Organizer of the Department of Child Protection in International rescue committee

Organization Description

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises and helps people whose lives and livelihoods have been destroyed by conflict and disaster to survive, recover and regain control of their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC works with people who have been forced to flee war, conflict and disaster, with the host communities that support them, and with those who remain in their homes and communities. Working today in more than 40 countries around the world and 22 US cities, we improve living conditions in the areas of health, safety, economic well-being, education and energy. Given the inequalities faced by women and girls, the IRC aims to reduce gender inequality and ensure the social inclusion of all vulnerable groups in the overall processes and actions that affect their lives. In Ukraine, the IRC started implementing emergency programs in April 2022 in the field of child protection (CP), protection and rule of law (ProL), protection and empowerment of women (WPE) (i.e. gender-based violence), health care.

Job description:

Under the supervision of a senior specialist of the Child Protection (CP) Department, a Psychosocial Support Worker (PSS) will be responsible for organizing and running PSS events for children and their carers. PSS activities include social-emotional learning (SEL) for children (ages 6-11), SEL and life skills for adolescents (ages 12-17), creative and other skills development activities for children (ages 2-17), and parenting and stress management activities for caregivers of children and adolescents. Activities are held in the Safe Recovery and Learning Space (SHLS), which is a safe, comfortable and secure place where children and adolescents living in conflict and crisis can learn, develop and be protected. The CP PSS Officer must have good technical and organizational capabilities to ensure that PSS activities are implemented in accordance with IRC Program Guidelines and CP Minimum Standards and Principles. The employee will be based in Mykolaiv and will report to the senior specialist of the child protection department.

Main duties:

PSS for children and guardians

- Help in drawing up a schedule of weekly activities for children/adolescents/guardians/educators.

- Facilitate the conduct of social-emotional, recreational, creative and life skills activities for children and adolescents based on the SHLS program.

- Facilitate parent/guardian sessions to improve their stress management skills, positive parenting practices and strategies to support children and adolescents with psychosocial needs.

- Interact with children/adolescents in a friendly manner using a child-centered approach.

- Create a safe environment for children to play, communicate and learn in accordance with the established plan and schedule.

- Ensure the protection of children and youth from the threat of harm.

- Monitor children and adolescents with special needs andensure their proper integration into activities.

- Refer identified and suspected cases of child protection to the IRC coordinator.

- Answer questions from community members and parents/guardians about what activities are being implemented.

- Support monitoring and evaluation activities on demand to support quality program implementation.

Community engagement and risk reduction for children under guardianship

- Identify barriers to access to available services for vulnerable/special groups of children and propose measures to reduce/eliminate these barriers.

- Identify key protection risks and measures to mitigate/reduce them.

- Identify problems in the provision of child protection services available to the community and inform about them to the protection managers children/ within the IRC, protected subjects and other interested parties. 

- Ensure wide distribution of information about rights, obligations and available services. 

- Maintain relationships with communities, including local leaders, various organizations and stakeholders, youth groups, children, etc., in order to create a supportive environment for children and their families, as well as IRC programs.

- When necessary, organize meetings with the community to disseminate information or other needs.

- Ensure, as far as possible, that children and adolescents actively participate and help shape the activities of the IRC. 

- Encourage and promote social cohesion between the host community and the IDP community.

- Support the distribution of risk reduction tools (including PSS kits) and follow-up monitoring.

Administration and reporting:

- Ensuring attendance, reporting on the need for materials and supporting other administrative tasks as required.

- Report to the supervisor on supplies/material needs.

- Completing the relevant activity tracker and participating in activity reports as directed by the Senior Child Protection Specialist.

- Providing information on a weekly basis to the supervisor. 

Coordination and Representation:

- Actively coordinate with staff from other IRC sectors on the ground, including Protection and Rule of Law, Women's Protection and Empowerment, Health. 

- Actively develop and maintain effective working relationships with relevant local actors on the ground, including civil, non-governmental and governmental structures.

- At the request of your supervisor, actively participate in relevant CP coordination meetings at the local and national levels (e.g. in the national CP cluster).

Other:

- Attend trainings organized by the IRC.

- Stay abreast of child protection developments and changes in communities and surrounding areas.

- Consistently and proactively monitor the safety and security of field teams, promptly reporting issues or incidents to IRC management and liaising with other external parties as necessary to maintain/improve safe serhabitats.

- Promote and adhere to the principles, objectives and code of conduct of the IRC.

- Act both professionally and personally in a manner that benefits the IRC and does not jeopardize its humanitarian mission.

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

- Perform any other tasks at the request of your manager to ensure and develop the IRC programs. KEY WORK RELATIONSHIPS Reporting: Senior Child Protection Officer Direct supervision: n/a

- Previous experience in implementing PSS programs for children and demonstrated understanding of working with children, particularly vulnerable children and children at risk of violence, exploitation, abuse or neglect.

- Experience with community work, community involvement and participation, and working with children affected by conflict.

- A clear understanding of and interest in children's well-being and supporting their recovery from abuse.

- A positive and professional attitude, including the ability to lead and work well in a team.

- Ability to keep records and write simple and basic activity reports.

- Ability to speak honestly, professionally and thoughtfully on sensitive topics.

- Demonstrated understanding and the ability to ensure confidentiality and respect for clients/beneficiaries.

- High degree of flexibility and high ability to organize work, meet deadlines, maintain self-control, prioritize work under pressure, coordinate multiple tasks and pay attention to detail.

- Computer literacy, including Microsoft Word and Excel.

- Language: Fluent in Ukrainian and Russian languages, basic English skills.

This position will be based in Odesa with frequent travel to field locations.

Standards of Professional Conduct

IRC and IRC employees must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the "IRC Way - Code of Conduct". It is integrity, service and accountability. In line with these values, the IRC develops and implements policies to protect beneficiaries from exploitation and abuse, child protection, the absence of harassment in the workplace, financial integrity, anti-retaliation, anti-trafficking and several others.

Gender equality and equal opportunities

We strive to reduce the gender gap onequal positions. We offer generous benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce, including parental leave, gender-sensitive safety protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances. We welcome and strongly encourage qualified female professionals to apply.

IRC is an equal opportunity employer. The IRC considers all applicants on their merits, without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.