Ofertas em Brasilia, Brasil

The consultant will support the implementation of the “Pode Falar” (Speak Up) initiative, which started to be implemented by ADAP Section in UNICEF Brazil to respond to a mental health crisis especially felt by adolescents and youth in 2020 since the beginning of COVID-19. Pode Falar was conceived as a virtual space for helping and welcoming adolescents and young people in mental health and has evolved over the years into a network formed mainly of universities and Mental Health NGOs connecting the service to the territory. It is part of a wide strategy including:

1. Capacity building of professionals on health, education, social assistance, and other areas in direct contact with adolescents;
2. A digital platform dedicated to 13-24-year-old people offering materials, testimonials, and human assistance;
3. A national network of 20 public and private universities from different States of Brazil, 3 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with expertise on childhood and adolescence, and 1 municipal government program offering continuous training, supervision, and support to the online human attendants, discussing cases and monitoring quality of service delivered;
4. The gradual use of the accumulated information in Pode Falar's database on adolescent's and youth's mental health sufferings, resulting from the supportive listening service provided, as a relevant source of public policy recommendations;
5. The joint production and publishing of evidence, articles, and research with an intersectoral view on mental health, increasing the knowledge base on the importance of interventions and strategies led by Education, Social Assistance, Culture, Sports, and other areas as essential for policies that promote well-being in the second decade of life;
6. Adolescents’ direct participation in public spaces to debate mental health public policies with an active voice in the “Pode Falar Network” strategy;
7. Increase the connections and local activities between “Pode Falar Network” and the public services available in the territories, with a special aim at Schools and Universities where adolescents and young people spend most of their time.

SCOPE OF WORK:

The main objective of this consultancy is to provide support and technical assistance to the UNICEF team to accelerate the results of the Pode Falar initiative in Brazil, taking into account the different components of this initiative.

The consultant will be responsible for proposing recommendations to consolidate the project and support UNICEF officers to maintain a strengthened network of partners on adolescents’ mental health.

The following results are expected from this consultancy:

1. Pode Falar outreach strategy evaluated
2. Pode Falar outreach and sustainability strategy revamped
3. Adolescents and Youth’s mental health intersectoral public policies advocacy strategy planned and delivered to UNICEF.
4. National mental health observatory created with UNICEF in collaboration with key actors from different sectors (universities, civil society, public sector, legislative sector, etc)
5. Proposal to approach mental health and wellbeing in adolescent-friendly health units developed
6. Knowledge on adolescents’ mental health generated and systematized
7. Communications products on Pode Falar for advocacy purposes
8. Recommendations on how to strengthen partnerships with strategic actors on adolescents’ mental health
9. Reports with the main results and challenges of the Pode Falar initiative prepared and delivered
10. A mental health national event organized to disseminate lessons learned with the implementation of the Pode Falar initiative.
11. Balance report with the results of mental health initiatives and plans for the future based on lessons learned.

DELIVERABLES

1. Evaluation of Pode Falar outreach strategy
2. Revamp of Pode Falar outreach and sustainability strategy
3. Technical assistance to UNICEF team to design an adolescents’ mental health intersectoral public policies advocacy strategy
4. Adolescents’ Mental Health Observatory set up
5. Recommendations on how to advocate for the insertion of an intersectoral approach on mental health and wellbeing in adolescent-friendly health units based on Pode Falar lessons learned.
6. Knowledge generation on adolescents’ mental health
7. Preparation of communication materials to advocate for adolescents’ mental health public policies targeting strategic partners
8. Support to strengthen UNICEF’s partnerships with Fiocruz/ENSP, LSE, and CIEE
9. Inputs for donor reports on adolescents’ mental health
10. National adolescents’ mental health event planned and delivered
11. Annual report on adolescents’ mental health

DURATION OF CONTRACT: 11 months

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIREMENT

• Bachelor's degree in Communications, Social Sciences, Psychology, Social Assistance, or related fields
• Master’s degree is an asset
• Previous professional and/or academic experience of at least five years in the area of Psychology, Communications, Human Rights, and/or the rights of children and adolescents
• Previous professional and/or academic experience in the areas of gender relations and ethnic-racial relations, preferably with an intersectional and/or decolonial approach is an asset
• Previous professional experience with UNICEF is an asset
• Previous professional experience with project management

LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY

• Excellent written skills in Portuguese and English
• Excellent negotiation skills in Portuguese
• Native Portuguese and fluency in written English

FINANCIAL PROPOSAL

• A financial proposal including the fee for the assignment based on the deliverables and number of days must be submitted. Consultants are asked to stipulate all-inclusive fees, including lump sum, administrative cost, travel cost, and subsistence costs, as applicable.

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.