Adolescents’ Mental Health Strategy Consultant, Brasilia – remote, Brazil (11 months)

The consultant will support the implementation of “Pode Falar” (Speak Up) initiative, which started to be implemented by ADAP Section in UNICEF Brazil to respond to a mental health crisis specially felt by adolescents and youth in 2020 since the beginning of COVID-19. Pode Falar was conceived as a virtual space for helping and welcoming adolescents and young people in mental health and has evolved over the years into a network formed mainly of universities and Mental Health NGOs connecting the service to the territory. It is part of a wide strategy including:

1) Capacity building of professionals on health, education, social assistance, and other areas in direct contact with adolescents;

2) A digital platform dedicated to 13-24-year-old people offering materials, testimonials and human assistance;

3) A national network of 20 public and private universities from different States of Brazil, 3 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with expertise on childhood and adolescence and 1 municipal government program offer continuous training, supervision and support to the online human attendants, discussing cases and monitoring quality of service delivered;

4) The gradual use of the accumulated information in Pode Falar´s database on adolescent´s and youth´s mental health sufferings, resulting from the supportive listening service provided, as a relevant source of public policy recommendations;

5) The joint production and publishing of evidence, articles and research with an intersectoral view on mental health, increasing the knowledge base on the importance of interventions and strategies led by Education, Social Assistance, Culture, Sports and other areas as essential for policies that promote well-being in the second decade of life;

6) Adolescents’ direct participation in public spaces to debate mental health public policies with active voice in the “Pode Falar Network” strategy; and

7)  Increase the connections and local activities between “Pode Falar Network” and the public services available in the territories, with a special aim at Schools and Universities where adolescents and young people spend most of their time.

SCOPE OF WORK:

The main objective of this consultancy is to provide support and technical assistance to UNICEF team to accelerate the results of Pode Falar initiative in Brazil, taking into account the different components of this initiative.  

The consultant will be responsible for proposing recommendations to consolidate the project and support UNICEF officers to maintain a strengthened network of partners on adolescents’ mental health. 

The following results are expected from this consultancy:

1. Pode Falar outreach strategy evaluated
2. Pode Falar outreach and sustainability strategy revamped
3. Adolescents and Youth’s mental health intersectoral public policies advocacy strategy planned and delivered to UNICEF.
4. National mental health observatory created with UNICEF in collaboration with key actors from different sectors (universities, civil society, public sector, legislative sector, etc)
5. Proposal to approach mental health and wellbeing in adolescent-friendly health units developed
6. Knowledge on adolescents’ mental health generated and systematized
7. Communications products on Pode Falar for advocacy purpose
8. Recommendations on how to strengthen partnerships with strategic actors on adolescents’ mental health
9. Reports with the main results and challenges of Pode Falar initiative  prepared and delivered
10. A mental health national event organized to disseminate lessons learned with the implementation of Pode Falar initiative.
11. Balance report with the results of mental health initiatives and plans for the future based on lessons learned.

DELIVERABLES

1. Evaluation of Pode Falar outreach strategy

1.1. Deliverables/Outputs: One report presenting strategies developed in the territories by “Pode Falar Network” with local partners, to extract best practices and lessons learned that can help improving the platform visibility in the country.

1.2. Deadline: 30 Jan 2025

1.3. Estimate Budget: 10% of the budget

2. Revamp of Pode Falar outreach and sustainability strategy

2.1. Deliverables/Outputs: One presentation with a fundraising proposal, including new partnerships and strategic activities of Pode Falar and its partners with measurable goals, budget, and timeline.

2.2. Deadline: 15 Feb 2025

2.3. Estimate Budget: 5% of the budget

3. Technical assistance to UNICEF team to design an adolescents’ mental health intersectoral public policies advocacy strategy

3.1. Deliverables/Outputs: A designed strategy to advocate for intersectoral mental health public policies presented to UNICEF, including key partners and a plan of action.

