Long Term Agreement (LTA) for Engagement of Individual Consultants as Experts on Child Protection in Emergencies (CPiE) and Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) in Emergencies, Viet Nam

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

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Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

Please click the link for further information about UNICEF Viet Nam: https://www.unicef.org/vietnam/

For every child, an opportunity...

How can you make a difference? 

UNICEF works to realize children’s rights to protection, survival, development, and participation, as set out in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Its humanitarian action is guided by the Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action (CCCs) - UNICEF’s central policy and framework - grounded in global humanitarian norms and standards. The CCCs guide UNICEF and its partners to deliver principled, timely, quality and child‑centred responses, and set clear commitments and benchmarks for coverage, quality and equity in humanitarian action.

In Viet Nam, recurrent natural disasters such as storms and floods increase child protection risks, including violence, neglect, family separation, exploitation, and psychosocial distress. Effective emergency response requires both quality Child Protection in Emergencies (CPiE) interventions and Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) services to ensure children and caregivers receive timely protection and psychosocial support in line with UNICEF's Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action (CCCs).

UNICEF Viet Nam supports national and sub-national authorities to strengthen CPiE and MHPSS preparedness, response and recovery efforts. Recent emergency operations have highlighted the recurring need for surge technical expertise in both CPiE and MHPSS, including emergency preparedness, coordination, case management, referral systems, community-based interventions, Psychological First Aid (PFA), capacity strengthening, quality assurance, monitoring and learning.

Due to the unpredictable timing, scale and geographic spread of emergencies, these specialized technical services are required on an ad hoc basis and cannot be fully absorbed within the regular functions of UNICEF staff. UNICEF therefore seeks to establish a Long-Term Agreement (LTA) with qualified consultants who can be rapidly mobilized to provide specialized technical support under either the CPiE or MHPSS stream, depending on operational needs.

Purpose of Assignment:

The purpose of this Long‑Term Agreement (LTA) is to establish a roster of qualified consultants who can be rapidly mobilized to provide specialized technical support in one or both of the following technical streams:

Stream A: Child Protection in Emergencies (CPiE)

Stream B: Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) in Emergencies

in provinces affected by, or at risk of, natural disasters such as storms and floods.

Major tasks:

Under the overall guidance of UNICEF and in close coordination with relevant government counterparts and partners, the consultant(s) will provide on‑demand technical support to strengthen emergency preparedness, coordination, planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting related to CPiE and/or MHPSS in provinces affected by, or at risk of, disasters such as storms and floods.

Consultants may be engaged under one or both technical streams based on assignment requirements and their area of expertise. The consultant(s) will support counterparts and partners but will not replace UNICEF's accountability for programme management, technical oversight, monitoring or reporting.

Responsibilities may include, but are not limited to, the following:

Task 1: Support Rapid Assessment and Situation Analysis, and Identification of priorities

• Provide technical support to rapid assessment processes by reviewing and synthesizing available information on child protection risks, psychosocial needs, service availability, vulnerabilities and response gaps affecting children, caregivers and communities in emergency settings.
• Analyse available data and provide technical recommendations to inform CPiE and/or MHPSS preparedness, planning and response priorities.
• Support the identification of priority interventions, target groups and service delivery approaches based on assessed needs and operational context.
• Timeline: Initial technical brief provided within 10 working days following activation, subject to availability of relevant data.

Task 2: CPiE Coordination and Response Planning

• Support national and sub-national authorities, service providers and partners to develop, update and prioritize CPiE and/or MHPSS preparedness and response plans.
• Facilitate coordination among government counterparts, UNICEF-supported partners, service providers and relevant sectors to strengthen coherence, complementarity and quality of interventions.
• Support alignment of interventions with national systems, UNICEF guidance, the CCCs, and relevant inter-agency CPiE and/or MHPSS standards and guidance.
• Contribute technical inputs to response planning, prioritization and resource allocation based on identified needs, risks and service gaps.
• Timeline: Within 2–3 weeks following initial assessment

