Child Protection Officer - PLANE at Save The Children

Employee Status: Fixed Term
Team / Programme: PLANE
Reports to: Child Protection Officer
Staff reporting to this post: None
Grade: 4
Post Type: National

Child Safeguarding

• Level 3 - the responsibilities of the post may require the post holder to have occasional  contact with or access to children or young people

Role Purpose

• The Child Protection Officer will all child protection activities for children out of school or attending the PLANE FCDO funded education project in Jigawa, Kaduna and Kano.
• S/he will report to the Protection Manager.
• S/he is responsible for ensuring quality in Case Management, Psychosocial Support, Community Outreach, and ensuring the establishment accountability system in the non-formal education chat up club approach of the project.
• The post holder will provide ongoing support, mentoring and guidance to the community caseworkers and PSS training for Chat-up-clubs facilitators. 
• S/he will also ensure child protection activities in the project locations are carried out on a timely basis ensuring, the high quality of the response.
• The Child Protection Officer will support community-based child protection systems, project planning and coordination.
• In most circumstances, the post holder will be expected to mentor and build the capacity of caseworkers, community volunteers, catch up clubs facilitators on the field.

Key Areas of Accountability

• Develop and coordinate project activities in collaboration with the Child Protection Programme Manager and in liaison with implementing partners, communities, government and child protection agencies working;
• Monitor day-to-day activities in programmes to ensure best practice is adhered to in provision of psychosocial support for children, community based response mechanism, case management of children at risk
• Coordinate with the Caseworkers and other relevant technical sectors, to ensure a rapid, proportionate and effective response;
• Work with partners’ caseworkers, child protection and education committee members to ensure that they are addressing child protection concerns within their respective communities;
• Work closely with implementing partners by designing and overseeing the implementation of capacity building programs with parents/stakeholders;
• Introduce case files and follow up report at coordination level with other Child Protection Strategic Work Groups;
• With support from the Child Protection manager , supervise project implementation to ensure timely delivery of project activities (for example, monitoring against individual performance management work plans).
• With support from the Child Protection manager, prepare and review timely monthly reports submitted by caseworkers and other volunteers.
• Work with the M & E plan to ensure links to reporting requirements where possible, refer the M&E framework to build an evidence-base for child protection programming interventions.
• With support from the MEAL Officer put in place accountability activities for the project, ensuring that feedback from children and their families are considered in project design.
• Ensure appropriate child friendly spaces time schedules are tailored to the physical and mental needs of the children based on age group and gender
• Ensure Volunteers are supervised regularly to ensure activities are carried out in line with minimum standard guidelines.
• Consistently maintain and update referral pathway of project locations
• Responsible for technical supervision and training of all case workers working with the UASC.
• Make referrals of the registered children to the Ministry of women and social development.
• Ensure that children are followed up and receiving proper case management.
• Ensure that cases are prepared for case discussions/ case management meetings.

General:

• Comply with Save the Children policies and practice with respect to child protection, code of conduct, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies and procedures.
• Other ad hoc tasks as requested by Line Manager.

Qualifications and Experience
Essential Criteria:

• University Degree or equivalent in Social Work, Social Science, Development Studies or equivalent combination of relevant training and experience
• Minimum of four years of work experience in Protection work, supervision, community mobilisation and distributions and solid understanding of the actual Nigeria Emergency context.
• Proven ability to supervise a CP project with holistic approach and integrated to child protection right
• Speaking fluent English and Hausa language
• Computer literate.

Desirable Criteria:

• High level of personal integrity, commitment and professional responsibility
• Excellent communication skills,
• Team player with strong leadership skills
• Mature personality with life experience is an advantage
• Able to be a self-started and work in challenging contexts and fragile environment.

Skills and Behaviours (our Values in Practice):
Accountability:

• Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
• Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved

Ambition:

• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves (and their team), takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages others to do the same
• Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
• Future orientated, thinks strategically.

Collaboration:

• Actively listens to different perspectives and experiences of stakeholders
• Actively participates in networks to access and contribute to good practice
• Establishes and maintains clear communication and dialogue with disaster and conflict affected people and other stakeholders
• Establishes clear objectives with partners

Creativity:

• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
• Willing to take disciplined risks

Integrity:

• Honest, encourages openness and transparency
• Commitment to Save the Children Values.

Understanding humanitarian contexts and application of humanitarian principles:

• Ensure that programme goals and activities uphold the principles of the key national and international humanitarian frameworks, codes and commitments
• Integrates beneficiary accountability principles into the approach
• Participates in disaster coordination mechanisms and interagency cooperation mechanisms.

Leadership: Action; Thinking; Self; Inspiring; Developing Others:

• Demonstrates approachability and trust by listening carefully to others and valuing their contribution, and making others feel comfortable by being open and honest about their thoughts and feelings
• Demonstrates self-development and management by taking responsibility for own development, and actively seeking out feedback to better understand their own strengths and weaknesses
• Makes positive statements about work
• Effectively influences others by understanding their interests and showing how they will be met by own preferred solution
• Gives constructive feedback to enhance capabilities and responsibilities to partners and others.