Concern Worldwide Staff Welfare Service for Frontline Staff of Protection and Education Teams Tender Announcement

Concern Worldwide Staff Welfare Service for Frontline Staff of Protection and Education Teams Tender Announcement

Call for Tender:

Staff Welfare Service for Frontline Staff of Protection and Education Teams

Background:

Concern Worldwide in Turkey currently implements a project funded by the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) which combines protection and education sector interventions. The project has a twofold approach and targets. The first component is provision of non-formal education, and the second component is provision of protection services, which are closely connected and complementary. The project aims to meet the educational needs of 3,600 refugee children in East and South East Turkey, through the provision of non-formal education, home-learning initiatives and community outreach. Concern will address protection concerns in 11 districts of Sanliurfa and support the Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN) approach of EU Facility for Refugees in Turkey through meeting the needs of 21,600 vulnerable refugees; utilizing utilizing Individual Protection Assistance (IPA) and Case Management (CM) mechanisms, and intense community outreach activities.

As an employer of more than 50 staff, Concern is legally obliged to undergo a monthly health and safety review of its premises, e.g. in relation to issues such as fire drills, fire-safety, on-site first-aid provision etc. An additional component is the provision of a medical check-up, which all staff must take at least once upon joining the organization. While understandably limited, it does afford staff the opportunity to raise any concerns they may have and provides them with access to further support where necessary.

In addition, Concern also offers a confidential employee assistance programme to support its staff. The Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) is an information and advice service, which also provides access to telephone counselling. This service is intended to support staff with any personal or work-related issues that may affect their well-being in the office or at home. This is a confidential external service and can be accessed either online or via phone.

Purpose of the service

Frontline staff in this project, particularly teachers and Case Management Assistants, are frequently required to engage with and assist cases of individuals and/or families who are dealing with difficult events and circumstances. Such cases may include, but are not limited to, instances of child abuse, gender-based violence, child marriage, child labour, and extreme poverty. Therefore, such staff require support and a means of coping with such cases and the emotional and psychological stress and trauma which they may cause. There are a total of 80 staff members who will qualify for this assistance.

Description of services to be provided

Concern Worldwide Turkey requires an individual and/or organisation who can provide the following services to frontline protection and education staff:

• Psychological counselling available on a one-to-one to basis for each staff member at least once a month, if and when required, at a time agreed by the staff member and psychologist.
• Group sessions on a monthly basis for all staff to learn skills to respond to, manage and reduce stress and promote positive coping measures and self-care.

 

Terms & Conditions:

Fees for this would be based on

• Number of individuals attending one-to-one sessions per month. Approximatly 80 individuals would be benifiting from this service.
• Number of group sessions that would be conducted in the center and the districts of Sanliurfa per month. Approximatly 7 groups would be benefiting from the service with no more than 15 individuals in each group session.

Working Arrangements

According to the description above, the first service must be available to all identified staff members through appointment no more than one week in advance. This must also include emergency consultations in cases of serious and urgent need, available with 24 hours notice. Each staff member must be able to attend at least one hour-long individual session with a trained psychologist per month, and the contracted individual/organisation shall be responsible for scheduling and communicating that schedule and availability of the service directly to each Concern Worldwide staff member when necessary.

The second service shall involve the delivery of a monthly session for all available frontline staff with approximate 7 groups, on a range of positive coping and self-care skills which shall benefit the staff members irrespective of their particular role in the organisation. These sessions shall be conducted in a space provided by the individual/organisation, and last approximately 45 minutes to one hour. Additional materials, links and information on related resources, websites and smartphone apps shall be provided at the end of each session, related to that particular topic for the staff’s continued developed and learning.

Both of these services must be available in both Turkish and Arabic, and to both men and women, in a manner which is cognisant and appropriate for the cultural context and background of both our Turkish and Syrian staff members.

These services should be available from September 21^st 2017 until December 31^st 2017.

The HR Department of Concern Turkey will be the focal point for the service provider.

Qualifications and Requirements

Essential:

1. Qualified psychologist(s) with experience of counselling individuals dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder, toxic stress, and other related psychological issues.
2. Experience in delivering group sessions related to positive coping skills and self-care advice for those working in such circumstances.

Preferred:

3. Experience of working with humanitarian aid workers.

Languages in which tenders may be submitted:

English, Turkish

Application Procedures and Deadline

All applications must include the following:

• Detailed CV and copies of qualifications of the individual(s), demonstrating relevant experience and qualifications, and referees
• Proposal for the work outlining clear timeframe, methodology and approach, budget

Applications should be sent to: turkey.tender@concern.net before close of business on the 8th of September, 2017