Survivor Support Officer at Sexual Offences Awareness & Response (SOAR) Initiative

Duration: 1year contract renewable
Start Date: July 2021.

Overall Objective of Job Position

• The Survivor Support Officer will, under the supervision of the SOAR Centre Lead, will apply a survivor-based approach in providing the full range of psychosocial support services provided at the SOAR Child & Teen Support Centre. This will include: responding to hotline calls, support and accompanying of clients and their family members to access justice and other referral services, as required. This must be in line with the Centre’s protocols, procedures and policies.
• Provide psycho-educational activities to clients (children and adolescents), families/caregivers of survivors, communities, secondary caregivers eg teachers and referral partners in order to improve the wellbeing of clients of the Centre and other users of its various platforms.
• The Survivor Support Officer is also required to facilitate cohorts of periodic survivor support group meetings and similar forums to support their healing and restoration process.

Expected Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide initial hotline, online or face-to face crisis intervention counselling to clients as requested and needed.
• Provide quality intake and assessment, case management, counselling, referral and follow-up services, as required, to clients in line with the Centre’s laid down protocols, procedures and policies.
• Accompany clients and their families to access referral and follow-up services as requested and required.
• Provide support to clients during medical examinations and other procedures as requested.
• Provide support, where feasible, to clients requesting support for legal follow-up.
• Work with the client to develop a plan for her next steps that is in line with her own choices, available options, and existing situation,
• Support and facilitate periodic survivor support group meetings and forums (as assigned), whenever such meetings are scheduled, to aid improvement in the wellbeing and mental health of clients.
• Provide basic support and guidance to family members to help them provide ongoing support to the clients at home and during the recovery process, according to the situation.
• Conduct follow up with relevant service providers to which referrals were made to ensure and advocate for quality services provision as required and requested.
• Apply a survivor-based approach in ensuring that support interventions are tailored to meet the specific needs of survivors and their families such that the best interests and rights of the children concerned are upheld.
• Support development of monthly, quarterly and annual report of interventions including reports of the Survivor Support group meetings and forums
• Participate in daily debriefing sessions with the Centre Lead and other Centre staff and volunteers to discuss successes, physical and emotional difficulties experienced in providing support services for clients as a means of avoiding vicarious trauma.
• Be flexible to carry out other duties and responsibilities, as so assigned by the Executive Director, other than those stated above, including those relevant for the sustainability of SOAR Initiative.

Qualification and Experience

• Graduate Degree in Counselling, Psychology, Social Sciences or related field, additional courses on relevant fields are an added advantage
• At least 3 years demonstrated experience in the direct provision of counselling or psychosocial support services to clients of sexual and gender-based violence or alternatively, persons in similar circumstances. Experience with child survivors is an added advantage
• Strong communication skills and demonstrated ability to engage with different groups and stakeholders in coordination and strengthening of referral pathways that support clients, and raising awareness about SGBV.
• Experience engaging constructively with diverse groups of stakeholders at all levels in a participatory, inclusive manner to address issues that may be viewed as sensitive or controversial with respect to traditional socio-cultural beliefs and practices.
• Excellent listening and observation skills; ability to create a space of trust, support, respect, and confidentiality with clients of all ages and backgrounds.
• Basic computer skills (word, excel, email, etc.).

Deliverables:

• Submit weekly log sheet of hotline, on-site and off-site interventions to the Centre Lead
• Submit assessment and care plan of each client to the Centre Lead for endorsement and approval before implementation.
• Submit monthly reports of all cases reported to the Centre indicating:
  • Summary of cases handled by the Centre (hotline, walk-in & referrals
  • Disaggregated data of services provided and referrals made with agencies accessed
  • Status of pending cases
  • Challenges and mitigation strategies adopted to address them
  • Recommendations
  • Lessons learnt during the period under review
• Document all reports to the Centre and open files for intake and case management of individual clients in line with the Centre’s laid down protocols, procedures and policies.
• Update client files, for all interventions provided including progress on case management and review of referral service provision, follow-up and the healing process.
• Submit all files of clients opened or attended to on a daily basis.to the Centre Lead, for review.
• Support organisation and facilitation of at least two cohorts of survivor support groups for adolescent girl survivors annually.
• Attend daily debriefing sessions with the Centre Lead and other staff, to discuss successes as well as physical and emotional difficulties experienced in providing support services for clients as a means of supporting the mental-health and self-care of staff/volunteers as the case may be.
• Support research for content and development of technical documents for the Survivor Support Unit including: policy documents, information, education and communication (IEC) materials, support group curriculum and materials etc to aid effective support of survivors accessing SOAR Initiative’s services.
• Support research for content and development of proposals for funding the SOAR Child Support Centre and other programs of the organisation for the purpose of sustainability
• Be flexible to carry out other duties and responsibilities, as so assigned by the Executive Director, other than those stated above, including those relevant for the sustainability of SOAR Initiative.