Child Protection Officer

Job Expired

Job Overview

BACKGROUND

The International Rescue Committee 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, IRC offers life-saving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in more than 40 countries and in 22 U.S. cities, IRC restores safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted by conflict or disaster. IRC leads the way from harm to home.

Following the 2014 civil war, Libya has been divided into two governmental territories. Since the civil war, the protracted political and internal armed conflict has deteriorated the humanitarian situation in Libya. In April 2019, military and armed forces from the parties of the conflict have engaged in armed clashes in Tripoli. Since that day, over 60,000 Libyans and non-Libyans have been displaced, many are still trapped in the active conflict areas, and more than 1 million people in need of life-saving health care and protection services.

The situation, also coupled with Covid-19 pandemic, has impacted the physical and mental well-being and living standards of Libyans, migrants and refugees while exposing them to significant protection risks. The break-down in governance structures has resulted in deterioration of public services, exacerbating existing vulnerabilities and diminishing people’s coping capacities. The country’s capacity of responding the basic needs and the impact of the crisis has been shrunken. Migrants and refugees are especially affected by the prolonged conflict and political instability, the lack of national legal framework providing international protection, arbitrary detention, fear of violence and abuse, movement restrictions as well as the limited number of specialized services providing the protection solutions. Among them, people with disabilities, with mental health issues, children, women, and elderly are particularly vulnerable and at risk in such an environment lacking the protection measures.

In response to the situation in Libya, the IRC launched an emergency program in September 2016 which aimed to provide life-saving medical care and integrated protection services. At present, the IRC is conducting health and protection activities in Tripoli and Misrata, expanding its protection department, with a focus on community-based protection, rule of law, child protection, GBV, and MHPSS across all its project locations.

Recently, the IRC has established a center for psychosocial support activities for women and adolescent girls (WGSS), and for children (SHLS) in Misrata and Tripoli. The IRC’s Child Protection program has been operational in Misrata since 2020. The Child Protection program in Misrata has been providing life-saving services to conflict-affected and displaced families, children with protection issues, IDPs, Migrants, and the host community. Children are provided with a safe space to access, case management and psychosocial support services and parents with parenting skills. With the new UNICEF funding, the IRC will expand further the child protection interventions to provide child protection services in Tripoli.

Job Overview/Summary:

Under the direct supervision of the Child Protection (CP) Manager, the Child Protection Officer will be responsible for the supervision and implementation of all current and future child protection activities targeting children and care givers in the selected communities/locations within Tripoli. The services ill include chid protection case management, psychosocial support activities, lifeskills training with adlescents, parenting skills training for caregivers, community engagement and establishing an/or strengthening community based child protection structured and building capacity of service provicers.S/he will provide direct line management to the Child Protection staff based in Tripoli.

Major Responsibilities:

The CP Officer will

Conduct situational and needs assessments and document gaps on child protection to inform IRC’s project design and service adaptation
Conduct consultations with different community members (parents, teachers and children) in order to introduce child protection concepts and principles, promote community participation guided by and humanitarian principles of humainity, neutrality, impartiality and independence;
Together with the CP Facilitators and Assistants, develop and update a clear schedule of all activities for children in target locations and share it with the supervisor;
Plan and ensure implementation of daily activities for children and their parents in the target locations.
Ensure that children harmed or at risk of being harmed are identified and receive individual case management support by direct counseling to the families or by providing the CP caseworker with guidance on conducting case management, in accordance with the IRC standard tools and procedures;
Supervise content and ongoing awareness raising campaigns, meetings and FGDs with children and their parents.
Liaise with other IRC staff for referral of cases and to conduct joint activities (when relevant);
Ensure regular communication with the CP Manager for updates on achievements, challenges and any other relevant report as requested. Compile, monthly, bi-weekly and weekly submissions of program’s data and reports and contribute to the development of regular internal and external reports, both qualitative and quantitative, in relation to child protection program activities
Conduct capacity assessment and implement the required capacity building support to direct reports including on-going coaching and mentoring
Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit and providing oversight and guidance to CP staff working.
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 community acceptance and protected environement for IRC programs
Develop monthly and weekly plans and any other reports according also to donors’ requirements;
Directly supervise Child Protection staff in Misrata – processing their timesheets, leave requests, assest needs, and hold weekly/monthly team meetiings;
Ensure that the identified safe spaces have all materials needed for activities with children, monitor all distributions and provide a list of needs to the CP Manager/Supply Chain;
Follow up and support all CP program related operational needs. This includes initiation, submission and follow up on procurement requests, salaries and payment requests, contracts and agreements start and end dates, recruitment and onboarding of staff and incentive workers
Nurture and strengthen a good working relationship and environment with the local community;
Coordinate services with other key actors and service providers in service catchment area. Actively develop and maintain effective working relationships with protection actors and non-protection in the field, including UN agencies, international and local NGOs, and other relevant actors.
Provide support to the CP Manager as per need.
Any other task as assigned by the line manager

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: Child Protection Manager

Position directly supervises: CP Caseworkers and CP Assistants

Other Internal and/or external contacts:

Internal: WPE Team, Capacity Building Team, Snr Protection Information Management Officer, Health Tam, SC, MEAL Team, and HR

Job Requirements:

Technical diploma or degree in social work, psychology, human rights, or related degree;

Minimum two years experience working in the field of child protection or related field;
Previous experience in working with children with special needs or psychological distress;
Good understanding of CP Minimum Standards in Emergencies;

Good understanding of CP Case Management;
Good knowledge of Child Safeguarding and PSEA standards in humanitarian actions;

Confident communicator, excellent negotiations skills;
Very well organized and with good reporting skills;
Able to work under pressure;
Works well in teamwork, comfortable in a multi-cultural environment, flexible and able to handle pressure well
Good Computer skills: MS Word and Excel
Fluency in Arabic and English required
Previous experience in NGOs preferred

Working Environment:

The Child Protection Officer will be based in Tripoli. S/he will oversee CP activities In Tripoli.

Qualified and Interested individuals are required to apply for this position via the IRC Career at the following link:

https://rescue.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/1/home/requisition/20626?c=rescue

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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.