Position Overview:
Under the direction of the Case Management and Child Protection Coordinator, the Case Management and child protection Officer is responsible for providing the protection of children by performing duties of Intake, Protection, Child Care and Emergency responses including After Hours as may be required, in accordance with provisions of Charitable Children Institutions regulations, Children Act 2002, RefuSHE Child Protection Policy and general RefuSHE child protection policies and SOPs
Duties & Responsibilities:
Receives and reviews referrals and requests for service to determine eligibility to admission in GEP and Safe House as well as any other grant funded projects.
Interviews sources of service referrals/requests to obtain and record detailed intake information; assessing nature of referral/request and identifying immediacy of intervention required through Best Interest Assessment; and refers ineligible cases to other agencies, as appropriate.
Gathers thorough information and conducts an assessment of the immediate safety of the child/ren at the point of first contact; intervening in risk situations and initiating immediate protection action, as required, which may include moving of children at risk to our Safe House or referring the Individual Cases to other appropriate agencies for protection
Conducts case investigations including reviewing plight history and comparing the same with available information from UNHCR and other agencies, coordinating and conducting forensic interviews, conducting home visits, and interviewing child, family members and any other appropriate additional information sources such as other refugees community members, neighbors and assesses risk to the IC based on case investigation and develops IC service/development plan
Initiates and facilitates the referral for services provision from other agencies /organizations consistent with the proposed service plan; coordinating service requirements and advocating on behalf of the IC to ensure the receipt of appropriate and timely service/support
Strictly adheres to and implements Safe House SOPs and other regulatory requirements as stipulated within the CCI registration Charters
Under direction of the Case Management and Child Protection Coordinator, communicates on daily basis all relevant information regarding the SH to the Associate Director
Participates in consultations and case conference with individual case and other service providers
Under supervision of Case Management and Child Protection Coordinator, determines the need for and recommends admission of children to GEP and Safe House; coordinating and facilitating admissions by advising the GEP or Safe House Associate Director(s) of all relevant case information, preparing required admission documents, and providing support to the child during the admission process; providing information and consultation to other program teams regarding the individual case information and the specific needs of the child who is being admitted to the organizations programs and ensures proper management of the child file(s) as required
Completes requirements for court hearings with support of Legal Advocacy Officer if and where the law may require including preparing evidence materials, advising Safe House and Child Protection Associate Director on procedures, reviewing case information with area children officer and arranging for, or notifying, other stake holders who may be involved/interested in the case
Under guidance of the Case Management and Child Protection Coordinator, ensures the line Associate Director for Protection and Safe House is consulted and updated at appropriate points as required on each individual case.
Prepares and ensures accurate, thorough and timely recording of case information including case notes, modules, reports, family case histories, correspondence, and legal forms, as required by the UNHCR, RAS and RefuSHE; compiles and completes case file documents for transfer of the case or to close the case as will be required from time to time
Provides information and advisory services to each child and members of the refugee community regarding the provisions and requirements of the UNHCR, RAS and RefuSHE service policies
Liaises with security officers on duty to ensure maximum security /safe environment for the residents and their belongings as well as RefuSHE’s assets
Participates in maintaining daily, weekly and monthly Safe House inventory trackers and reconciles the same on weekly and monthly basis submitting the same to the procurement officer for verification purposes
Protection Service Responsibilities
Initiates a relationship with the child and the foster family to facilitate an accurate and thorough assessment of the protection issues and individual case needs, to inform the service plan and to effectively respond to problems and reduce the potential for risk to the child (ren)
Initiates Best Interest Processes for each individual case through conducting BIAs, BIDs, making arrangement for alternative care, family tracing/reunification, undertakes home visits as well as recommending case management support
Implements the service plan with the child and family (foster) including appropriate management of the therapeutic relationship, providing counseling or referring to counseling services for the child and the family and conducting an ongoing assessment of any child protection issues and the level of risk to children in the home or Safe House
Maximizes the participation of other program team and external service providers as appropriate in the development and review of the service plan through facilitating referrals, coordinating among collateral service providers, and advocating ensuring the receipt of appropriate and timely services; leading and participating in consultations and case conferences with the client and other service providers
Conducts Child Protection investigations including reviewing any relevant child protection records, coordinating and conducting forensic interviews, conducting investigative interviews of each individual case, caregivers, other family members and appropriate additional information sources such as UNHCR, children department, neighbors, community leaders and other agencies providing services to refugee children
Participates in developing and maintaining of weekly and monthly list of Safe House residents due for various appointments and accompaniment plan
Child Care Responsibilities
Conducts an assessment of physical, mental, emotional and social needs of each child in the organization programs, and establishes a trust relationship in order to support and facilitate the child’s growth and development while in the organization programs
Ensures high levels of hygiene and cleanliness among individual cases and the general environment with the Safe House/GEP
Develops and implements appropriate short and long term plans of care for the child/children based on the results of the needs assessment; providing information, advice and support to the child and the foster family regarding the plan of care; discussing specific care plan requirements with other program team staff, and other professional support service providers as appropriate
Provides informal counseling to the child and initiating/coordinating support linkages for the child with internal and external counselors acting as a support to the child during the conducting of any investigation or service provision
Coordinates service requirements and advocating on behalf of the child/children to ensure the receipt of appropriate and timely services; leading and participating in consultations and case conferences with service providers to discuss care plans and service needs of the child/children.
Facilitates ongoing contact with the child and his/her biological family through family tracing process to ensure family reunification where and when possible
Provides support to the child and intervenes on his/her behalf in risk/crisis situations; facilitating the resolution of the crisis and developing plans in consultation with the child and other program team/service providers to reduce the likelihood of the crisis being repeated
Undertakes other responsibilities/duties not outlined above which are commensurate with a role of this nature in the humanitarian sector and which have been discussed and agreed between the line manager/superiors and the post holder.
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Sociology, Counseling Psychology or related field with at least five 3 years of successful experience in program planning and management including grant funded programs. Master’s Degree in project planning and management, business administration, Social Work, Counseling Psychology or other related field will be added advantage.
At least 3 years’ experience in case management and child protection programs
Knowledge of sexual and gender based violence/domestic violence and sexual assault/abuse issues and solutions
Understanding of challenges facing refugees in Kenya and in the region
Experience working with young people, preferably most vulnerable (experience working with refugee children will be a plus)
Demonstrated ability to handle confidential and sensitive information
Knowledge of theories of human behavior and ability to apply in assessment and planning
Knowledge of risk assessments; counseling skills, child abuse standards, child welfare legislation and regulations
Ability to work as an integral member of a team and work with little or no supervision as may be required
Ability to follow direction and work effectively under pressure
Good planning, organization, problem-solving, decision-making and liaison skills
Ability to collaborate with other resource persons and facility
Ability withstand stressful situations that may arise as a result of challenging work environment (interaction with children who have under gone very painful situations)
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