Case Management Assistant at the International Rescue Committee (IRC)

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.

We are recruiting to fill the position of:

Job Title: Case Management Assistant

Reference No.: req15863
Location: Mubi North, Adamawa
Sector: Women Protection & Empowerment
Employment Category: Fixed Term
Employment Type: Full Time
Open to Expatriates: No

Company Overview

• The International Rescue Committee is an NGO that serves refugee and communities victimized by oppression and violent conflict worldwide. Since October 2012, the IRC has been responding to humanitarian needs of Nigerians. The initially intervened in response to flood disaster that affected over 7 million people across the country, destroying harvest and damaging home.
• IRC is currently implementing programs in Health, Child Protection, WASH, Protection and Rule of Law, Nutrition and Women’s Protection and Empowerment in Damaturu, Yobe State, and North-Eastern Nigeria.
• WPE program implement prevention and response activities to address gender-based violence. Gender-based violence (GBV) is a serious human rights and public health issue affecting women and girls around the world. It impacts all aspects of women and girl’s physical, emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It has harmful consequences for the individuals who experience it, their families, and communities. 
• The IRC Women Protection and Empowerment Program is a multi-sectorial prevention and response program involving multiple organizations and actors from the IDP and NGO community, UN agencies and all sectors of IRC. The focus of this program is to provide good quality health and psychosocial response services to conflict-affected women and girls in Yobe, North-Eastern Nigeria in a timely manner.

Job Overview / Summary

• The Case Worker will provide psychosocial support, basic case management support to survivors of gender-based violence through individual counselling follow-up support, referrals, and dissemination of information on available GBV services to encourage access to services.
• She/he will in collaboration with the Response Officer oversee provision of   psychosocial /group support, skills building, information sessions and other recreational activities that promotes social support networks and cohesion with women and girls at the women and girl’s centres/safe spaces.

Major Responsibilities

• Provide direct support and care for adult and child survivors of gender-based violence, including counseling and basic case management.

Case management services will include:

• Assessment of needs of clients
• Developing an action plan with clients
• Implementing the plan with clients
• Provide physical accompaniment to GBV survivors if requested to access medical and other services according to their wishes, choices, and decisions.
• Conduct direct and regular follow up of GBV survivors through home visits and based on survivors wishes
• And consent.
• Case closure (when appropriate)
• Conduct direct follow up of GBV survivors through home visits and regular follow up visits based on survivors’ wishes and consent.
• Ensure proper documentation of reported GBV incidences through utilization of GBVIMS case intake, action, follow up and other case management forms appropriately.
• Provide physical accompaniment to survivors of GBV to access other services in accordance with their wishes, choices, and decisions.
• Follow GBV guiding principles of respect, confidentiality, and safety/security and non- discrimination while providing services to women and girls.
• Monitor how the GBV referral pathway is working through making direct follow ups with other organizations that are providing services to survivors.

Psychosocial / Group Support / Safe Spaces:

• Conduct and help plan and organize psychosocial/ group support activities with women and adolescent girls to meet the emotional needs of survivors, build support networks among women/girls, and promote social integration of survivors and other vulnerable women.
• Work with women and girls in the community to identify their needs, interests, and priorities, and where possible, adapt activities according to these to ensure activities offered are culturally appropriate and meet the needs of women and girls.
• Ensure that vulnerable women and girls including GBV survivors are engaged on psychosocial activities of their choice that will support their healing and recovery.

Outreach and Community Mobilization:

• In collaboration with the WPE Assistant Community Mobilizers, conduct awareness raising activities on GBV and its health consequences, promoting available services to women and girls, and addressing the stigma preventing women and girls from accessing support and services with activities for female only group.
• Identify and refer extremely vulnerable women and girls to access services and material support in accordance with their level of vulnerability and needs.
• Lead sessions to increase awareness on the consequences of GBV, promote available services to women and girls and address stigma preventing access to services at the women centers.
• In collaboration with the WPE team, participate in meetings with community leadership structures when necessary, to advocate for the needs of women and girls, and encourage their participation in GBV prevention and response activities in the communities.
• Identify and form women action groups in communities of intervention to ease prevention and response activities.

Other Duties and Responsibilities:

•  Support mentorship and trainings to IRC and other NGOs outreach workers/volunteers to improve their skills and capacity to support and refer survivors to services and adhere to guiding principles.
• Assess gaps on how the referral pathway is functioning through direct follow ups with service providers and make suggestions for improvement to the supervisor.
• Ensure that GBV survivors, vulnerable women and girls are assessed, registered, and distributed with dignity and/or household kits base on the WPE criteria.
• Ensure supplies/resources for counseling spaces, women centers and other program activities are requested on a timely manner and are efficiently utilized.
• Adherence to the IRC code of conduct (IRC WAY) that ensures transparency, services and accountability to beneficiaries and reports any abuse of beneficiaries by other IRC staff, including sexual exploitation and abuse in accordance with the IRC reporting procedures.
• Track and keep information and records of psychosocial activities taking place at the centers to strengthen monitoring of program achievements.
• Perform any other duties as required by the supervisor from time to time.
• Adherence to the IRC Security Policy.
• Maintain positive coordination and relationships with partner and other IRC sector staff.

Reporting Lines:

• Position Reports to: Case Management Officer
• Position directly supervises: None.
• Indirect Reporting: Program Manager

Other Internal and/or external contacts:

• Internal: this includes other protection sectors who manage protection related cases including child protection and PRoL sector.
• External:  Partners operating in the same location as WPE and who will be referring GBV related cases for support and line ministries who have the same mandate of working with survivors of GBV.

Job Requirements
Education:

• University Degree in Psychology, Sociology, Health or equivalent is a requirement.

Demonstrated Experience, Skills and Competencies:

• Ability to maintain confidentiality and respect for clients always is essential.
• Positive and professional attitude, able to organize, maintain composure and prioritize work under pressure, work overtime when necessary and be able to coordinate multiple tasks and maintain attention to detail.
• Ability to work as a member of a team essential.
• Excellent listening and observation skills, including ability to create trust, support, respect and interact with survivors of all ages, background, and diversity.
• Counseling and training experience, including experience working with women and girls preferred.
• Demonstrated commitment to women’s empowerment and protection through current/ previous volunteer work in women’s group, girls clubs or other relevant experience is an added advantage
• Ability to facilitate trainings and sessions, including group support activities with women and girls.
• Ability to keep records and write simple and basic reports of activities would be an added advantage.
• Ability to use GBVIMS in an excellent manner.

Language Skills:

• English, Kanuri, Hausa and or local dialects spoken in the location.

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Note

• The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. 
• In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.

Working Environment:  

• Describe the work environment of the office (“Standard office work environment” will be applicable for most jobs in the U.S.) and if applicable, the housing.   For example, internet connections, electricity, amenities, group housing, etc.  Include travel requirements.