Child Protection Case Management Officer(Sennar)-Save the Children

Job Description

Job Identification	1155
Section/Unit	Education
Supervisor	Education Coordinator
Duty Station	Sennar
Closing Date	19 Dec 2023

Background

Under the direct overall guidance and supervision of the Child Protection coordinator, the Case Management Officer will be responsible for the technical oversight of the implementation of SCI’s case management, FTR, and alternative care services in the relevant location. The overall aim of the CM Officer is to guide the design and development of case management, FTR, and alternative care programs and support the implementation of activities to prevent and respond to children in need of protection. This includes unaccompanied and separated children and other children at risk of, or exposed to, violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation. The CM Coordinator will have a technical focus on case management procedures, interim care of unaccompanied children, family tracing and reunification, and referral services. The CM Officer will, in close collaboration with the Child Protection Coordinator and the Head of Child Protection, support needs assessments, reporting, and contextualization of technical tools for case management and alternative care.

 Duties and responsibilities:

• With the support of the CP coordinator, the Case Management Officer will have a technical leading role in the design of SCI’s Case Management and Alternative Care Programs. 
• Ensure the case management, FTR, and alternative care implemented by SCI is aligned with local systems and adheres to the inter-agency and SCI-specific standards like operating procedures (SOP), Information Sharing Protocols (ISP), and other technical approaches and guidelines.
• Ensure staff gaps and training needs do not result in gaps in support to individuals in case management and address such issues with senior management. Provide training and on-the-job mentoring and technical guidance to the CM Supervisors and teams across the field locations.     
• In collaboration with the MEAL department and with the support of the Child Protection Coordinator, facilitate the participation and feedback of children and families assisted through case management, FTR, and alternative care activities.
• Inform the Child Protection Coordinator and the Manager about any challenges, difficulties, and concerns in the implementation of activities or issues in the social context.
• In coordination with the Child Protection Coordinator/Manager and the inter-agency CP sub-sector, ensure that service mappings and referral pathways are updated at the field level, and understood and followed by the wider Case Management team, including the Caseworkers.
• Support individual cases where required (complex and high-risk cases) and provide regular monitoring of all aspects of the case management process and services. 
• Provide technical advice on cases and supervision to CM Assistants and Caseworkers. Ensure that complex cases are followed up in the agreed time frame and that case conferences are called involving the appropriate actors when making long-term solutions or decisions in complex cases that involve services from other actors.
• Schedule and supervise case management meetings at least every two weeks. Share minutes of case management meetings with the team and senior CP management.
• Monitor the documentation of cases through a review of files and databases.  Ensure confidentiality and that data protection and information-sharing protocols are respected. Review and analyze trends in the caseload to inform programming. 
• Provide briefings on child safeguarding and appropriate behavior with children to all case management staff.  Ensure any concerns are reported and addressed immediately.
• Monitor timescales for response, services follow-up, and review of cases.  Ensure cases are receiving appropriate support.
• Hands-on support for the CM Assistants and Caseworkers in all aspects of their work. The CM Officer is expected to spend at least 50% of her/his time in the field locations together with the CM team, including direct support to assessments and other steps in complex and high-risk cases.
• Ensure all caseload registered are documented based on CM standards and all CM forms are filled including Best Interest Assessment.

Human resource management

Responsible for hiring, mentoring, coaching, and capacity building of the staff under her/his responsibility including community case workers. 

• Support the Field Managers with the recruitment and capacity building of CM team members as appropriate.
• In coordination with the CM Assistants, organize technical team meetings and case conferences as needed.
• Follow up staff attendance, leaves, and coverage during leave for the staff under her/his supervision. 
• Ensure regular feedback to the staff under her/his responsibility and appraisal process when needed.
• Support disciplinary measures application if needed.

Coordination and representation

• Coordinate with other SCI sectors and departments as necessary.
• Liaise with humanitarian actors, authorities, and community to increase case-management service provision and disseminate information to ensure participation & access of children to CM services. 
• Represent SCI case management in internal or external visits and calls where needed. 
• Participate in fora and meetings held at the field level in her/his field of expertise whenever pertinent and necessary.
• Represent Save the Children in relevant CM/FTR coordination meetings in the relevant field location.

Other

• Ensure a strict adherence to the principles of child protection and child safeguarding at all times, including respect for confidentiality and always acting in the best interests of the child.
• Comply with Save the Children policies and practices concerning child protection, code of conduct, health and safety, equal opportunities, and other relevant policies and procedures.

Minimum Qualification, Skills, and Experience Required:

Bachelor’s degree in social sciences, psychology, or another relevant field, or equivalent experience from working directly with children experience from working directly with children. 

• Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for the positions. Female candidates who may not meet the formal education requirements, but show a good understanding of gender dynamics, including gender-based violence may be considered for the role.
• Experience and/or excellent understanding of child rights, child protection in emergencies, child and youth development, child and youth resilience and empowerment. 
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and presentation skills and capacity to maintain relations with government officials, community leaders, children, and youth.
• At least two years of experience in managing projects, including supervision of staff. 
• Proficiency in computer use including Microsoft Office and Excel.
• Commitment to and understanding of Save the Children’s aims, values, and principles including rights-based approaches and child safeguarding policies and procedures.
• Flexibility and willingness to change work practices and hours and spend time in the field, sometimes in difficult conditions and with limited resources, and with remote management.
• The successful candidates must know and understand the local context including child development in the context; relationship dynamics within the community; and cultural practices impacting child welfare.
• The ability to manage complex and diverse workloads and to work with tight deadlines.
• Ability to contribute to a small, proactive team, motivating staff to work collaboratively with colleagues and providing support and advice as necessary.
• Good understanding of English and Arabic
• The capacity and willingness to be extremely flexible and accommodating in difficult and sometimes insecure working circumstances.
• In the event of a major humanitarian emergency, or if high-risk cases need urgent actions, the role holder will be expected to work outside the normal job description and be able to vary working hours accordingly.

How to Apply

Females are highly encouraged to apply.

Kindly apply through the below link. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for next steps. The closing date will be on 19/12/2023. Any application after this date will not be considered. All interviews will be done in the Save the Children office or remotely.

Disclaimer: Save the Children International does not charge any kind of fee at whichever stage of the recruitment process and does not act through recruitment agents. SCI will be undertaking child safeguarding checks for all candidates. The selected candidate will be asked to provide a police check before signing the contract.