SOS Villaggi dei Bambini is part of the network of SOS Children’s Villages, the world’s largest organization committed to over 70 years so that children and teenagers who cannot benefit from appropriate parental care will grow in a situation of equality with their peers, fully realizing their potential and ability to live an independent life. SOS Children’s Villages works in 138 countries and territories helping 1 million people, among children and vulnerable families. In Italy, the organization promotes the rights of over 39.000 children and young people and takes care of over 700 people, which include children, young people and families who experience serious moments of hardship. It works through 8 SOS Villages and Programs, in Trento, Ostuni (Brindisi), Vicenza, Saronno (Varese), Mantua, Turin, Crotone and Milan.

 

Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Experts ROSTER

We seek MHPSS professionals with extended experience in the sector and a wide array of competences across different areas of expertise: Capacity Building, Research, MEAL, Programme Development and Management.

The MHPSS experts part of the Roster will work closely with the Global Programme Expert Group on MHPSS team of SOS Children’s Villages to assess, plan, organize programme activities, provide technical training for MHPSS staff and collaborate to research projects in the field of global mental health. The experts will contribute to the achievement of the capacity building objective and the knowledge generation objective of the programme.

 

Availability and type of contract: roster; short-term, medium-term or long-term assignments are possible, based on programme needs; Inclusion in the roster does not automatically translate to a paid assignment as it is dependent on the scale of our response and the availability of the roster members.   

 

Working Location: Europe, Central and South America, Asia and Africa; Remote;

 

Tasks:

Each member of the roster, if selected for an assignment, will receive a context specific ToR for each deployment or consultancy.

The Consultant, on the basis of their specific skills, without any hierarchical or organizational constraints, being able to manage the resources, workplaces and work methodology deemed most appropriate in the context of his own programming, shall provide professional advice in the following areas:

 

Programme Management:

  • Plan and organize technical training based on international guidelines, ensuring it is adapted to the local context and needs.
  • Conduct MHPSS needs assessments and develop plan of appropriate interventions.
  • Support the integration of MHPSS within the organization programs.
  • Develop new project proposals within the framework of the IASC guidelines for mental health and psychosocial support in emergency settings and other relevant guidance provided by SOS CV.

 

Capacity building:

  • Develop ad-hoc training content based on teams’ capacity building needs, in coordination with SOS CV MHPSS Technical Advisors.
  • Deliver trainings for interventions across all levels of the MHPSS pyramid.
  • Provide ongoing on-the-job clinical supervision and mentoring to trained staff, utilizing group and individual supervision models.
  • Warrant the quality delivery of MHPSS activities ensuring that interventions are culturally appropriate, matching the needs and performed with regular follow-up.

 

MEAL:

  • Monitor and evaluate the activity of MHPSS teams, ensuring that information obtained is reliable and used to improve the quality of service delivery.
  • Provide oversight and support quality control of capacity building activities through data collection and data analysis.

 

Research:

  • Lead quantitative and qualitative research projects, including narrative or systematic reviews, epidemiological studies and case studies.  
  • Support the Area Manager in the management of scientific collaborations with the Association's partner organizations and with national and international academic institutions;

 

Policy and guidance documents production:

  • Develop models, tools and case studies that reflect best practices in MHPSS support within and outside SOS CVI, via a review of the available literature;
  • Collaborate to the development of operating procedures (SOPs), scientific, informative or positioning articles on mental health issues, global mental health, psychosocial support programs and interaction between these issues and the protection of minors (Child Safeguarding);

 

Knowledge and experience we value the most:

  • Master’s degree or higher in mental health, social work, counselling or related field;
  • Training experience;
  • National staff and partner training and capacity-building in low-resource settings;
  • Clinical supervision experience;
  • Experience in developing project tools, training and educational materials;
  • Experience in working both with adults and children;
  • Demonstrable experience in supporting people with trauma related problems;
  • Knowledge and experience in following IASC Guidelines on MHPSS in Emergencies and international best practices on MHPSS mainstreaming;
  • Strong organizational and supervisory skills;
  • Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work within different cultural environments;
  • Strong written and communication skills;
  • Ability to work within a team structure or independently, flexible, and can cope with stressful workload;
  • An excellent command of verbal and written English is mandatory. Ability to work in French, Spanish, Arabic or other languages is a valued asset;

 

How to apply:

To be part of the GPEG on MHPSS Roster, please complete the questionnaire at this link SOS CV MHPSS ROSTER REGISTRATION and upload your CV in PDF format at the end of the questionnaire. We review application to the Roster regularly and will be in touch with all applicants.
The announcement is aimed at candidates of both sexes in accordance with Italian law.