The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world’s largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you’re a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

JOB OVERVIEW

Under the supervision of a Protection Senior Officer (Child Protection) the Protection Caseworker (Child Protection) will be responsible for providing Case Management services to a defined number of children who are at risk or have experienced abuse, neglect, exploitation, and/or violence (including unaccompanied children or children separated from their families). In particular, he/she will ensure the identification of children who have been or are at risk of harm and their referral to Case Management services in the local community, to a safe space for recovery and learning (SHLS), and will provide them with individual support in the field of CM. As part of this work, he/she will also provide support to the children’s families, including care, support, and skills development for caregivers. He/she will work directly with other case workers and service providers on workload management and referrals, while ensuring close collaboration and coordination with IRC PSS staff. In addition, CP social workers will visit children and their families at home to monitor recovery, follow up and refer, and assess risks/child protection issues in the family (including other children).

The Protection Caseworker (Child Protection) will be based in Dnipro and will report to the Protection Senior Officer (Child Protection).

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Providing individual case management for eligible children in accordance with agreed interagency case management steps, protocols, and related tools and procedures, such as:

Conducting an initial assessment of CP cases and prioritizing them based on risk level;

Conducting comprehensive assessments of CP cases; developing case management plans that take into account the needs identified during the initial and comprehensive assessment of CP cases, and seeking the necessary support from the supervisor;

Providing basic counseling and psychosocial support;

Refer and accompany children who need it to more specialized services;

Regularly monitor whether all services and measures listed in the work plan with the child are being implemented within the agreed time frame. Ensure regular review of progress;

Regularly monitor and support children and their families through visits, emotional support, counseling, referrals, etc.

Provide ongoing support to families of children, including care, support, and skill development for caregivers.

Work closely with the CP team and other IRC sectors to ensure that children and their families have individualized and confidential access to services through internal referral procedures, and that case management support meets the needs of children and their families.

Support the implementation of referral protocols and CP guidelines; if problems are identified in this area, report them to the senior child protection officer.

Promote and support the implementation of the IRC’s targeted MHPSS program for children and adolescents.

If necessary, the Protection Caseworker (Child Protection) may also support the implementation of MHPSS programs and assist with, among other things, the following:

Promote social-emotional, recreational, creative, and life skills development activities for children/adolescents;

Promoting sessions for caregivers/parents to improve their stress management skills, positive parenting practices, and strategies for supporting children and adolescents with psychosocial needs.

Concerning all client-facing staff:

Information sharing – Regularly share and discuss timely, accurate and relevant information in local languages with communities about: – access and eligibility to service, -expected staff behaviors and code of conduct, – community feedback, safeguarding mechanism and how to use them .

Facilitating participation – Identify and provide communities with opportunities to participate in and guide programs from assessment and design through to monitoring and evaluation. Talk with communities about how they would like to be involved in decision-making and discuss with management how this can be facilitated.

Feedback collection and reporting – Establish or promote the formal feedback mechanism aligned with organizational best practice to capture, monitor, respond to and act on feedback and complaints from communities.

Administration and reporting:

Keep records of cases and prepare weekly reports for the manager.

Ensure accuracy, completeness/thoroughness, and confidentiality of data entry for case management and data storage.

Complete weekly activity reports in accordance with the recommendations provided by the child protection specialist.

Communicate regularly with the senior child protection officer.

Coordination and representation:

Regularly attend case management meetings, including conferences at the local level.

Actively coordinate activities with colleagues from other IRC departments in the field, particularly on issues of protection and rule of law, protection and empowerment of women, health, economic assistance, and development.

Actively develop and maintain effective working relationships with relevant local actors in the field, including community, non-governmental, and governmental organizations.

Other:

Attend training sessions organized by the IRC.

Stay informed about child protection issues and developments in communities and surrounding areas.

Consistently and proactively monitor the safety and security of field teams, promptly reporting problems or incidents to IRC management and liaising with other external parties as necessary to maintain/enhance a safe environment.

Promote and adhere to IRC principles, values, and code of conduct.

Conduct yourself professionally and personally in a manner that benefits IRC and does not compromise its humanitarian mission.

Provide written and oral translation at meetings, trainings, and/or documentation as needed for better understanding by all staff.

Perform any other tasks as requested by your manager to ensure and develop IRC programs.

Information sharing – Regularly share and discuss with communities timely, accurate, and relevant information in the national language about: – access to and entitlement to services, – expected staff behavior and code of conduct, – community feedback, protection mechanisms, and how to use them.

Facilitate participation – Identify and provide opportunities for communities to participate in and manage programs – from assessment and design to monitoring and evaluation. Talk to communities about how they would like to be involved in decision-making and discuss with management how this can be facilitated.

Feedback collection and reporting – Create or facilitate the creation of a formal feedback mechanism in line with the organization’s best practices for collecting, monitoring, responding to, and acting on feedback and complaints from communities.

JOB REQUIREMENTS

Education: Higher education in social work, psychology, education, human rights, social sciences, humanities, or another related field is desirable.

Experience: Minimum 1 year of experience in implementing child protection programs, preferably in social work, case management, or psychosocial programs for children, in humanitarian or development organizations.

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

Demonstrated understanding of working…