National Consultant for Specialized Mental Health Care

1. Purpose of consultancy:
The Consultant for Specialized Mental Health Care will collaborate with the Mental Health Specialist on projects of the Specialized Mental Health Services Stream of the WHO Country OfficeMental Health Programme.

The consultant will work closely with the WHO staff to support the development and implementation of capacity building training for mental health services. The consultant will be conducting the participants selection process, compiling the list of participants, and organizing training logistics, including the venue, maintaining cross-communication with other WHO Country Offices, WHO experts and local stakeholder, ensuring post-training supervision and preparing post-training reports.

Additionally, the consultant will foster the development of community mental health services in collaboration with relevant stakeholders and will organize training programme on community mental health care, providing technical inputs to guide the implementation of services which aligned with WHO guidance on the community mental health care model. The consultant will also assist in designing a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) tool for specialized services and prepare a technical paper summarizing the activities.

2. Background:
The WHO Country Office collaborates with National authorities to achieve the highest standards of health as a fundamental human right, based on equity and SDGs principle of leaving no one behind. WHO’s actions are engrained in the WHO 13th General Programme of Work, which focus on key objectives: promoting healthier populations, keeping the world safe through addressing health emergencies, and protecting the vulnerable through Universal Health Coverage.

WHO’s mandate revolves six core functions: (i) providing Global Health leadership; (ii) shaping the health research agenda; (iii)setting norms and standards; (iv) articulating evidence-based policy options;(v) providing technical support to countries; and (vi) monitoring and assessing health trends. The WHO Country Office is an integral part of the WHO Regional Office for Europe. Its main role is to facilitate and coordinate all WHO activities at the country level while implementing the European Programme of Work 2020-2025 titlled “United Action for Better Health in Europe”. This programme outlines how the WHO Regional Office for Europe can better support countries in meeting citizens’ expectations.

At the country level, WHO delivers this through practical, actionable and country focused solutions to health challenges, keeping in perspective that achieving health and well-being is a whole-of-society endeavour. This is achieved through the implementation of the Biennial Collaborative Agreement with the country and its associated workplan. Mental health is prioritized in the European Programme of Work 2020-2025 as a flagship initiative, followed by the launch of the Pan-European Mental Health Coalition in 2021. This coalition aims to mobilize national leaders, professionals, civil society members organizations, and experts for collaboration and mainstreaming mental health into the global agenda, integrating mental health into emergency response and recovery efforts, strengthening mental health systems and services as well as promotion of mental health across the life course.

The WHO Country Office fosters strong working relationships and ensures the exchange of information between the country and WHO, providing policy and strategic guidance on health issues to national and international partners in the country. It also offers direct technical expertise as needed, aiming to enhance engagement and participation while promoting health equity.

3. Deliverables:

Deliverable 1: Plan and organize one training session focused on capacity building for mental health professionals (PM ) by conducting the participants selection process, compiling the list of participants, and organizing training logistics, including the venue, maintaining cross-communication with other WHO Country Offices, WHO experts and local stakeholder, ensuring post-training supervision and preparing post-training reports and provide technical report according to WHO standard form.

Deliverable 2: Provide technical report on the establishment of community mental health services in Bulgaria, ensuring alignment with the community mental health care model and WHO guidance.

Deliverable 3: Participate in up to two trainings on community mental health care and provide technical reports following the WHO standard form after each session.

Deliverable 4: Provide technical papers related to the organization and conduction of the trainings.

Deliverable 5: Contribute to the design and development of a draft monitoring and evaluation (M&E) tool for community mental health services. Submit a technical paper outlining tool.

4. Qualifications, experience, skills and languages:

Essential:
University degree in social sciences, medicine (including nursing), social work, psychology, public health, law, or a related field.
Desirable:
Specialized training or certification in (a) public health (b) clinical psychology or psychiatry and/or (c) MHPSS in emergency and humanitarian crises(d) mental health project management.

Essential:
-At least 1 year of relevant professional experience in mental health or public health.
-Proven record in writing technical reports, conducting literature reviews, and performing policy analysis.
-Experience in organizing training sessions.
Desirable:
Experience in mental health capacity-building activities, particularly in community-based specialized mental health care.

Skills/Knowledge:
Essential:
Strong writing and reporting skills, strong communication skills, training/facilitation skills, training organization skills.
Effective use of Microsoft Excel, Outlook, OneDrive, PowerPoint, Teams and SharePoint

Desirable:
Good knowledge of WHO mental health guidelines, recommendations, programmes, tools.
Languages and level required (Basic/Intermediate/Expert):
Essential:
Expert knowledge of Bulgarian
Intermediate knowledge of English

5. Location:
On-site: Sofia, Bulgaria. On WHO Country Office premises with possibility to work from home.

6. Travel:
The consultant is expected to travel to other locations in Bulgaria as required and agreed upon by the candidate.

7. Remuneration and budget (travel costs are excluded):
a. Remuneration: BGN 5,942 per month (The pay band reflects the NO-A salary scale of the country)
b. Locally recruited consultant
c. The payment will be done monthly after provision of Technical Report and approval from Responsible Officer.
d. Expected duration of contract: 6 months, start date: 1 December 2024- 31 May 2025

Additional Information:
• This vacancy notice may be used to identify candidates for other similar consultancies at the same level.
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• A written test may be used as a form of screening.
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• Consultants shall perform the work as independent contractors in a personal capacity, and not as a representative of any entity or authority.

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