Full description of the terms of reference in the attached PDF
WHO ARE WE ?
Médecins du Monde is an international medical development NGO that is part of an international network. We provide medical assistance to vulnerable groups, in Belgium and around the world. We want universal health coverage where everyone has access to care, without obstacles.
In Belgium and around the world, our projects are aimed at all people who do not have or no longer have access to health care. In particular, they are structured around five axes: people on the margins of society, children in vulnerable situations, women, migrants or displaced persons and victims of crises or conflicts.
To carry out our mission, we rely on three pillars:
- Cure : provide real access to care for populations.
- Changer: more than helping, we want to change things in the long term.
- Bear witness : we do not remain silent. Thanks to our experience and our presence on the ground, we challenge the powers (local, regional and (inter)national) with facts, figures and realities.
Our projects follow a series of values common to our entire organization: Social Justice, Empowerment, Independence, Commitment, Balance.
CONTEXT
The project “Ensuring the protection of children and young people on the move” is a 12-month project (April 2024-March 2025) implemented by Médecins du Monde Belgium (MdM) with the financial support of UNICEF. The project targets 500 vulnerable children and young people (0-24 years)accompanied or not, as well as their parents and guardians, in the governorates of greater Tunis, Sousse, Sfax and Medenine as well as 80 professionals from public structures (child protection delegates, national guard agents, etc.).
The project aims at “protective support for the child and his/her parents or guardians”, while respecting their life choices. The purpose of the intervention is as follows:
- Strengthen access to health rights and services (including Mental Health and Psychosocial Support SMSPS) and to appropriate protection for children and their parents and guardians;
- Reduce the exposure of children and young people to violence, abuse and exploitation, by strengthening their self-protection and decision-making capacities, promoting a protective environment, particularly at the level of families and communities and at the level of the places where these children live, and raising awareness among migrants and Tunisians about violence (including gender-based violence VBG);
- Better prepare civil society organizations and institutional actors (child protection actors and the National Guard) to take into account the mental health of children in vulnerable situations
- Contribute to improving the framework for coordination and synergistic action of child protection actors (institutional and community).
- Support advocacy initiatives for more inclusive systems for children and young people in vulnerable situations.
DESCRIPTION OF THE CONSULTATION
The general objective of the mission is an assessment of the mental health and psychosocial support needs of young children and young people on the move, the services available and the barriers to accessing these services.
The specific objectives of the mission are:
On the rights holder’s side:
- To explore the expression and manifestations of psychological distress in children and young people in situations of mobility
- Identify the strategies put in place by young people to manage their psychological and psychosocial difficulties themselves and the different paths for requesting formal help (service providers) or informal help (friendship and social network).
- Among these strategies, it is also a question of identifying those which harm their mental health or those on the contrary which allow them to constitute a safety net.
On the side of community groups and networks:
- Explore existing initiatives or networks that can offer support, solidarity links for young people as well as risk factors that could harm them.
On the service provider side:
- Exploring barriers and facilitators to access to SMSPS and protection services for service providers along migration routes
- Explore existing multi-sectoral coordination mechanisms to support young victims/survivors of violence
Based on the observations, the study will highlight avenues of intervention to support children and young people on the move and improve access to care and protection services.
The reflective framework of this study will be based on intersectional and ecological approaches. Below, for example, is a representation of UNICEF’s ecological model which highlights the different levels to be studied.
DELIVERABLES
Deliverable 1: Detailed methodological note with the collection tools, the ethical protocol and the mission timetable validated by Médecins du Monde
Deliverable 2: A literature review on the mental health of children and young people in vulnerable situations and the optimal care modalities for better protection and mental health in Tunisia. This study should be based on a review of scientific literature as well as gray literature.
Deliverable 3: A preliminary report of the investigation
which will include the following preliminary results:
- The different modalities of expression of psychological distress among the target population
- Strategies implemented by young people to cope with psychological distress and the different ways of requesting help
- Barriers and facilitators in access to care and in particular mental health and psychosocial support services
- Identification of levers for action to promote the protection and sense of well-being of young people at the individual, family and community levels.
- Recommendations for improving the multisectoral care model
Deliverable 4: A final report of the study validated by Médecins du Monde
EXPECTED PROFILE
Consultants must have the following profile:
- Hold a university degree (Master 2 or equivalent), preferably in social sciences or psychology;
- Experience in research methodology and qualitative data collection;
- Have a perfect command of French;
- Analytical mind and synthesis skills;
- Excellent writing skills.
- Knowledge of the Tunisian context
INTEREST(S)?
Interested candidates are requested to kindly submit a submission file before August 21, 2024 to the following email address: [email protected] specifying “ Study on the mental health of vulnerable children and young people » in the subject of the email.
The submission file must include:
A technical offer including:
- A methodological note with the number of days required to complete each stage of the mission (number of days worked), the timetable and the choice of approaches, methods and tools for the work.
- An updated and detailed CV with 3 references.
A financial offer including:
- A detailed financial proposal also taking into account the costs related to the organization of the mission (travel expenses, per diem, accommodation, etc.). Your offer must include the amount excluding VAT* as well as the percentage of withholding tax.
*The project is exempt from VAT.
Médecins du Monde is committed to people with disabilities and fights against all forms of discrimination. We do not ask for any financial contribution during our recruitment.
We inform you that the data concerning you is computerized and will be treated confidentially. As part of this application, your data will be kept for a period of 6 months. Only persons authorized by our General Privacy Charter will be able to access your data for strictly internal purposes.