3.2. Deadline: 15 Mar 2025

3.3. Estimate Budget: 15% of the budget

4. Adolescents’ Mental Health Observatory set up

4.1. Deliverables/Outputs: Supporting material to the organization of at least 3 strategic meetings with key partners organized and a report with a summary of what was planned during the meetings .

4.2. Deadline:  20 Apr 2025

4.3. Estimate Budget: 10% of the budget

5. Recommendations on how to advocate for the insertion of an  intersectoral approach on mental health and wellbeing in adolescent-friendly health units based on Pode Falar lessons learned.

5.1. Deliverables/Outputs: Insertion of an intersectoral mental health approach in the adolescent-friendly health unit proposal, in dialogue with UNICEF Health team

5.2. Deadline:  20 May 2025

5.3. Estimate Budget: 20% of the budget

6. Knowledge generation on adolescents’ mental health

6.1. Deliverables/Outputs:  Production of at least 3 academic articles using evidence from the work of “Pode Falar” and its network as the basis for policy recommendation with an intersectoral perspective.

6.2. Deadline:  25 Jun 2025

6.3. Estimate Budget: 5% of the budget

7. Preparation of 3 communication materials to advocate for adolescents’ mental health public policies targeting strategic partners

7.1. Deliverable/Outputs: An advocacy plan elaborated with recommendations for UNICEF on how to influence in the improvement of national and subnational intersectoral mental health public policies for adolescents and three communications materials to be used with strategic partners.

7.2. Deadline:  30 Jul 2025

7.3. Estimate Budget: 5% of the budget

8. Support to strengthen UNICEF’s partnerships with Fiocruz/ENSP, LSE and CIEE

8.1. Deliverables/Outputs: Monitoring report of all the production from the “Pode Falar Network” and strategic partners (London School of Economics, FIOCRUZ/ENSP and CIEE) delivered with a summary of main points and findings.

8.2. Deadline: 30 Aug 2025

8.3. Estimate Budget: 5% of the budget

9. Inputs for donor reports on adolescents’ mental health

9.1. Deliverables/Outputs: Inputs for 2 donor reports on adolescents’ mental health provided.

9.2. Deadline: 30 Sep 25

9.3. Estimate Budget: 10% of the budget

10. National adolescents’ mental health event planned and delivered

10.1. Deliverables/Outputs: One plan of action for the second national meeting of the “Pode Falar Network”, with list of participants from the civil society, the government, the private sector, adolescent groups, a budget, guide of activities and responsibilities, expected results and logistic details (venue, air tickets, etc) and a report provided with the main results of the event.

10.2. Deadline: 30 Oct 25

10.3. Estimate Budget: 5% of the budget

11. Annual report on adolescents’ mental health

10.1. Deliverables/Outputs: One report with the main results achieved by UNICEF in the area of adolescents’ mental health to feed the End Year Report and to inform the programmatic area with recommendations for the future.

10.2. Deadline: 30 Nov 25

10.3. Estimate Budget: 10% of the budget

DURATION OF CONTRACT: 11 months

TRAVEL PLAN

Not Applicable

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIREMENT

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Social Sciences, Psychology, Social Assistance, or related fields
• Master’s degree is an asset
• Previous professional and/or academic experience of at least five years in the area of Psychology, Communications, Human Rights and/or the rights of children and adolescents
• Previous professional and/or academic experience in the areas of gender relations and ethnic-racial relations, preferably with an intersectional and / or decolonial approach is an asset
• Previous professional experience with UNICEF is an asset
• Previous professional experience with project management

LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY

• Excellent written skills in Portuguese and English
• Excellent negotiation skills in Portuguese
• Native Portuguese and fluency in written English

FINANCIAL PROPOSAL

• A financial proposal including the fee for the assignment based on the deliverables and number of days must be submitted. Consultants are asked to stipulate all-inclusive fees, including lump sum, administrative cost, travel cost and subsistence costs, as applicable.

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

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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.