Psycho-Social Support Consultant/trainer

Objective
Develop Do-No-Harm and Self-Care policies to be incorporated within the framework of the Syrian Oral History Archive (SOHA), and train the working teams on the aforementioned policies and the skills necessary to implement them.
Background
As part of Dawlaty’s work on creating a “Syrian Oral History Archive (SOHA)” within the “Transitional Justice” program, Dawlaty works to document the experiences and views of two groups, and turn their life narratives into materials that can be used to amplify their voices and initiate discussion among their communities and beyond. Dawlaty sought to work with young people, age 18-24, to formulate their concepts on citizenship and identity. It also sought to explore the experiences and assess the needs of women relatives of the disappeared, the missing, and the detained.
The project started in August 2016 with a partnership between the three organizations who were trained on the basics of interviewing and memory work. Currently, partners continue to collect life narratives using in-depth interviewing techniques with consented participants, with the support of a 44 person team; 29 field interviewers, 8 field supervisors, and 7 program support staff.
Dawlaty seeks to recruit a consultant to support it in developing Do-No-Harm and Self-Care policies to be incorporated within the framework of the project. In addition, Dawlaty seeks to complement the training process it has developed to include skills and techniques to prevent, circumvent, and – possibly – mitigate interviewee stress and distress, as well as interviewer burn-out. Tools and mechanisms to support the implementation of the policies are also needed.
Process
The consultant will be expected to:
1. Familiarize oneself with the aims, goals, and future ambitions of the project.

Review the available framework of the project, its methodology, and outcomes till date.
Review some of the collected narratives in possession to better understand the context of the interviewer-interviewee relationship/interaction.

2. Carry out any needed consultations and meetings with the project partners, relevant parties, and actors.

Carry out consultations with the project partners and staff, including story collectors.
Carry out any possible consultations with actors who might be of interest to a referral network in each area that             the project operates in.

3. Develop Do-No-Harm and Self-Care policies to be incorporated within the SOHA framework and methodology (as tools and best practice manuals).

Develop user-specific guidelines to avoid, circumvent, and/or – if possible – mitigate stress/distress imposed by the interview on the participant.
Develop user-specific guidelines to avoid, circumvent, and/or – if possible – mitigate burn-outs that might be experienced by the interviewers.
Work with local teams and partner organizations to map out a list of potential psychosocial support opportunities that might be available within each area of operation.
Develop a referral policy to be incorporated within the interviewing process.
Contribute to Dawlaty’s field interviewer guidelines for selection and support of interviewers, including debriefing.

4. Deliver a training to the working teams on the developed policies and guidelines including building the skills needed and delivering knowledge components necessary for the implementation of the policies/guidelines.

Deliver a training of trainers for members of staff from the three partner organizations (Jafra, Women Now, Dawlaty) to enable them to provide the remote online training to the field team members.

- Or, if not possible -

Deliver a remote online training to all the working team members on the Do-No-Harm and the Self-Care policies and guidelines

 
Deliverables

User-specific customized and context appropriate Do-No-Harm and Self-Care policies and training materials that are suitable for remote online training.
Training report illustrating the knowledge, skills and capacities gained by each working team member on the aforementioned policies.
Possible forms/tools for evaluation and follow up that would be incorporated within the framework and methodology of the SOHA project.

 
Qualifications

Relevant graduate qualifications related to one or some of the following fields of practice; psychotherapy and counseling, psychoanalysis and group analysis, social work and social policy, as well as other similarly related fields of practice.
Demonstrated working experience within the qualified field of practice of at least five years.
Demonstrated training delivery experience, with preference for experience in adapting materials for remote training.
Working knowledge of Arabic (essential) and English (preferred).
Knowledge of and experience working in Syrian context strongly preferred.
Knowledge of transitional justice, civil society, civic and democratic values and civil disobedience preferred.