CONSULTANCY - TERMS OF REFERENCE
UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and is mandated
to provide assistance and protection to a population of some 5 million registered Palestine refugees.
Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip to
achieve their full potential in human development, pending a just solution to their plight. UNRWA’s
services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and
improvement, microfinance and emergency assistance. UNRWA is the largest UN operation in the
Middle East with more than 30,000 staff. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions.
Psychosocial and Mental Health Assessment Consultant
BACKGROUND
The Gaza Community Mental Health Programme is seeking a Psychosocial and Mental Health
Assessment Consultant Psychosocial to develop a comprehensive and integrated assessment
package that covers a wide range of mental health and psychosocial indices consistent with refugee
research and practice. The assessment package should include tools that can be applied to both
children and adults, particularly in schools and health clinics. The Psychosocial and Mental Health
Assessment Consultant will develop a psychosocial assessment system, provide capacity building to
programme staff, and conduct a preliminary assessment of the psychosocial and mental health status
of Palestine refugees in Gaza.
DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
 Development of a psychosocial assessment system. In consultation with relevant stakeholders,
the consultant will provide recommendations and action plan for an improved psychosocial
assessment system. This will include the identification and/or development of assessments tools
that can be used to measure both child and adult functioning and well-being.
 Capacity building: The consultant will provide professional training to key stakeholders and staff
based on identified training needs. He/she will also train selected staff members on how to use
the new assessment tools.
 Preliminary Assessment: With the support of the Community Mental Health Programme, the
consultant shall undertake a sampled assessment of the psychosocial status of children attending
UNRWA schools and adults attending UNRWA health clinics. The consultant will be responsible
for completing a research report outlining the findings. The report should contain collated
assessment data and an analysis of the findings.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
●
Advanced university degree in psychology, social work or related fields with experience in mental
health research;
●
A minimum of five years experience in mental health assessment and measurement;
●
Knowledge and experience using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS);
●
Fluency in spoken and written English.
COMPETENCIES
 Expertise in the development and implementation of mental health and psychosocial assessment
instruments;
 Demonstrated expertise in conducting participatory assessments among refugees populations;
 Experience in capacity-building and staff training in research and the use of SPSS;
 Strong organization, interpersonal and coordination skills, ability to work effectively with minimal
supervision;
 Ability to establish and maintain effective working relations with colleagues and others in a team
environment and with people of diverse backgrounds, cultures and nationalities;
 Strong work ethics and commitment to humanitarian issues.
 Excellent oral and written communication skills, experience in report writing.
DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS
●
Knowledge and experience implementing the IASC guidelines on MHPSS in Emergency Settings
desirable;
●
Previous experience with UNRWA or other UN agency;
●
Fluency in spoken Arabic;
●
Previous experience working in the Middle East.
CONDITIONS OF SERVICE
 The duration of the consultancy is two months with the expected start date of March 1, 2015;
 Remuneration for this consultancy will depend on the qualifications and experience of the
candidate;
 The incumbent will be based in Gaza and may be required to travel to Jerusalem and Amman.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Applicants should submit a cover letter and CV or UN Personal History Form demonstrating clearly
the knowledge and experience required to meet the consultancy requirements via
consultancy@unrwa.org indicating the title of this consultancy “Psychosocial and Mental Health
Assessment Consultant” in the subject line of the message. The deadline for the submission of
applications is February 1, 2016.
UNRWA is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from both women and men.
UNRWA encourages applications from qualified women. Only those applicants shortlisted for
interview will be contacted. UNRWA is a non-smoking environment.