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If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you. For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection and development. The world's largest provider of vaccines fordeveloping countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.

Consultancy Title: MHPSS in CPHA Workforce Development Consultant

Division/Duty Station:

Duration: 3 November 2025 – 30 September 2026

Home/ Office Based: Remote

 

BACKGROUND

Purpose of Activity/ Assignment:

The global landscape of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) is increasingly shaped by complex, overlapping adversities affecting the wellbeing of children, adolescents, and adults. Emergencies such as armed conflict, displacement, intimate partner violence, climate-induced disasters, poverty, and discrimination continue to affect the psychological wellbeing and social functioning of millions. Mental health challenges, while often invisible, are among the most urgent and neglected global health priorities, particularly in low-resource settings where specialized care remains out of reach for the majority.

It is now well-established that although most people show resilience in the face of adversity, a significant proportion will develop mental health symptoms requiring support. Estimates suggest that approximately 22% of adults who have lived through conflict experience symptoms aligned with mental disorders, while rates following extreme trauma (e.g. torture, sexual violence) exceed 40%. For children and adolescents, research is still evolving, but initial findings point to similar or even higher prevalence rates, often complicated by developmental vulnerabilities and the compounding impact of structural inequality.

The consequences of unaddressed mental health and psychosocial distress are wide-ranging undermining a child’s ability to learn, build healthy relationships, or regulate behavior; diminishing a caregiver’s capacity to offer nurturing care; and eroding community cohesion and recovery. Poor mental health also directly impacts educational attainment, work productivity, parenting, safety, and long-term social participation. Addressing this burden requires systemic, multisectoral action that ensures accessible, quality, and culturally attuned support especially for those most marginalized.

One of the most significant barriers to improved mental health outcomes is the global shortage of trained and supported quality MHPSS providers and frontline workers in development and humanitarian settings. The majority of people with mental health conditions never receive adequate care: in low- and middle-income countries, only 1 in 27 people with depression receive minimally adequate treatment. This service gap is often due to workforce shortages, lack of training quality assurance, inconsistent supervision, and fragmented service delivery. Expanding access to care therefore requires not only increasing the number of helpers across settings but also ensuring they are well-prepared, compassionate, and equipped with the foundational competencies required for safe and effective practice.

Strategic Response and Role of Workforce Development

To address these challenges, UNICEF and its partners are scaling up efforts to develop strong, sustainable MHPSS systems with a competent, confident, and compassionate workforce at their core. This includes strengthening foundational helping skills, embedding competency-based approaches into training and supervision, and supporting governments, civil society, and frontline organizations to deliver scalable, quality-assured services to children, adolescents, caregivers, and communities.

Central to this vision is the promotion of task-sharing and integration of mental health and psychosocial support into sectors such as child protection, education, health, and social welfare. It also includes building the capacity of both professional and non-professional providers, ensuring their skills are context-appropriate, rights-based, and aligned with global standards for child wellbeing and psychosocial care.

A key tool in this effort is the EQUIP platform (Ensuring Quality in Psychosocial and Mental Health Care), an open-access, evidence-based package developed by WHO and UNICEF to improve the quality of care delivered by diverse cadres of helpers. EQUIP offers assessment tools (such as WeACT and ENACT), training materials, supervision guidance, and resources that can be adapted across settings and populations. While the EQUIP platform remains a core resource, its application now sits within a broader UNICEF agenda of workforce strengthening, system building, and competency-based MHPSS programming.

Within this framework the MHPSS team aims to advance UNICEF’s strategic priorities on MHPSS workforce development, supporting technical assistance, capacity building, systems integration, and quality assurance efforts globally.

This includes the development, adaptation, and rollout of tools and resources such as:

• The Foundational Helping Skills (FHS) training package, including versions for working with children/adolescents (WeACT-based) and with adults (ENACT-based) and,
• EQUIP's competency assessment tools (WeACT, ENACT, GroupACT, Family ACT or Case Management),
• Support to national and local partners in adapting and using EQUIP and FHS across humanitarian and development contexts,
• Integration of MHPSS workforce tools into child protection systems, parenting and family support services, education, and social protection programming.

