Child Protection Case Worker (Afghan Nationals Only)

Requisition ID: req50904

Job Title: Child Protection Case Worker (Afghan Nationals Only)

Sector: Child Protection

Employment Category: Regular

Employment Type: Full-Time

Open to Expatriates: No

Location: Nangarhar, Afghanistan

Work Arrangement: In-person

Job Description

Main Purpose of the Job:

The CP case worker will be responsible for providing full-time case management in line with key child protection principles including best interests of the child, confidentiality, do no harm and child participation. The case worker will work closely with children involved in worst forms of child labor, and at-risk children, at high risk of harm providing case management services in line with IRC’s Standard Operating procedures, and Global minimum standards of child protection case management. She/He will be an advocate for children, ensuring children’s needs are at the core of service provision with children’s participation solicited at every stage of the process. This will include conducting outreach to reach children who otherwise would not have access to services.

The case worker will be well equipped to support the child’s resilience and conduct social resource mapping with the child, safety planning, in addition to facilitate access to services for the child and their family. The case worker will strive for excellence will be able to demonstrate critical thinking skills when it comes to assessing approaches to advocating for services to be made available for children. The case worker will demonstrate determination, focus and commitment to seeing through complex and time-consuming processes such as trying to facilitate access to a service that may be expensive, located elsewhere or difficult for the child to access for multiple reasons. The case worker will see no barriers for children only solutions and approaches to achieve the desired result.

The case worker will also be responsible for closely coordinating with relevant external agencies for service provision and referrals to national mechanisms to report cases of children at high risk of harm as per the National SOP’s to ensure the child’s best interests. Internally the case worker will be working closely with the CM Officer and Senior CP Officer to identify children at high risk of harm as well as coordinate with other relevant colleagues.

General Duties

• Remain abreast of developments in the field of service provisions this includes maintaining and updating spreadsheet with mapped services and focal points for service provisions.
• Participate actively in weekly case management team meeting remaining open to feedback and self-reflection.
• Strive to cultivate self-care, recognizing one’s own needs, limits, and signs of burn out.
• Demonstrate qualities including honesty, kindness, professionalism, non-discrimination, and a commitment to working well in a team whilst staying true to oneself.
• Maintain pro-active communication with all relevant internal units to highlight challenges, propose solutions and monitor trends which could indicate negative or positive implications for children and their families.
• Ensure full responsibility & accountability –for maintaining, drafting, and updating reports which include case management reports,
• Be proactive in identifying opportunities to better support children through facilitating processes, systems etc.
• Other job related uties as assigned by the supervisor

Specific Duties:

• Identify cases of children at risk of protection concerns, including the worst forms of child labor, child abuse, unaccompanied and separated children, and other child protection concerns.
• Provide case management services in line with the IRC’s Standard Operating Procedures for case management & Global Child Protection Case Management Guidelines.
• Conduct outreach to assess and provide support to the child during house visits and through the Safe Healing and Learning Spaces in Afghanistan.
• The case worker will be independent, responsible ensuring case actions plans and relevant administrative forms that facilitate accountability & planning are updated on a daily and weekly basis.
• The case worker will commit to maintaining excellent documentation of case management files in line with the IRC’s SOPs, BID and other relevant processes.
• The case worker will assume full responsibility to assess the level of risk that a child is exposed to, and immediately report any cases that could evolve into high-risk cases to the direct line Manager (Case management Officer, then Senior CP Officer, then CP Manager).
• Persist to conduct mapping of services to ascertain which services are included in specific areas and striving to facilitate access to services for the child and their family even if the process requires thinking outside of the box, advocating to management, working groups, national entities, and relevant authorities to facilitate.
• Represent IRC well by maintaining regular communication with external referral agencies for service provision & understanding the relevant criteria.

Qualifications

• Education: Technical diploma or degree in psychology, social work, human rights, or related degree preferred

• Years of Experience:  Minimum of 2 years’ experience of implementing child protection programs, preferable social work or case management, in humanitarian or development settings
• Skills: Commitment to serving children, do no harm and best interests’ principles.

Strong believer in children being agents of change in their communities.

• Technical Competency: Demonstrated understanding of working with children and particularly vulnerable children

Personal qualities: Team player, flexible, network-builder, able to handle pressure well and work in cross-cultural setting.

• Communication and reporting skills: Strong believer in children being agents of change in their communities.
• Fluency in Pashto, Dari and English
• Computer skills (including MS Word, Excel, Access, and internet) an advantage
• Ability to work closely, professionally, and constructively with all others regardless of nationality, ethnicity, gender, religion, race, tribe, or cultural background