Safeguarding Specialist at Girl Effect

Girl Effect Nigeria

• Girl Effect Nigeria is our Innovation Hub, leveraging Nigeria’s strengths in digital, media and technology to pioneer products that help understand girls more deeply and reach them more effectively. We currently have three new and growing products in Nigeria and a strong ambition to build on this base and reach more girls and change the harmful social norms that hold them back.  Current products are: TEGA, GIRLS CONNECT and SPRINGSTER
• Girl Effect’s team in Abuja includes solid expertise in gender, evidence and research to help ground the products in girl expertise and ensure we are measuring impact and understand what’s driving girl's uptake and engagement with the products.

What You’ll Do

• Your role is to drive the implementation of Girl Effect’s Safeguarding policy and procedures in Nigeria and ensure an effective and timely response to children who are at risk.
• In practice this means participating in and contributing to all aspects of Girl Effect strategy and products in order to proactively identify and mitigate risks and ensure that safety measures are built in from design through to delivery.
• By providing expert advice, capacity building and support to Girl Effect staff and partners, the post holder will be responsible for ensuring that safety is at the heart of everything we do.
• Girl Effect goes beyond child protection and covers young people till 25 years under its safeguarding policy.

Key Responsibilities
Implementation of the Safeguarding policy and procedures:

• In collaboration with the Global Lead for Safeguarding, ensure that the Safeguarding Policy is adapted to the local context and is reviewed and updated on an annual basis
• Work closely with staff across Girl Effect Nigeria to implement the safeguarding policy and procedures and ensure that safeguarding is prioritised across all initiatives
• Deliver training to all Girl Effect staff on an annual basis and establish a programme of on-going capacity building for staff tailored to their specific area of work
• Ensure all new recruits receive a safeguarding induction within their first month of employment
• Ensure all implementing partners receive a detailed briefing on Girl Effect’s Minimum Safeguarding Requirements and ensure that a written Safeguarding Agreement is in place.
• Complete an annual safeguarding assessment and provide a report which summaries progress, challenges and future objectives
• Develop relationships with key government and stakeholders and other agencies and represent Girl Effect within key networks and external events focused in safeguarding and child protection.

Overseeing reporting and response procedures:

• Ensure that there are clear reporting and response procedures at both a country level and within each initiative/product
• Ensure that reporting procedures are clearly understood by staff, partners, contractors, visitors and by children and young people themselves. This may include providing briefings, training or developing materials for dissemination, including the development of child-friendly materials.
• Act as the focal point for staff whenever safeguarding concerns arise and ensure staff are given appropriate advice and that the actions taken prioritise the best interest of the child
• Ensure that safeguarding concerns are documented and regularly analysed to inform organisational learning and improve safeguarding practice.

Advise on the design and development of new products and initiatives:

• Contribute to the design and development of new products and initiatives to ensure that risk identified and mitigated and that safeguarding measures are built in to all activities.
• Provide advice and support to staff developing media content and distribution platforms to ensure the protection of children and young people is prioritised.
• Work with the Evidence team to provide technical support on child protection in relation to monitoring, evaluation, learning and research initiatives.
• Analyse the types of cases received, and the response provided on a regular basis to inform organisational learning and improve safeguarding practice
• Conduct landscaping analyses periodically to ensure Girl Effect India is up to date on available supply side services and manage the vetting of these services.

Other:

• Keep up to date with trends and developments in the field of child protection and safeguarding and disseminate key learning from policy, practice and research to the wider team.
• Participate in the Global Safeguarding Task Force meetings and other practice development forums arranged by Girl Effect
• Identify safeguarding networks if any and represent Girl Effect Nigeria in their meetings.

Who You Are

• At least 5 years technical and practical knowledge and experience on child and young people’s safeguarding
• University degree in Social Work, Social Sciences or related discipline. Masters degree will be an advantage
• Experience in developing and implementing organisational child protection or safeguarding policies and procedures
• Skilled in designing, facilitating and evaluating training in different organisational contexts.
• Desirable - Experience in safeguarding on online (e.g. on mobile and social networks)
• A driven networker, keen to forge new relationships and build strong synergies between organisations and individuals.
• A strong team player, able to set a vision and work across the organisation to create new opportunities and deliver results.
• Proactive and influence positive change across the organisation.
• Able to manage sensitive issues and maintain the highest levels of confidentiality
• Strong inter-personal skills with an ability to work across departments
• Strong communication skills both written and verbal
• Commitment to realising the potential of girls and to the vision and values of Girl Effect.

What Else You Should Know

• As we continue to scale and grow - we are hugely ambitious for our future and we are looking for people who are driven by this to change the world for girls.
• Our teams are a diverse mix across sectors (non-profit and commercial) and specialisms (from Brand and Creative through to Gender and Insight). You’ll learn and grow in an environment that will challenge you to think and work with a fresh perspective.
• At Girl Effect, you can expect to work somewhere where you will be stretched and developed in your role, a place where you can build your career and work with talented, engaged people committed to our cause to create a lasting impact.