Objectives of the Assignment

The MHPSS in CPHA Workforce Development Consultant will contribute to strengthening UNICEF’s global efforts to build an effective MHPSS workforce through strategic technical support, partnership engagement, training facilitation, and system integration. Specifically, the consultant will:

• Provide technical assistance to UNICEF country offices, implementing partners, and national systems in the integration of competency-based MHPSS training, and quality assurance approaches;
• Guide the adaptation and contextualization of the Foundational Helping Skills packages (for children/adolescents, adults, and families, among others) for diverse country contexts and languages;
• Support the rollout of EQUIP tools (including WeACT and ENACT) and their use for training, and assessment;
• Contribute to knowledge sharing and capacity building across UNICEF, including through Communities of Practice, webinars, guidance development, and resource dissemination;
• Support the technical engagement in key strategic partnerships

Ensure that EQUIP and FHS approaches are harmonized with broader UNICEF strategies on child protection, mental health, education, gender, and wellbeing

Scope of Work:

The MHPSS in CPHA Workforce Development Consultant will support the MHPSS in CPHA team with:

The roll-out and integration of EQUIP and Foundational Helping Skills (FHS) tools in UNICEF country offices and with implementing partners, strengthening quality MHPSS programming for children, adolescents, caregivers, and communities in both development and humanitarian contexts.

• Provide technical support on EQUIP workforce tools (e.g., WeACT, ENACT, GroupACT, CPHA case management tools), guiding country offices and partners in their application for training, and competency-based assessment.
• Contextualization and deliver the Foundational Helping Skills (FHS) manual for working with children and adolescents, including training implementing partners and supporting the development of FHS master trainers.
• Serve as the focal point for EQUIP technical support to one implementing partner, supporting the integration of EQUIP and FHS into programming and providing coaching, guidance, and quality assurance input for deliverables.
• Design and deliver 11 EQUIP orientation sessions and at least 13 full trainings (including humanitarian and development NGOs), as well as train at least two academic institutions and support government roll-out in at least one country.
• Deliver 4 regional FHS trainings for UNICEF implementing partners, delivered in English, French, and Spanish across Africa, MENA, and Latin America regions.
• Carry out roll-out and training on the EQUIP Child Protection in Humanitarian Action (CPHA) case management tool in at least four UNICEF country offices and with partner organizations.
• Organize and facilitate a six-part webinar learning series titled “EQUIP in Practice & Workforce Development”, tailored to UNICEF country offices, regional advisors, centers of excellence, and implementing partners to promote cross-sectoral application of EQUIP and FHS tools.
• Support six country programs in the integration of the EQUIP competency-based approach and tools into their national or sub-national MHPSS or child protection systems.
• Contribute to technical reviews of at least six organizational training and supervision packages, ensuring alignment with EQUIP quality standards, and providing recommendations for improvements.
• Develop a draft EQUIP Supervision Tool, including definition of supervision competencies, sample prompts, and guidance notes to strengthen reflective supervision practices within MHPSS and child protection sectors.
• Field-test the draft EQUIP Supervision Tool in collaboration with UNICEF country offices or academic/international partners, and consolidate findings into a report with actionable recommendations for refinement and global use.
• Integrate EQUIP contextualization into the Global Course training material

Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables:

Work Assignment Overview/Deliverables and Outputs/Delivery deadline

1.  The Consultant will orient new organizations (child protection, MHPSS & cross-sectoral partners) on the use and integration of  EQUIP into their organizations in 11 orientation sessions.

-  6 reviews of organization’s EQUIP training and supervision plans and their capacity building materials to ensure alignment with EQUIP procedures and tools.

- 11 orientation sessions for organizations

10 Nov 2025

2.  The consultant will give trainings on the use and integration of EQUIP to UNICEF partners

- 13 full trainings based on the EQUIP Consultation Model and development of training materials and handouts (6 trainings of humanitarian NGOs and 7 of development NGOs)

- Train at least 2 academic institutions

- Train at least 1 country-level government

03 Dec 2025

3.  The consultant will carry out the roll out of EQUIP competency-based approach, resources like FHS for adults and for children in UNICEF country office programs

- 6 roll out countries supported to integrate EQUIP competency-based approach and resources into their country programs.

- 6 trainings on EQUIP approach and FHS carried out

10 Jan 2026 

4.  The consultant will collaborate on and present in 2 intersectoral MHPSS workforce themed webinars

- 2 intersectoral MHPSS workforce webinars delivered

03 Feb 2026

5.  The consultant will give technical support to one implementing partner, including implementation coaching, guidance, and review of their deliverables related to MHPSS capacity building

- 1 contextualization and technical review of Foundational Helping Skills (FHS) materials for IP staff working with children and adolescents. This includes adapting the manual to reflect contextual needs and preparing accompanying training resources and orientation slides.

- Facilitate 1 FHS training for IP project staff, focusing on core competencies for working with children and adolescents in distress, using the updated FHS materials. Ensure capacity for peer-led roll-out.

- 1 training given to IP core project implementation staff in EQUIP approach and WeACT, including practical use of the platform and competency-based assessment tools. Ensure initial capacity built to support internal supervision and quality assurance processes

01 Mar 2026

6.  The consultant will facilitate 4 regional trainings in French, English and Spanish on the FHS for children for UNICEF implementing partners (e.g. CP, GBV, health, education)

- 1 regional training in English for African continent (West, East, South Africa).

- 1 regional training in English for Middle East and Northern Africa

- 1 regional training for Francophone Africa in French

- 1 regional training for Latin America in Spanish

- EQUIP integration into Global Course modules

05 May 2026

7.  The consultant will do a roll out of the EQUIP CPHA case management tool with UNICEF partners and UNICEF country offices

-  4 trainings are delivered to UNICEF partners and UNICEF country offices to train and assess in the EQUIP CPHA case management tool

01 Jul 2026

8.  Consultant will conduct a webinar series titled “EQUIP in Practice & Workforce Development”, tailored for UNICEF country offices, regional advisors, centers of excellence and implementing partners. Each session will highlight practical integration of EQUIP tools, FHS implementation, and competency-based approaches across sectors (CP, health, education, GBV). Includes development of session content, facilitation, and follow-up knowledge-sharing materials

-  6 EQUIP in Practice & Workforce Development webinars carried out

04 Aug 2026

9.  The consultant will develop and field test a draft supervision tool with academic partner and international organization

- Draft EQUIP Supervision Tool developed to enhance quality assurance and reflective practice within MHPSS programming. This includes defining key competencies and attributes for effective supervision, writing sample prompts, and preparing accompanying guidance notes and practical examples for integration into training and supervision systems.

- Field-test the Draft Supervision Tool in collaboration with partners in at least one country UNICEF country office or partner organization. Includes planning and conducting orientation sessions, gathering feedback from supervisors and supervisees, and consolidating  findings into a short report with recommendations for tool refinement

30 Sept 2026

Qualifications

Education: University degree in 

Psychology, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support, Child Protection in Humanitarian action.

Language proficiency: Fluency in English, French and Spanish is required. Knowledge of other UN languages is an asset

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required *:

A minimum of 10 years experience in Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in development and humanitarian contexts.

- Expert knowledge of the EQUIP platform, resources and tools and experience using it in development and humanitarian settings

- Experience supporting UN agencies, NGOs, academic institutions, and governments in the implementation of EQUIP use, trainings, supervision and pre-service training.

- Strong knowledge of MHPSS in Child Protection in Emergencies.

- Strong knowledge in competency frameworks and competency-based assessment tools, trainings, and supervision in MHPSS in Child Protection

- Experience developing MHPSS monitoring and evaluation/ measurement tools.

- Experience advising governments in competency-based supervision and training both in development and humanitarian settings

Requirements:

Completed profile in UNICEF's e-Recruitment system and

- Upload copy of academic credentials

- Financial proposal that will include/ reflect :

• • the costs per each deliverable and the total lump-sum for the whole assignment (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference.
  • travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR.
  • Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.
  • Indicate your availability

- Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF.

- At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.

- Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed satisfactory deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

U.S. Visa information:

With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4.  

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

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. View our competency framework at: Here

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:  

Individuals engaged under a consultancy 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. Consultants 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.