Consultant on Psychosocial Support in Education in Crises

OVERVIEW

Parent Sector : Field Office

Duty Station: Beirut

 

Classification of duty station: [[filter12]]

Standard Duration of Assignement : [[filter13]]

Job Family: Education

Type of contract : Non Staff

Duration of contract : From 1 to 6 months

Recruitment open to : External candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : 23-MAY-2022

 

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

 

OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

After a steady decrease of out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and secondary school age in the Arab States from 16,735,519 in 2015 to 15,632,474 in 2019, the number increased to 16,049,840 in 2020.  This is due to the unprecedented worldwide COVID-19-related school closures that affected approximately 110 million children and youth in the region. On top, the exacerbating conflicts and socio-economic crises in many Arab countries, such as Sudan, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Palestine, have led to a growing pile of challenges and obstacles (weak infrastructure, unavailability of devices, connectivity, lack of teacher training on digital skills and use of technologies, etc.) that prevented education systems and teachers from delivering quality education that meets emerging needs. The pandemic has accelerated the shift of teaching and learning towards digital solutions, forcing countries to switch to online, distance and blended education without prior planning and preparation, and rendering traditional teaching and learning methods obsolete. Teachers found themselves in a difficult situation, having to adapt their teaching methods, learning materials, contents, and assessments to fit distance/blended learning modalities with little to no help and guidance. Many education policy- and decision-makers were also forced to make swift decisions to adjust and adapt their policies and strategies for responding to the rapidly changing education and health-related developments.

Funded by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (herein after referred to as “KSRelief”) and implemented by the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in the Arab States (herein after referred to as “UNESCO Beirut”), Education is Peace is a regional project launched in 2019 for an initial period of 1 year (2019-2020) before being renewed for an additional year (2020-2021). 

The project aims to develop regional resources and build the capacities of teacher trainers, teachers, educators, education practitioners and policy- and decision-makers to ensure quality education for all with a special focus on supporting Arab countries in crises through Education in Emergencies (EiE), and through promoting peace, tolerance, and social cohesion in the region. 

 The project encompasses 3 main objectives: 
•    Extend the benefit from developed resources;
•    Sharing knowledge with target groups and beneficiaries; and 
•    Promoting networking with other regional and global networks.
 

SCOPE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The purpose of this assignment is to develop Material for Psychosocial Support for Education in Crises including Resource, On-line Course and Training to be used by teachers as a complementary resource in the education process, targeting students

The assignment consists of three interrelated components: 
•    Component 1: PSS Resource 
•    Component 2:  On-Line Course
•    Component 3:  Training

The material to be developed will be built on existing material developed and/or available at UNESCO and/or other agencies to make sure it is complementary to existing ones used around the world.

The material to be developed will specifically focus on the Middle East and North African, countries in crises such as Lebanon, Iraq, Palestine, Yemen, and others. It will also address a wider audience in the Arab world.

In this context, UNESCO Beirut Office calls for an individual consultant to deliver the above material described by the three components. 
 

PROPOSED CONTENT FOR MATERIAL

Component 1: PSS Resource 
PSS requires specific skills and expertise built on years of training and supervised practice. Over the past years, it has expended to include specialized expertise for handling children and youth and children in conflict.  The purpose of the manual will serve as a resource for counselors and para counselors working in the education sector to develop and acquire the needed skills to provide PSS within their schools.  The aim would be to support children cope with distress and crises situations and overcome mental agony and difficulties and help kids expedite the recovery process through proper integration and rehabilitation within mainstream of the society. Illustrative content can be as such:

•    Basic Understanding of PSS
•    Approaches of PSS
•    Communication skills in PSS
•    Assessment in PSS
•    Group and family PSS
•    Working with children in adverse situation
•    Tools, Exercises and Other working with youth and children
•    Adverse and Crises Conditions

Component 2:  On-Line Course
Design and deliver content for an on-line course delivering different modules (3 to 5) that includes (topics/sessions/other) 

The on-line course will complement the resource for counselors, para counselors and PSS specialists working in the education sector to develop and acquire the needed skills to provide PSS at the school level. The on-line course will be available for people to enroll in and acquire the skills and training needed for their work. Illustrative topics of the on-line course are but not limited to:

•    Introduction to PSS Training Program
•    Self-care Skills
•    Overview of MHPSS Services
•    Foundation Paradigms 1: Human Right Approach
•    Crises and Trauma
•    Stress Management, Wellness & Trauma Stewardship
•    Supervision and Practice Preparation
•    Values and Ethics
•    Foundational Paradigms    
•    Psychosocial Impact of Conflict & Violence
•    Crises Interventions
•    Loss, Grief and Bereavement
•    Communication & Basic Skills for Helping Professionals

Component 3:  Training
The training will complement the resource and on-line course. The purpose of the training is to roll out the process and provide a training of trainers on the material developed in the resource pack as well as the on-line course. The on-line course and resource pack will be used a platform and base material for delivering the training for a group of PSS trainers to roll it out within their own communities. 

EXPECTED DELIVERABLES & TIMELINE

Component 1- Resource
a.    Inception Report for the Assignment (June 15)
b.    Semi-Final Draft (July 30)
c.    Final Draft (August 15)
d.    Formatted and Edited Final Draft (September 1)

Component 2- On-line Course
a.    Content Plan (July 30)
b.    Semi-Final Draft Content (August 30)
c.    Final Draft (September 15)
d.    Content Editor (September 25)

COMPONENT 3- Training
a.    Training Design (September 15)
b.    Training Delivery (September 30)

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial) Accountability (C) Communication (C) Innovation (C) Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement (C) Planning and organizing (C) Results focus (C) Teamwork (C) Professionalism (C) - For detailed information, please consult the UNESCO Competency Framework. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

•    Advanced university agree (Master’s or equivalent) in education, pedagogy, or related social sciences;
•    A minimum of seven years of relevant professional experience; particularly concerning early-childhood education and vulnerable children/students in crisis situations in the Arab region;
•    Experience teaching and/or working with children and youth in crises situations in the Arab world. 
•    Working experiences and good knowledge of education and development issues in the Arab region.
•    Demonstrated ability to work effectively and independently within a complex and multicultural environment.
•    Capacity to deliver high quality results within specified timelines.
•    Excellent research, analytical and writing skills in Arabic and English;
•    Availability and readiness to start assignment immediately (as of June 2022).

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

•    Experience in contents development for online courses and good knowledge of online course design; experience in developing a similar course (structures and contents) will be an asset.
•    Previous experience in working with UNESCO, or other UN agencies, is preferable;
 

LANGUAGES

•    Fluency in both written and oral English and Arabic is a requirement. French is a plus.

SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Please note that all candidates must complete an on-line application and provide complete and accurate information. To apply, please visit the UNESCO careers website. No modifications can be made to the application submitted.

The evaluation of candidates is based on the criteria in the vacancy notice, and may include tests and/or assessments, as well as a competency-based interview. 

UNESCO uses communication technologies such as video or teleconference, e-mail correspondence, etc. for the assessment and evaluation of candidates.

Please note that only selected candidates will be further contacted and candidates in the final selection step will be subject to reference checks based on the information provided.

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