Child Protection 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 below:

Job Title: Child Protection Assistant

Requisition ID: req20604
Location: Damaturu, Yobe
Employment Type: Full-Time
Employment Category: Regular
Sector: Child Protection
Open to Expatriates: No

Contextual Background

• The IRC has been present in Nigeria since 2012 when the organization responded to flooding in Kogi state. In February 2014 the IRC moved into Adamawa State in NE Nigeria to provide humanitarian interventions through a multi-sectorial, integrated approach for conflict affected populations. IRC Nigeria now operates a country office in Abuja and field offices in Mubi and Yola of Adamawa State, Maiduguri, Gwoza and Monguno of Borno State and Damaturu of Yobe State.
• Currently, IRC Nigeria implements programs focused in primary health care, nutrition, environmental health, women’s protection and empowerment, protection, child protection, education, food security & livelihoods.
• The IRC is Child Protection team has in the past seen gap in its programming which seems to have left our specific activities for adolescents. A resource pack for adolescent programming has been developed, field tested and is being modified to suit the context.
• This resource pack has been used to expand the Child Protection intervention across the three states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe to specifically meet the needs of adolescents and their care givers and funding has been secured for this intervention.
• The Child Protection team will be working with adolescent boys, girls and their caregivers and communities in a direct way, using the Supporting Adolescents and their Families in Emergencies (SAFE) resource package.  

Job Overview / Summary

• Adolescent girls and boys are gravely underserved in humanitarian emergencies, particularly during the acute phase of response. They are often inserted into programming designed for younger children or into adult programming, where their age-specific needs are not understood or met.
• The Child Protection Assistants will act as focal points for adolescent girls (younger) and boys (younger and older), their caregivers and within Child Protection programming in all the field sites under the SAFE program.
• They will also be responsible for the supervision and close monitoring of Socio-Emotional Learning (SEL) and Safe Healing and Learning Spaces (SHLS) activities.

Technical Quality:

• Provide support for adolescents and their families and link them to specialized services where needed.
• Provide support for SEL and SHLS activities.
• Work with Child Protection Community Based Structures (CBCPCs), community leaders, caregivers/parents to promote child protection in homes and in the community.
• Ensure regular communication with the CP Officer and manager for updates on achievements and challenges

Grant Monitoring and Reporting:

• Ensure proper delivery of SEL/SAFE sessions.
• Provide input for weekly and staff activity reports.

Coordination & Representation:

• Effectively communicate with other caseworkers, government social workers, other CP partners and service providers as part of providing individual support to adolescents/children and their families.
• Regularly attend all CP related meetings at field level.

Program Development:

• Contribute to the development of proposal activities in relation to case management.
• Identify Child Protection trends that need to be addressed through child Protection programming.
• Coordinate with other IRC sectors staff (e.g. WPE, Protection, Health and Livelihoods) at field level and ensure child protection mainstreaming.

Other:

• Consistently and proactively monitor/assess the safety and security of field teams; promptly reporting concerns or incidents to IRC management and liaising with community leaders and other external parties as required to maintain/enhance the security environment for IRC programs.
• Ensure all CP facilities and properties on the field are taken care of and report any damage or threat on the property.
• Other duties as assigned by the supervisor to enable and develop IRC programs

Major Responsibilities:

• Child Protection Assistant will work within a Child Protection response team providing psychosocial support services to adolescents and their care givers.
• Work as part of a Child Protection team in a safe space to provide support to children as part of broader response services.
• Participate in identifying facilitators and an initial SEL/SAFE approach training and engage in ongoing skills building using SEL/SAFE materials.
• With support from supervisors, mentor and coach facilitators responsible for co-facilitating sessions with adolescent girls (younger) or boys (younger and older).
• Conduct initial assessments to identify the risks and needs of Children/adolescent girls and boys.
• Work closely with other project staff to identify Children/adolescent girls (younger), adolescent boys, and female and male caregivers to participate in SEL/SAFE learning activities.
• Act as lead facilitator to deliver sessions for Children/adolescent girls or boys together with trained facilitators.
• Facilitate sessions for female or male caregivers enrolled for parenting sessions.
• Provide Psychological First Aid and support to adolescent girls(younger) or boys who disclose experiences of violence and support referral to access required services
• Facilitate feedback meetings with adolescent girl(younger)s and boys, female and male community stakeholders and caregivers and share feedback with supervisor
• Complete weekly reports on project activities, including documenting feedback from participants of SAFE sessions and proactively sharing back lessons learned whilst facilitating the curricula
• Participate in weekly team meetings.

Key Working Relationships

• Position Reports to: Child Protection Officer
• Position directly supervises: None
• Indirect Reporting: Child Protection Manager

Qualifications

• A Bachelor's Degree, HND or National Diploma in Social Sciences, Education, Economic, another Human Development related field or equivalent of experience preferred

Work Experience:

• At least two years’ experience working to support children, adolescent girl and boys, women or parents and caregivers
• Experience with facilitation of group work with relevant populations

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

• A high level of motivation to assist adolescent girls and boys affected by humanitarian crisis
• A commitment to child protection and gender equality
• A learning attitude and willingness to increase skills and knowledge in the protection of adolescent girls and boys
• Experience as an active participate of social groups, with an understanding of group dynamics and processes.
• Capacity building, facilitation, or training experience
• The ability to adapt and work under pressure and strong interpersonal skills
• Basic competency in computer skills

Language Skills:

• English and Hausa

Standards of Professional Conduct:

• The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – Code of 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, Harassment-Free Workplace, Fiscal Integrity, Anti-Retaliation, Combating Trafficking in Persons and several others.

Gender Equality:

• IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances.

Working Environment: 

• IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.