TERMS OF REFERENCE- counselling service
- Background
Since its establishment in 2009, the organization Together for Life has been engaged in identifying and protecting the rights of vulnerable groups in Albania, particularly patients with chronic diseases. At the center of this engagement is the information and awareness raising among patients about their rights based on the Albanian Patient Rights Charter and Albanian legislation, as well as raising awareness among responsible institutions and professionals in the field, including doctors and nurses, to guarantee the protection of these rights.
Since February 2021, Together for Life has been implementing the project ‘Reintegration of the Returnees by increasing access to health care and improving their health’. The project is funded by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. Services within the project are part of the support of the German Federal Ministry for Economic, Co-operation and Development (BMZ) for voluntary return and sustainable reintegration, implemented in Albania by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
The project aims to support the reintegration of returnees into the public healthcare system. The project’s specific objective is to facilitate the reintegration process of returnees by improving their access to basic (mental) health care and the social status of their families, with a focus on vulnerable groups (chronic patients).
The reintegration process of returnee migrants is determined by serval specific factors such as the length of time spent abroad, the amount of time the migrant had initially intended to be away, the extent to which the migrant retained his or her connections to family and social networks in the country of origin, the extent to which the migrant had integrated in the host country, and other more structural factors such as financial situation, adequate housing, employment and accessing of health care services. Migrants need extra psychological support upon their return, since they feel disappointed that even after migrating to create a new life abroad, they face various challenges in their country of origin. Also, some individuals may have experienced trauma during their time abroad due to violence, health issues or other traumatic personal experiences. This situation causes them to experience stress, anxiety and depression and they might also experience post-traumatic symptoms. These symptoms are often left untreated, due to lack of information or lack of access into psychological services, thus becoming a risk for causing more severe health problems. In addition, three community mental health centers established in Tirana do not offer full service for the patients due to the large number of patients and the limited number of psychiatrists/psychologists. Overall, counseling is an important tool for supporting individuals who have returned from migration, especially those who are chronic patients and face multiple challenges, who are at higher risk of experiencing mental health problems, by helping them to address their concerns, process their experiences, build resilience, and navigate the challenges by readjusting their copying strategies.
During the implementation of the project, TFL has noticed that there is a great need for psychological services for the returnees and a lack of capacities in the public health sector for the provision of this service. There is a need for direct psychosocial services through counselling sessions with a psychologist and implementation of a family approach, by including family in the counseling context.
- Description of the assignment
Considering the process of reintegration challenging, in order to ensure the successful reintegration of returnees from migration, it is required to be applied a professional and holistic approach for supporting individuals not only on their health issues and improvement of their psychical health, but also on their psychological needs, over a dedicated period of time. As such, TFL is seeking an a psychologist or a company that provides psychological services to provide counselling services for 10 retunee patients (including children and adults) in the areas where the project is being implemented, in Lezha, Elbasan and Berat, but also in Tirana and all over Albania where cases are referred.
The main objective of the assignment will be to provide counselling services for the returnee patients who might experience emotional, psychological and social challenges associated with their returning and health issues, and therefore also provide a support for the health sector for providing a complete health care service for the returnee patient.
- Deliverables
The expected deliverables from the contracted agency are as below listed:
- To offer quality and professional psycho-social service for returnees and their families identified and referred by TFL;
- To ensure that psychologist/s who will directly provide the service should meet the following criteria:
- A Master degree in Psychology or a related field from an accredited institution in Albania;
- A minimum of 5 years of experience providing counselling services to individuals (children and adults) with mental health issues;
- It is preferable to have a demonstrated experience in providing counselling services to individuals who have migrated in Germany or other EU countries and returneed to Albania;
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to work effectively with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds;
- Good organizational skills and attention to detail;
- Good writing and reporting skills.
- To monitor and document the working process and assignment performance of psychologists during the service provision period and documentation submitted by them that documents the counseling process;
The expected deliverables from the contracted psychologists:
- Completion of a Declaration of consent for conducting counselling process, signed by the patient;
- An Initial psychological assesment document of the patients after the first counselling session, identifying the needs (first clinical notes);
- An assessment report (psychological assesement – clinical file) for each patient, including information on the patient’s symtoms and psychological state;
- A final report summarizing the psychologist’s work with the returnee patients, including any recommendations for future services and treatment;
- The counselling process will include individual and family/relatives sessions (according to the case);
- The contracted psychologists will be required to enable a qualitative and non discriminatative process;
- The contracted psychologists will be required to maintan the confidentiallity and ethics regarding the information provided by the patient during the service provision.
- Must respects the Psychologist’s Ethical Code and Standards & Policy for the Protection of Children and Young People.
- Methodology
During the preparation phase of the material, the contracted company shall:
- Be consulted closely with the contracting authority;
- Hold meetings with responsible person/s in contracting authority;
- The monitoring of the qualified psychologists who will provide the psychological counseling services will be done in cooperation and with the approval of TFL;
- The documents provided by the psychologist that document the counseling process will be confirmed by TFL;
- Roles and responsibilities
Key responsibilities of the contracted party are:
- Close collaboration with the staff engaged in the project from the contracting authority;
- Meet the agreed deadlines and expected quality standards;
- Address the issues arised during the counselling process with the contracting authority;
- Key responsibilities of the contracting authority are:
- Provide necessary support to the contracted party;
- Inform the the contracted party duly on any potential changes and deviations from the initial plan;
- Hold the contracted party accountable to the agreed terms;
- Duration
The expected service begins on the day the contract is signed, but always no later than March 27, 2023 and will last until May 31, 2023.
- Required documentation
Interested applicants must submit the following documents:
✓ Expression of Interest
A cover letter with a maximum of one page which introduces the counselling agency with an expression of interest to carry out the assignments as described in this ToR.
✓The documentation which documents the relevant qualification of the applicant
✓ Financial Proposal
The detailed financial proposal includes the total financial expected implications to carry out the required assignment.
- How to apply?
The interested applicants should send all the required documents listed above to the e-mail address: info@togetherforlife.org.al,
or at the postal address
Together for Life (TFL)
Rruga Brigada VIII, Pallati Jeshil, Tekno-Projekt, Ap,14,
Tirana
- Deadline for submission of offers
The deadline for submitting the offers is: March 24th, 2023 (17:00 hr).
