National Individual consultant – Development of the mental health journey in BWise online platform, Pretoria, South Africa, 6 months, (Remote/Work from home)

UNICEF South Africa is looking for a consultant to create a mental health information module in BWise which will provide information about mental health to young people and assists them to locate their nearest health facility where they can access mental health services.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. 

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. 

And we never give up. 

For every child, Health 

How can you make a difference? 

BACKGROUND

Mental and substance use disorders are among the leading causes of years lived with disability (YLDs) among children and youth up to the age of 24 years globally, accounting for 25% of YLDs in this age group. Half of all mental health conditions start by 14 years of age, but most cases are undetected and untreated. Early intervention for these disorders is critical given an individual’s health and behaviour in childhood and adolescence lay the foundation for health in later years, and impact on the health of their offspring. Moreover, the well-being of adolescents is integrally linked to socio-economic development in low-middle income countries (LMICs), including South Africa.
Like many LMICs, there is a significant mental health treatment gap in South Africa. Failure to reach adolescents is a major service given this is the peak age of onset for most mental health problems. If left untreated, these problems predict adverse life trajectories. Adolescents who do not seek or access mental health services run the risk of developing more advanced psychopathology in adulthood and are at greater risk for physical health comorbidities and injury. For example, heavy alcohol use during adolescence may contribute to unsafe sex practices that increase the likelihood of unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections, such as HIV. Addressing mental health problems at an early stage may also alleviate the long-term costs to society and the public health system of untreated mental disorders.

According to the 2023 UNICEF South Africa U-Report poll, about 60 per cent of children and youth felt they needed mental health support. The findings showed a 15 per cent reduction from a similar poll last year but little change among the 15-24-year-old age group, of whom 70 per cent still needed help to improve their mental wellbeing. The need for support was 5 per cent higher among respondents who identified as female compared to male. Some 22 per cent of respondents cited family as an outlet for support but only 36 per cent have ever spoken with their caregivers about their mental health. Poll results also showed that only 63 per cent of respondents who needed support actively sought it, the primary reason for not getting help was not knowing where to go.
UNICEF South Africa’s support to child and youth mental health cuts across sectors to provide the most holistic response possible, including engaging children and youth through access to information and resources, such as the U-Report mental health chat bots, ChildLine SA and BWise platform.

BWise is the go-to brand for all South African young people on SRHR related topics. In a non-judgemental, sex positive environment, BWise provides (personalized) information and services.BWise is a collaboration of several participating organisations. The Steering Comittee of the collaboration is headed by NDoH and consist of organisations such as LoveLife, Soul City, WRHI, CHAI, AidsFonds and UNICEF. The partners have organised themselves around a Stepped Care Model (https://aidsfonds.org/stepped-care-model-for-sexual-health); Young people receive the right care or information by the right professional or digital intervention depending on their level of Self Care. This might be a consultation at a clinic, a SMS conversation with a helpline counselor or ‘merely’ a visit to the BWise website, www.bwisehealth.com. The various levels of care within the model work closely together to make sure the client gets the help they need as efficiently as possible.

The BWise website consists of several articles, information and tools around a certain topic. And one of the topics currently lacking is mental health information. This mental health information is aimed at Adolescent Young People

(AYP’s) (10-24 years) that have or suspect they have mental health challenges. This information also aims to educate and bring awareness about mental health to young people. It helps them to make informed decisions about mental health and informs them about where to seek services as BWise will also develop a clinic finder that provides. For every child, peace of mind PURPOSE OF THE

ASSIGNMENT

The purpose of the assignment is to create a mental health information module in BWise which will provide information about mental health to young people and assists the s them to locate their nearest health facility where they can access mental health services.

SCOPE OF WORK Objectives are to:

i.To create a mental health journey that provides comprehensive information for young people so that they can make informed decisions.

ii.Ensure that AYP’s are engaged in the development of the mental health journey and that their recommendations are included in the content.

Activities and tasks

i.Develop an inception report outlining the methodology, workplan and tools.

ii.Conduct a desktop review of age-appropriate mental health information resources (including the 2023-2030 NDOH National Mental Health Policy Framework and Strategic Plan) that are currently available for the target groups (10-14yrs;15-19 yrs; 20-24 yrs).

iii.Engage young people in the development of the content.

iv.Draft mental health content in a manner that would be easy and appealing to AYP’s to understand by using appropriate language, colours and images.

v. Conduct focus groups discussions with AYP’s from different provinces, cultures and languages to determine to solicit inputs on whether the content is easy to understand and comprehensive enough to provide the information needed to understand mental health.

vi. Consolidate inputs from FGD’s and present recommendations changes to NDOH, UNICEF and other stakeholders.

vii.Present the draft to NDOH and UNICEF and develop final mental health content and share with NDOH, UNICEF and the host of BWise platform

WORK ASSIGNMENT OVERVIEW

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED

☒ Masters Other Enter disciplines:

– Advanced degree in social sciences/ public health Relevant work experience required (in years):
  Minimum 5 years’ experience

– Knowledge on young people and mental health related topics

– Practical research experience

– Familiar with BWise platform

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS). 

To view our competency framework, please visit  here. 

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check. 

Remarks:  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.