the specified age groups, children in contact with the law (in prison or detained), caregivers of children in contact with the law, in prisons, and in detention centers.
• Have a strong understanding of the context: prisons and detention centers for children in contact with the law.
• Have a strong research skillset including sound research methodology and design.

Language of the Material

• All the materials must be in English following APA style 7th edition

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability and Equality. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.