Regional Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Specialist – Chad At INTERSOS

INTERSOS is a non-profit, non-governmental humanitarian organization whose objective is to assist victims of natural disasters and armed conflicts. INTERSOS bases its action on the values ​​of solidarity, justice, human dignity, equal rights and opportunities for all peoples, respect for diversity, coexistence, and attention to the most vulnerable social groups.

Terms of reference

Job Title : Regional Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Specialist

Code: SR-31-9500

Country: Chad

Place of assignment : N’djamena

Start date : 01/15/2025

Contract duration : 6 months

Under the supervision of: Head of Mission

Functional supervision: Regional Protection Advisor

Duty station: No family

General context of the project

INTERSOS has been operating in the Lac region since 2017 and most recently intervened in the surroundings of Ndjamena to respond to the displacement of thousands of people following community clashes in the Far North region of Cameroon in 2021 and floods in the city of N’Djamena in 2022.

The areas on which INTERSOS focuses its interventions are: Protection through the strengthening of an environment conducive to the promotion and protection of human rights, and specifically child protection through the establishment of Child Friendly Spaces, PE case management, conducting rapid protection assessments, restoring social cohesion, border monitoring, community rehabilitation, water, hygiene and sanitation, food security and health/nutrition.

General objective of the position

Support the HQ Protection Unit in mapping existing MHPSS resources, developing MHPSS-specific tools and implementing the MHPSS component of the INTERSOS protection programme in West and Central Africa.

Provide technical advice and training to protection personnel, ensuring that specific components of the MHPSS programme are delivered in accordance with internal guidelines and in line with international standards and principles, to achieve mission objectives effectively, in line with INTERSOS Human Resources vision and values.

Main responsibilities and tasks

Key Deliverables

Mapping of existing INTERSOS psychosocial support (PSS) activities in missions in West and Central Africa (Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic).

Mapping mental health needs and gaps in relevant missions.

Based on the mapping, develop the PSS response framework and strategy for the mission in line with the INTERSOS Protection Strategy, the Global Protection Framework and the MHPSS global guidelines, as well as mission priorities and contexts.

Design and develop an MHPSS toolkit with appropriate resources and guidelines for providing unstructured psychosocial support to children and adults, and pilot it in 2 countries.

Design and develop an MHPSS toolkit with a curriculum to deliver structured PSS sessions for children and women, and pilot it in 2 countries.

Train field teams on the basics of PSS, including basic counselling and emotional support, and on the developed PSS response framework and MHPSS toolkit.

Technical Leadership

Map the internal and external tools and manuals used by INTERSOS staff in these missions.

Identify key mental health issues and contributing factors in communities for men and women, in each of the countries where we operate in West and Central Africa, in collaboration with Protection Coordinators and Focal Points in each country.

Develop guidance materials for MHPSS interventions by identifying community practices, assets and structures that support the promotion of good mental health and ensuring that our programming builds on these assets.

Develop a roadmap for the development of the emergency PSS response package/framework in active and protracted crises.

Contribute to the development of the overall MHPSS guidelines ensuring that contextual issues and understanding of West and Central Africa are covered.

Work with INTERSOS health advisors and the mental health specialist to ensure continuity of care throughout the MHPSS pyramid.

Working with Protection Coordinators to design interventions that support PSS integrated into our CP/GBV response.

Design key messages for MHPSS awareness based on issues identified in the community and ensure that teams are aware of these messages and able to disseminate them effectively in the community.

Ensure that MHPSS awareness materials are designed using embedded cultural and traditional practices that the community uses to disseminate messages.

Develop comprehensive MEAL tools to assess distress among clients and measure the impact of INTERSOS MHPSS services. Develop standard MEAL tools and indicators to measure the impact, effectiveness and quality of MHPSS interventions for children, adults and people with disabilities, and ensure piloting and standardization of these tools. Increase and improve monitoring and evaluation of MHPSS programs, and determine impact.

Ensure our MHPSS response is community-based in accordance with CBP and MHPSS global guidelines.

Coordination

Support Protection Coordinators and Focal Points in including PSS priorities and response in their mission protection analysis and strategies, and provide technical support and assistance to Protection Coordinators and Focal Points for the implementation of MHPSS activities through appropriate tools and methodologies.

Ensure that MHPSS interventions in missions are AGD-sensitive and ensure the adequacy of AGD and context in addressing CP, GBV and other protection issues.

Support Protection Coordinators, Focal Points and MHPSS Specialists in the country to develop and review trend analyses on prevalent protection concerns in each mission location for tailored intervention.

Work with Protection Coordinators, Focal Points and MHPSS Specialists to strengthen the PSS in case management by providing guidance on problem identification, empathy, session structure and referrals.

In coordination with Protection Coordinators, provide training and workshops to protection staff to develop skills on MHPSS topics. Develop training materials in line with national policies and international standards. Missions will be selected based on priorities in the field.

Support Protection Coordinators in the development and implementation of a care system for staff.

In line with the current comprehensive protection strategy and community protection approach, design and develop a community approach for the MHPSS.

Maintain and update regional MHPSS platforms for synchronization of protection data management and reporting.

Provide technical support to psychologists for high-risk individual cases affected by the crisis, GBV survivors, child protection cases, etc.

Networking and Partnerships

Maintain collaborative working relationships with relevant clusters and working groups at regional and national levels and ensure compliance with any cluster monthly reporting requirements.

Represent INTERSOS in MHPSS regional meetings and share best practices and lessons learned.

Act as focal point in the protection cluster for the MHPSS technical working group.

In coordination with the Protection Advisor, ensure that key MHPSS concerns are brought to the attention of relevant stakeholders to advocate for respect for human rights and ensure minimum protection standards.

Network with MHPSS leaders from other missions and organizations to share best practices and resources.

Required profile

Education

• University degree in social sciences, psychology, social work, human rights, international humanitarian law or other fields related to social development and humanitarian work
• Master’s degree preferably in a related field

Professional experience

• Minimum of four years of relevant professional experience in protection-related sectors (including MHPSS), preferably within an INGO, and two years for a higher education degree (Master/LLM)

Professional requirements

• Computer skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, INTERSOS MHPSS platform is a plus)
• Solid theoretical, technical and practical knowledge of MHPSS
• Demonstrated ability to work in a humanitarian context (experience with IDPs is an asset)
• Very good understanding of protection, human rights law and international humanitarian rights and principles
• Excellent analytical and reporting skills on protection and human rights
• Proposal writing experience is an asset

LANGUAGES

• French and English

Personal requirements

• Flexibility and ability to work in precarious, stressful and difficult environments
• High confidentiality, respect and non-discriminatory attitude
• Diplomatic skills in networking with partners, authorities and donors
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines
• Excellent time management, resourcefulness and attention to detail
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and ability to work and integrate into a multicultural team
• Commitment to INTERSOS Principles