TERMS OF REFERENCE (TO BE COMPLETED BY HIRING OFFICER)

Hiring Office:

Uganda Country Office

Introduction 

•    UNFPA Uganda is currently in the 9th cycle of its country programme. The overall vision of the programme is to ensure universal access, for women and young people in Uganda to quality, integrated sexual gender-based violence, and the East and Southern Africa regional priority of ending new HIV infections.

•    According to the Nairobi ICPD+25 resolutions in 2019 centred on three thematic areas namely: - zero unmet need for Family Planning, zero preventable maternal deaths and morbidities, and zero tolerance for sexual and gender based violence. Programs on SRHR and SGBV revolve around these three thematic areas. Yet such programs do not adequately integrate MHPSS in their interventions. This is an oversight that greatly diminishes the impact of such interventions. To resolve this short coming, there is need to have a review of the programs with a view to acknowledge the importance of MHPSS and integrating it in such interventions.

•    Available evidence to shows that Mental Health and Psychosocial Support play a significant role in addressing Sexual and gender based violence, sexual and reproductive health and rights including female genital mutilation (FGM), child marriages, teenage pregnancies, menstrual health management and other stigma/trauma related experiences. E.g. depressive symptoms affect 1 in 10 women during postpartum period.

•    Furthermore, the Mid Term Review Report of the Joint Programme on GBV integrating SRHR indicated that the percentage of GBV survivors who received psychosocial support at least once after a GBV incident dropped from 76.1% at baseline to 47.1% at mid-term. The gap in MPSS in the programme districts was further highlighted in a joint monitoring mission that took place from 21^st to 26^th May 2023.  Given that the programme targets populations that are vulnerable to psychosocial challenges, there is need to build on the current successes and lessons to scale up integration of mental health and psychosocial support in all programmatic interventions. 

•    It is against this background that UNFPA seeks to hire a consultant to strengthen the MPSS components of UNFPA programmes. 

Purpose consultancy:

of

The purpose of hiring an Individual Consultant is to provide support to Gender equality and women empowerment cluster, to conduct and assessment of the integration of MHPSS in programming and identify gaps with a view of strengthening delivery of GBV/SRH services among implementing partners. 

Scope of work 

Integration of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support MHPSS in the Gender and

SRHR programme in the 9^th GoU-UNFPA in Uganda looks towards supporting IPs

(Description of services, activities,

and outputs)

on MHPSS integration. Mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) in these areas is essential and should be addressed routinely as part of GBV and SRH services. For this, there is a need to work with the GBV/SRHR partners, building capacity to deliver effective and integrated mental health and psychosocial support services that meet the broad needs of affected population.

The work of the consultant will include:

i.      Review of existing SRHR and GBV guidelines and tools for interlinkages of Mental Health and Psycho Social Support(MHSSP). Develop a Situational Analysis of the MHPSS in Uganda.

ii.     Develop a guide and training tool kit on integrating MHPSS into SRHR and GBV programmes. iii. Facilitate a validation meeting to validate the guide and tool developed. iv. Facilitate training of 20 Trainers of Trainers (ToTs) in integrating MHPSS into SRHR and GBV programme f: The consultant will conduct tailored training in MHPSS for selected stakeholders and partners at national and subnational level.

Outcomes

1.    A comprehensive assessment of the current MHPSS guidelines in GBV/SRHR and Referral Pathways and service delivery.

2.    A guideline and training Toolkit tailored for integrating MHPSS into SRHR and GBV

3.    A Core team of 20 trainers of equipped TOTs with knowledge and skills of integrating MPHSS into SRHR and GBV programmes 

Deliverables 

Deliverables:

1.    An inception report 

2.    A comprehensive assessment report of the current MHPSS guidelines related to SRHR and GBV programming in Uganda 

3.    A guide and training tool kit on integrating MHPSS into SRHR and GBV programmes  

4.    Core team of 20 Trainer of Trainer (TOTs) trained and equipped on integration of   MHPSS into    SRHR and GBV.

5.    Final report of assignment

                Duration                 and

working schedule

The consultancy will be for a duration of 60 days spread across three months. Start of contract :15^th   June   2023; End of Contract: 20^th September 2023

Schedule of work:

No

Activities

Deliverable

Number of days

1

Inception report for Discussion by Technical

Review Team, 

UNFPA & consultant

Approved

Inception

Report

5 Days

2

Review of existing SRHR and GBV guidelines and tools for interlinkages of Mental Health and Psycho Social Support(MHSSP). Develop a

Situational Analysis of the MHPSS in Uganda

Assessment report

20 days

3

Develop a guide and training tool kit on integrating MHPSS into SRHR and GBV programmes and have it validated by august 2023

Draft guide and training tool kit

20 Days 

4

Conduct validation meeting for the MHPSS guide and tool developed.

Inputs incorporated & finalized

5 days

5

Train 20 Trainers of Trainers (ToTs) in integrating MHPSS into SRHR and GBV programme by September 2023.

Comprehensive

Training report

5 days

6

Submission of final reports 

Final input incorporated

5 days

Place where services are to be delivered 

UNFPA Country Office-Kampala

Delivery dates and how services will be delivered (e.g. Electronic or hard copy

Work will be delivered electronically and hard copy etc., based on approved inception report  that shall be developed once the contract is signed.

Terms of payment

Payment will be made upon delivery of key milestones:

1.                   40% upon submission of inception report

2.                   30 % upon submission of assessment report and toolkit

3.                   20% upon submission of ToT training report

4.                   10% Upon submission of final report

Monitoring and progress control, including reporting requirements, periodicity format and deadline

The individual consultant will be expected to submit deliverables as per approved inception report. 

Supervisory arrangements

The consultant will be supervised jointly by technical teams from Ministry of

Gender Labor and Social Development (MGLSD), Ministry of Health(MoH) and UNFPA. The team will form a technical review committee to review and approve  the different components of the consultant’s work  

Expected travel

YES

Required expertise, qualifications, and competencies, including language requirements

The consultant must have:

•       Advanced degree (Master’s or equivalent) in Public Health or in Social. Sciences. A degree or certificate in Mental Health and Psychosocial Support is desirable. With substantial experience working in the area of MHPSS programming in Uganda.

•       Proven knowledge of the latest developments and trends in the field of MHPSS in the context of GBV/SRHR.

•       Professional experience in training and capacity building in MHPSS for strategic institutions at regional, national and sub national levels is key.

•       At least 2 years of professional work experience in the field of counselling, psychology and or mental health is strongly desired. 

•       Excellent interpersonal skills and knowledge of social, psychological, and cultural context of Uganda 

•       Previous experience in Mental Health and Psychosocial Support capacity building initiatives at international, regional or national level on Mental Health is desirable

•       Demonstrated experience in program planning, critical analysis and report writing.  Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision.

•       Fluent in written and spoken English

Inputs /services to be provided by

UNFPA or

implementing partner                 (e.g.

Support services, office, space, equipment if

applicable

As applicable 

Application deadline and how to apply

Opening date: 6^th June   2023

Closing date:   13^th June    2023

All applications should be sent by email to: Proscovia Nakabiito- nakabiito@unfpa.org  while copying Deborah Nakibira : nakibira@unfpa.org 

Signature of requesting officer in hiring office:

Date: