Consultoría nacional para la elaboración del Estado del Arte de la Salud Mental y Apoyo Psicosocial, SMAPSS de Niños, Niñas y Adolescentes (NNA) en Nicaragua (remoto, 5 meses)

Organizational Context

UNICEF works in 190 countries and territories to save children's lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence. We work towards achieving sustainable peace and prosperity, with a particular focus on reaching the most vulnerable children.

Job Purpose

The consultant will provide technical assistance for the development of a State of the Art on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) for Children and Adolescents (C&A) in Nicaragua. This analysis will examine policies, programs, institutional and community capacities, and existing referral and coordination mechanisms within and between the health, education, and child protection sectors. The exercise aims to identify operational gaps and limitations in the coordination between the Ministry of Health (MINSA), Ministry of Education (MINED), and the Family (MIFAM). It will generate necessary technical evidence to strengthen inter-institutional coordination and guide the design of an Inter-institutional MHPSS Approach for C&A, thereby improving care pathways, referrals, and continuity of institutional and community services, even in emergency situations.

Responsibilities

The consultant will be responsible for delivering three main products. Macroproduct 1 involves a documentary review and institutional analysis, including reviewing public policies, normative frameworks, technical protocols, programmatic strategies, and operational mechanisms related to MHPSS for C&A within MINSA, MINED, and MIFAM, considering community-level interventions and gender perspectives. It also includes a comparative analysis of existing institutional intervention models, identification of available services in health, education, and child protection settings, and opportunities for coordination. Furthermore, it will address social and behavioral determinants associated with C&A mental health, including social norms, stigma, perceptions, and barriers to seeking support. Macroproduct 2 focuses on qualitative information collection and technical analysis, involving the design and implementation of structured interviews with key informants, decision-makers, and technical teams from MINSA, MINED, and MIFAM. It also includes systematizing existing coordination mechanisms between sectors and identifying institutional and community capacities, as well as referral processes and care pathways for C&A services at national, departmental/local, and community levels. Macroproduct 3 entails the integration of technical findings, analyzing the coherence between policies and institutional practices, identifying operational gaps, duplications, and normative voids, and developing technical recommendations to strengthen intersectoral coordination and the gender approach. This includes a systemic approach to MHPSS and structuring necessary technical inputs for the development of a framework.

Work Experience

A minimum of 5 years of professional experience in mental health, psychosocial support, child protection, or public health programs, preferably in Latin America. Experience in research, policy analysis, and inter-institutional coordination is essential.

Skills

Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS), Child Protection, Public Health, Policy Analysis, Inter-institutional Coordination, Qualitative Research, Report Writing, Project Management, Data Analysis, Stakeholder Engagement, Gender Analysis, Emergency Preparedness

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