EHU MHPSS Advisor At Save the Children

TITLE: Emergency Health Unit MHPSS Advisor

TEAM/PROGRAMME: EHU Humanitarian

LOCATION: International WFH (up to 60% deployment)

GRADE: Tier 3

CONTRACT LENGTH: 2 years

CHILD SAFEGUARDING:

Level 3: the post holder will have contact with children and/or young people either frequently (e.g. once a week or more) or intensively (e.g. four days in one month or more or overnight) because they work country programs; or are visiting country programs; or because they are responsible for implementing the police checking/vetting process staff.

ROLE PURPOSE:

The Emergency Health Unit (EHU) responds to climate emergencies, sudden onset disasters, conflict and disease outbreaks that impact children and their families health, delivering high quality health interventions in some of the hardest places to work, where the needs for children are greatest.

It is widely recognised that MHPSS is a key intervention in humanitarian public health responses. Save the Children’s child protection team supports psychosocial care through ensuring general services provision and child friendly spaces providing an environment of normalcy care and support. However there are sometimes gaps in the delivery of a more coherent and comprehsensive response including identification of and response to Mental health issues, particulary for children affected by disasters or emergencies.

The purpose of the EHU MHPSS Advisor role is to integrate all layers of MHPSS into the EHU program design and delivery to ensure that children and adults are able to access MHPSS support when they need it immediately following a disaster or outbreak. In doing so the Advisor will also work with SCI MHPSS groups to include Mental Health as part of a broader package of services beyond PSS.

The role will involve deploying to some responses, designing appropriate interventions, providing technical advice and training to the EHU staff, country office staff and MOH and partners during deployments.

The post holder will also work with the Global MHPSS working group to further develop the mental health components of our global MHPSS strategic framework and support and integrate MHPSS into the Public humanitarian health team emergency responses and work closely, collaborating with the wider humanitarian technical teams including protection, education and nutrition.

SCOPE OF ROLE:

Reports to: Head of Emergency Health Unit

Staff reporting to this post: No staff reporting to this post except when deployed

Budget Responsibilities: no budget responsibility

Role Dimensions:

Whilst working directly with the EHU and country offices to strengthen the MHPSS emergency response, the Advisor will also provide technical support for the wider Humanitarian surge health and nutrition teams on occasions and collaborate closely with the protection and education teams. They will also represent Save the Children at the MHPSS reference group and its relevant thematic sub groups as well as other relevent fora. The MHPSS advisor will also be a key member of the Save the Children MHPSS thematic group.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY : *(6-8 over-arching statements, each with supporting comments as bullet points These should be specific things that the individual will be expected to do)*

This section should contain the end results required for the role. They should identify what the Post holder does and why but NOT how.

Increase access for children and their families to quality MHPSS services during EHU led emergency public health responses

Technical support

· Deploy as required as part of the EHU surge response team

· Work together with the response team and other technical expertise and stakeholders, to develop deployment modalities that will ensure the rapid set up and establishment of MHPSS operations within the Public Health emergency response.

· Utilise existing evidence based interventions and as needed initiate and coordinate the development of new interventions to be included in various response scenarios

· Review and update assessment and planning tools

· Identify and provide relevant MHPSS trainings for EHU clinical staff, Country office and MOH partners during deployments.

· Ensure that the MHPSS activities delivered by the EHU when on deployment are of the minimum expected standard and quality, to ensure the delivery of safe patient care in the humanitarian context

· Directly support the humanitarian Health and Nutrition teams and coordinate with the Child Protection and Education teams on MHPSS roll out in Emergency surge response.

· Conduct needs assessments as part of a multi disciplinary team

· Work with the EHU Ops Lead to ensure sufficient budget for MHPSS activities

· Contribute to internal and donor reporting

• Develop and implement an effective exit strategy/handover for any MHPSS interventions, in close discussion and collaboration with the Country office and MOH/partners.
• Work together with other agencies that provide MHPSS services in affected geographical areas to enable cross sectoral and interagency referral pathways.
• Contribute to sector wide emergency response planning platforms in the field

Strengthen MHPSS capacity of EHU and other public health and nutrition front line responders.

· Provide training on WHO mhGAP and other MHPSS layer 3 and 4 interventions and facilitate the training of trainers to key EHU, humanitarian health and nutrition advisors.

· In close collaboration with the Child Protection PFA team, mainstream and provide Psychological First Aid training for EHU and frontline humanitarian responders.

Identify new opportunites and build on existing networks with leading stakeholders in MHPSS with a focus on clinical mental health.

· Strengthen links with external networks including WHO, UNHCR, UNICEF and IMC MHPSS stakeholders

· Support Save the Children’s representation at the MHPSS interagency technical working group at local national, regional and global level.

· Represent EHU on the MHPSS thematic working group.

· Identify and pursue funding opportunities to support MHPSS in emergencies.

Use of Evidence, Evaluation and Accountability to strengthen MHPSS deployments

· Develop/Identify minimum standards/quality benchmarks on MHPSS in nutrition and health programmes.

· Review and provide inputs for concept notes and proposals

· Provide input to deployment After Action Reviews to improve future responses

· Improve capacity to deploy MHPSS professionals by leading on roster recruitment

· Work with the EHU MEAL Advisor to design appropriate data collection standards and tools

· Support the publication of research and completion of evaluations to improve the evidence base and advocacy on Mental Health for Save the Children.

BEHAVIOURS (Values in Practice) (Section should not consist of Competencies as this are the standard Values in practice)

Accountability:

· holds self accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values

· holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities – giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.

Ambition:

· sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same

· widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others

· future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale.

Collaboration:

· builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters

· values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength

· approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.

Creativity:

· develops and encourages new and innovative solutions

· willing to take disciplined risks.

Integrity:

· honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity

QUALIFICATIONS

Mental health and psychosocial professional with RN, Ph.D., MD, Masters or equivalent degree with relevant clinical experience

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

Essential Technical Skills:

• At least 5 years humanitarian experience working in MHPSS
• Experience in coordination and technical assistance provision at the level of working group/task force or equivalent. Active participation in key working group such as the MHPSS network and health cluster working group.
• Minimum 5 + years’ experience in setting up, implementing, and supervising high quality mental health and psychosocial programs.
• Strong knowledge of mhGAP and other evidence based layer 3 and 4 MHPSS interventions in humanitarian settings, as well as global developments at the inter agency level on MHPSS

· Experience of capacity building, training and mentoring.

· Experience of organisational level thought leadership in a technical sector.

· Strong communications skills at a level appropriate for high level external representation (advocacy, presentations) as well as support to country programme staff, and ability to tailor communications to different audiences

· Highly developed writing skills (e.g. at level for producing an assessment report or proposal during a short time period)

· Ability to analyse diverse information and develop recommendations for an appropriate response

· Computer literate.

· High level of written and spoken English language skills

Desirable

· Broad understanding of rights and development issues, international relations and the international humanitarian systems.

· Existing networks of contacts in MHPSS

· Sound understanding of and commitment to SC generic programme approaches and core standards in humanitarian response

· Working knowledge of either French or Spanish and/or Arabic

Additional job responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.

Equal Opportunities

The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI Equal Opportunities and Diversity policies and procedures.

Child Safeguarding:

We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

Health and Safety

The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI Health and Safety policies and procedures.