Task 3: Capacity Strengthening and Technical Support

• Design, adapt and facilitate rapid orientation, training, coaching and technical support for government counterparts, social workers, frontline workers, service providers and implementing partners.
• Provide technical support on relevant areas including, as applicable, CPiE, child protection case management, referral pathways, PFA, community- and school-based MHPSS, psychosocial support, child safeguarding, PSEA and AAP.
• Develop or adapt practical tools, guidance, standard operating procedures, training materials and job aids to support emergency preparedness and response.
• Timeline: As required, typically within 2–4 weeks following activation

Task 4: Implementation Support and Quality Assurance

• Provide technical guidance to counterparts and implementing partners to support the timely and quality implementation of CPiE and/or MHPSS interventions.
• Support implementation of key interventions, including child protection case management, referral services, awareness-raising activities, community-based support mechanisms, psychosocial support services and other agreed response activities.
• Support quality assurance, adherence to standards, and identification of implementation challenges and practical solutions.
• Advise counterparts and partners on supervision, mentoring and quality improvement approaches in line with national systems and established technical standards, without assuming direct supervisory responsibilities.
• Timeline: Ongoing during the emergency response period

Task 5: Monitoring, Reporting, Documentation and Learning

• Support monitoring, reporting and consolidation of information related to CPiE and/or MHPSS interventions from counterparts and implementing partners.
• Contribute technical inputs to situation reports, donor reports, lessons learned exercises, evaluations, case studies and technical documentation.
• Support the collection and analysis of information to inform programme adaptation, learning and continuous improvement.
• Ensure compliance with safeguarding, ethical and data protection standards in all monitoring, documentation and reporting activities.
• Timeline: Throughout assignment period.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete TOR here:  TOR for Individual LTA on CPiE MHPSS.pdf

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… 

Minimum requirements:

Education: Advanced degree in Social Work, Child Protection, Psychology, Psychiatry, Mental Health, Public Health, Emergency Management, Education, Social Sciences, or another closely related field relevant to CPiE and/or MHPSS.

Specialized knowledge and skills:

• Demonstrated expertise in CPiE and/or MHPSS in emergency and humanitarian settings.
• Knowledge of emergency preparedness and response, child protection systems, case management, referral pathways, psychosocial support, coordination and capacity strengthening.
• Familiarity with UNICEF CCCs, CPiE and MHPSS standards, child safeguarding, PSEA and data protection principles.
• Strong analytical, facilitation, communication and report-writing skills.

Relevant work experience:

• Minimum 7 years of progressively responsible experience in child protection and/or social work, psychology, mental health, emergency response, humanitarian programming, or related fields.
• Demonstrated experience providing technical support in CPiE and/or MHPSS programming, including preparedness, planning, implementation support, capacity strengthening, monitoring, reporting, and quality assurance.
• Proven experience developing and delivering technical guidance, training packages, tools, standard operating procedures, and other capacity-strengthening initiatives.
• Experience supporting emergency preparedness, response and recovery programmes is highly desirable.
• Experience working with UNICEF, UN agencies, government counterparts, or NGOs is desirable.

Required languages: Fluency in Vietnamese required; working proficiency in English is highly desirable for technical reporting and coordination.

Submission of applications:

+ A cover letter explaining the motivation for applying and explaining how the qualifications and skillset of the candidate are relevant for this consultancy.

+ Updated Curriculum Vitae (CV)

+ Two Work Samples – This could include two previously written Case Management Operational Plan or an Emergency response plan with a clear case management component; and a Training agenda, module, & materials on CPiE or case management in emergencies. It is critical to submit work samples as you will observe from the advertisement that marks have been assigned to these criteria for arriving at the most suitable candidate.

+ Two recommendation letters and/or performance evaluation reports on similar work previously done with other organisations.

+ A financial proposal including consultancy fee, travel and other costs for the assignment. Please do not forget to specify your name in the file while saving.

Note: If the LTA will include the optional fees for travel assignments, then BSAFE on https://agora.unicef.org/?autologin=unicef will be a mandatory course requirement to be added to the list of certificates to be uploaded at the time of application. 

Without all the above five (5) documents your application will be considered incomplete and invalid and will not be considered further. 

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:  

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. 

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason. 

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF’s Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.