Role Summary
The Technical Officer – HTS, Social Support and Linkages will work on a four-person team to ensure increased uptake of HIV Testing Services and the successful Linkage to Care and Support services including Retention into Care and Treatment services for a set geographic area of the USAID–funded Afya Jijini project. Based in Nairobi with frequent travel to the informal settlements and health facilities in the county.
Technical Officer will work within the UHAI Team which includes a Team Lead and M&E Officer and a HIV Technical Specialist to develop innovative and evidence driven approaches to boost uptake of and retention within care and treatment services among target populations.
Working in a defined geographical location and health facilities, the Technical Officer Social Support and Linkages will work with health facilities, their catchment communities, CBO’s and other stakeholders to provide Technical support and Mentorship to ensure that clients access quality health services, follow up with their referral outcomes as well as retention in care.
The Technical Officer will also help plan and implement capacity building approaches at the facility level including trainings and mentorship models to strengthen the overall continuum of Care.
Responsibilities
In collaboration with the UHAI Team, lead the social support and linkages strategies in target project areas.
Ensure best HIV Testing Service approaches are used to reach the target population and achieve highest positivity yields
Ensure linkage of all HIV services to HIV care and treatment services under the Test and Start Strategy to achieve above 90% Linkage
Support, mentor and supervise facility HTS counsellors to carry out HIV Testing and Linkage services in all supported facilities including correct use of the linkage registers, referral forms and referral directory
Support, mentor and supervise facility Peer Educators in providing psychosocial support to HIV patients to ensure retention of patients in care. This includes formation of Psychosocial support groups for specific key groups e.g. Paediatrics, Adolescents, Non suppressed clients, PMTCT
Support and Mentor the Peer Educators and Adherence Counsellors on retention of patients in care through the use of the appointment diary and defaulter tracing registers
Work closely with the facility MCH nurses to ensure that all ANC mothers are tested for HIV and positive ones linked to care and treatment.
Support, mentor and supervise mentor mothers to ensure linkage of +ve mothers to PMTCT care and ensure follow up and care of HIV Exposed Infants to reduce transmission rates
Update the NASCOP website with the HEI Audit Report on a weekly basis.
Plan and lead trainings and other capacity strengthening activities for project staff, partners, health facilities, communities and sub county/County government. Focus on improving HIV testing, linkage, social support and referral for HIV patients.
Prepare relevant tools and guidelines for the project in support of social support and linkages for clients.
Complete written reports, presentation, analyses and strategy reports in support of the project.
Work closely with the project’s Monitoring and Evaluation Team to establish systems for measuring the outcomes of social support activity interventions for routine project monitoring and special evaluations
To succeed in this role you require:
Bachelor’s degree in the social behavioral sciences (community development, Sociology, Anthropology, Psychological, Health Education, nursing, medicine or Public Health required. Advance Degree a plus.
5+ years of progressively responsible work experience in developing, managing and measuring health community engagement-driven programs within Kenya.
Experience with social mobilization and referral strategies in informal settlements and behavior change communication strategy development.
Demonstrated skills in designing community engagement and referral approaches that result in improved uptake of services and retention in services for one or more of the following technical areas: HIV prevention, care and treatment; MNCH;FP/RH;WASH and Nutrition.
Knowledge and skills in creating partnerships and strengthening referral systems that bridge health facilities and local communities for effective collaboration.
Experience in designing and implementing innovative strategies to successfully refer and follow up with one or more of the following priority populations: adolescent girls, sex workers, MSM, OVC, or people who inject drugs.
Comfortable working with local communities and working with at risk populations.
Experience working on U.S. government (including PEPFAR) or other large donor-funded projects required. Knowledge of PEPFAR, USG and GoK indicators for M&E for Key Population areas.
Proficient with Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
