MHPSS Psychosocial Mobile Team Member at Committed To Good (CTG)

Overview of position:

• Nigeria’s north central & north west states of Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa, Kaduna host the largest numbers of Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in the country, outside of the northeast region. Most people have been uprooted by the kidnappings & attacks by bandits, as well as communal clashes. Round four of DTM assessments in August 2020 identified 575,319 IDPs or 93,267 households across the 8 states covered in north central & north west regions. 1 / 3rd of the female displaced population in north east Nigeria has suffered some form of sexual violence, whereas a 5th manifested having been victims of physical violence. Due to hardships experienced by crisis affected populations, including violation of human rights, killing, violence, kidnapping & similar, the crisis is considered a protection crisis. Considering that Kaduna, Plateau & Nasarawa have witnessed some form disturbances, the same situation in the northeast is presumed. Even though many incidents of Gender Based Violence (GBV) & Trafficking In Persons (TIP) remain unreported & victims often do not seek help due to fear of retaliation by the culprit or stigmatization by their community, perpetrators. With the continuous emerging protection needs, here is an increasingly urgent need to roll out interventions aimed at protecting vulnerable individuals. To address some of the concerns the bureau of International Narcotics & Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) & our client has developed the project for improved accountability, protection, prevention & response to GBV & TIP by law enforcement agents in Adamawa, Borno, Kaduna, Plateau & Nasarawa states thus the project contribute to the improvement of living conditions & protection of IDPs & affected populations.
• The primary objective is to strengthen coordination among civil law enforcement agencies & community structures to ensure timely, accountable prevention & technical capacity to facilitate response services.
• Under the overall supervision of the MHPSS Program Manager, the technical & direct supervision of the Senior Project Assistant Mental Health & Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) / Protection, the PMT member will provide technical skills to improve the psychosocial well being of GBV & TIP survivors through direct MHPSS service provision at community spaces, safe spaces or when referrals are made during the phase of the project as well as support the growth of our clients MHPSS portfolio in the base state.

Role objectives:

• Provide direct assistance (e.g screening, interview, individual & group counselling) to the most vulnerable individuals & families of the affected populations. When needed & feasible, facilitate response to individual cases of concern through referrals & follow up in close coordination with other service providers (health, security, justice & livelihood) in adherence to MHPSS, protection, TIP & GBV guidelines.
• Coordinate with the Team Leader (TL) to facilitate the integration of MHPSS support considerations in community based activities along the full spectrum of the intervention pyramid.
• Strengthen existing social networks & promote participatory initiatives aimed at activating protective, restorative & transformative psychosocial factors at the community level, such as mutual support, intrafamily & interfamily cooperation, public gatherings & dialogue.
• Facilitate MHPSS needs assessments, surveys & research in the concerned communities of the project to enhance access to community based psychosocial services & map existing support provisions (services) at the micro level & design, together with the supervisor, initiatives to reinforce their capacity & referral mechanism.
• Carry out assessments of psychosocial & psychological needs, identify problems / gaps & propose / prioritize timely practical actions to respond to MHPSS issues related to the GBV survivors & victims of trafficking.
• In coordination with the TL, provide technical guidance & supervision to community focal points & volunteers in the concerned communities, ensuring that the program’s activities are effectively communicated & carried on in participatory & inclusive ways.
• Work closely with the committees & partners to facilitate community based activities at the resource center & at community level & ensure activities & services are culturally & age appropriate & take into consideration the specific needs of children, of persons living with disabilities & the elderly.
• Conduct community based activities (support group, recreation, peer to peer skills building, psycho education, etc).
• In collaboration with other actors, design psychoeducation sessions for the communities, based on identified & emerging needs & organize problem solving group sessions on identified social problems encountered by the community.
• In coordination with team leads & other partners develop awareness messages / campaigns related to MHPSS support, protection including, GBV, CT & SEA & disseminate messages to communities.
• Provide timely & regular reports covering MHPSS activities, facilitate the preparation of briefing, statistical / narrative reports & background information as required, including specific information requested by officials & other entities.
• Undertake duty travels, in line with prevailing security restrictions, relating to project assessments, liaison with counterparts & project implementation, as required.

Tangible & measurable output of the work assignment:

• Monthly update of the MHPSS direct assistance database.
• Monthly MHPSS activity report by the PMT to the Senior MHPSS / Protection Assistant.

Project reporting:

• This role will work under the overall supervision of the MHPSS Program Manager, the technical & direct supervision of the Senior Project Assistant Mental Health & Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) / Protection.

Key competencies:

• Degree or Diploma in Clinical, Counselling or Educational Psychology, Counselling Social Work, Pastoral Counselling, or related subject.
• Previous experience in implementing MHPSS & protection activities including case management in related areas of intervention is an advantage.
• Experience in communicating & working with a wide range of people, including people of culturally diverse backgrounds.
• Fluency in English & Hausa is required.

Team management:

• This role has no team management responsibility.

Further information:

• Qualified female candidates are encouraged to apply for this role.