Care-Giver / Foster Parent at SOS Children Villages

Position Summary

• Care-Giver / Foster Care-Giver / Parent will be responsible for the care and development of the children within his / her  family under our Alternative Care programme  
• S/he provide for the daily needs and care of the child, creating a family-like environment for the child offering supervision, discipline, guidance and nurturing
• In all aspects of the children’s upbringing, s/he fulfills the role of a parent, guiding and supporting each child according to his/her individual needs.

Duties and Responsibilities

• As a Care-Giver/ Care-Giver Foster / Parent, your role will be to meet the needs of a child in your care
• You’ll be working as part of a team (including Government agencies and other stakeholders) to ensure a child’s physical, emotional, social, educational and developmental needs are met.

Physical Development and Good Health:

• Keep children safe from harm and promote and Provide a healthy balanced diet.
• Provide access to medical attention and Refrain from using physical punishment to discipline them.
• Ensures the physical well-being of each child, personal hygiene and by ensuring each child is properly clothed

Emotional Needs:

• Encourage a child to have good self-esteem, supporting a sense of identity and Promote the development of secure consistent and stable attachments.
• Provide opportunities to spend time with a child and nurture and promote a child’s cultural and religious identity.
• Understands and protects the rights of the individual child. Ensures a positive degree of discipline and respect is maintained in the home without resort to corporal punishment.

Social Contacts:

• Encourage the child to make friends.
• Encourage them to socialise and build support networks through making and having positive friendship and relationship.
• Understands the background of each child in order to better understand their behavior and accept each child as an individual.
• Practices and teaches the children basic life and communication skills such as conflict management, self-esteem building and forming relationships.
• Encourage a child to reach their full potential.

Education:

• Take an active interest in the child’s education, including in their homework.
• Work closely with the child’s school, Promote and encourage learning and Support a child’s attendance at school.
• Advocate for the child’s individual needs.

Providing a Safe and Caring Environment:

• Strives to turn the ‘house’ into a warm, loving, and secure ‘home’ for the children.
• Promotes a warm, non-threatening atmosphere in which each child feels relaxed, happy and able to expresses joys and sorrows freely.
• Acts as the central figure in the household and sets an example to the children by exemplary behavior, patience and respect for others.
• Manages the household finance ensuring that all funds are used responsibly and can be completely accounted for.
• Carry out all basic daily household tasks including cooking, cleaning and ironing with the support of the children.
• Maintains a high degree of safety, cleanliness and hygiene in the home. Monitors the condition and maintenance of her house, informing the program administration of problems.
• Gives the children age-appropriate tasks to do, ensuring they actively contribute as a child would in any family, e.g. by tidying their rooms or washing dishes.
• Learns how to correctly use and care for household equipment and appliances. Strives to make economical use of water and electricity and looks for cheaper methods of cooking, cleaning and shopping.

Other Responsibilities:

• Spends quality time with each child, taking a personal interest in his/her development. Provides motherly advice and counsel to children with emotional or other difficulties.
• Participates in any training offered by SOS and takes an interest in reading or furthering her academic studies.
• participate in developing the plans for the child/young person and to make sure these plans are carried out. To undertake specified tasks in the care plan for the child.
• To act as an advocate for each child and young person
• To keep written records of placements and to contribute to the child or young person’s file and records. To keep written records of placements and to contribute to the child or young person’s file and records
• To deal responsibly with confidential information.

Minimum Qualifications

• NCE or a National Diploma Certificate and Child Care Training Certificate
• 5 years of experience in child care
• Spoken and written fluency in English is required.
• Excellent time and conflict management skills
• Mother hood sympathy (kindness)
• A passion to help needy children.