Consultant on deinstitutionalization/Deinstitutionalization Officer in Save the Children

Save the Children International— a humanitarian organization with more than 100 years of history. Save the Children was founded in May 1919 in London.  SCI has been working in Ukraine since 2014. It started its work in the territory of Donetsk region. Currently, SCI is expanding its activities to eight cities of Ukraine, and Dnipro is one of them.  We work in the areas of education, child protection, overcoming child poverty, health care, and also carry out advocacy activities related to the protection of children's rights.

Position target:

Under the direction of the Alternative Care (AC) andDeinstitutionalization (DI) Expert, the Safeguarding Specialist children (CP) - deinstitutionalization will be responsible for supporting community-level efforts aimed at reducing family separations and will contribute to the process of deinstitutionalization of children in Ukraine. He/she will oversee the day-to-day implementation, monitoring and reporting of the program in accordance with the quality criteria and inter-agency standards of Save the Children (SC) Ukraine in close collaboration with case management (CM) colleagues who also work on AC and DI issues.< /p>

He/she will be responsible for the supervision, training and coaching of Family Outreach Workers/Psychosocial Support (PSS) Facilitators and, as appropriate, for providing technical support and training to partners, local authorities and colleagues from among children's services. This role may also include working directly with families and communities at risk of divorce and/or interested in providing alternative family-based care.   

KEYSAND AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY:

Supervision and management of social workers working with families:

• Supervise social workers working with families / PSS facilitators and maintain an open and professional relationship with team members, promote team spirit and provide supervision and guidance so that staff can successfully carry out their duties.
• Develop work goals with all social workers on work with families/PSS facilitators and provide regular feedback, one-on-one meetings and performance appraisals.
• Ensure timely completion and submission of monthly timesheets, probationary reports and annual performance evaluations work  
• Promote and facilitate access to Family Outreach Workers/PSS Facilitators to support their own wellbeing and wellbeing.
• Support the DI and AC Expert in identifying staff training needs and supportto continuously develop the potential of family outreach workers/PSS facilitators.
• Assist with the recruitment of family outreach workers/PSS facilitators. 

Monitoring assessment, implementation of quality prevention and response in the field of child protection (CP):

• Under the technical direction of the AC and DI Subject Matter Expert, collaborate with other CP and CM colleagues to include CP needs in any future joint/multidisciplinary assessments, including institutional or residential care settings; facilitate external research or analysis through administrative and logistical support. 
• Under the technical guidance of the AC and DI Expert, cooperate with pilot communities in the direction of the development of family forms of upbringing and social services for families and children. Create and participate in pilot community working groups.
• In coordination with the DI team and the broader CP & MHPSS team, support other sectors in identifying, developing, planning and implementing community-level CP prevention and intersectoral responses: Conduct and /or oversee the provision of adequate CP awareness based on the needs and activities of PSS for families and children and/or children/families through involvement in community structures. 
• Support dissemination of evidence-based, age- and gender-appropriate messages about CP to target populations, including children and families. 
• Support the AC and DI Expert in designing and delivering training and capacity building for partners and stakeholders to deliver structured CP activities for boys, girls, adolescents and caregivers with a focus on strengthening families.
• Promote and support the creation of support groups for caregivers, including foster carers, guardians, adopters, etc.; creating a system of equal mentoring; and support groups for those who leave care.
• Organize, together with the Coordination Center, communities, an information campaign to increase community awareness of children's rights, family care, etc.; also provide information on how to become a foster family.

Coordination, networking and operational support:< /strong> 

• Working as the first point of contact for SC sectors and partner organizations on CP-related issues in each locality; support partnerships to benefit from local expertise, develop local PSS capacity, improve local impact and sustainability of CP activities. 
• Perform regular site visits; monitor the process and provide feedback and support to achieve high-quality CP prevention and response, document lessons learned and thereby contribute to the development and strengthening of a sustainable PSS prevention and response program that can ultimately inform system strengthening.
• Provide ongoing feedback on any operational needs or issues arising in the field and if issues arise, ensure they are flagged early, provenbrought to the attention of the AC and DI Expert and dealt with accordingly; Communicate and share knowledge with other SC units and sectors involved in the response.
• Assist the AC & DI Expert and the CP & MHPSS Manager in the development of implementation plans and propose budgeting for SC and partner organizations to strengthen DI and family separation prevention activities.
• Maintain positive coordination, communication and transparent relationships with partners, local authorities, community members, families and other SCI sector staff. Facilitate training lunches and/or other activities to promote knowledge sharing and highlight best practices. 

Ensuringquality of the program: strong>

• In coordination with the AC and DI Expert and PDQ AC and DI team, CP & MHPSS support the use and deployment of appropriate CP tools that identify vulnerabilities in children at different levels and in different contexts, demonstrate the resilience of children and communities in reducing risks. 
• Collection, documentation and reporting of CP program data in accordance with CPMS and IASC standards. Monitor and ensure CP program components meet quality criteria and Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action and Core Humanitarian Principles and Standards on a day-to-day basis. 
• Provide feedback to PDQ AD and DI, CP & MHPSS team, CP & MHPSS Manager and AC & DI Expert on capacity building needs of project staff, partners and government as required.
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• Participate in identified findings and best practices.
• Write high quality weekly and monthly reports as directed. Add data to program and donor reports on the implementation of CP activities in a timely manner. 
• Other CP related duties as assigned by supervisor to ensure and develop SC Ukraine child protection programs.

Analyzing the context and promoting Protection Centralization

• Ensure, through daily monitoring, that CP response and prevention measures are effectively targeted at the most vulnerable children and communities including unaccompanied and separated children, preventing and responding to child recruitment, serious violations including maiming and murder, preventing and responding to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and child trafficking.
• Contribute to the development and deployment of the advocacy strategy for the CP and DI Strategy. Always engage in proactive advocacy to ensure that other international and local service providers adhere to the Protection Centrality Policy, thereby prioritizing protection at the center of all humanitarian action when providing CP services.

 < strong>Additional job duties

• The job duties and responsibilities set forth above are not exhaustive, and from the person holding the position, may be required to perform additional duties within the limits of his skills and experience.

Work experience: At least 1 year of relevant professional experience in a similar position and/or in a development organization.

Most relevant areas experience for this position include:

• Child protection, community engagement and development, children's rights
• Experience working with vulnerable and at-risk groups (children and adults)< /li>
• Experience of managing field personnel
• Experience of providing/facilitating trainings; coordination
• Good knowledge of MS Office and Internet

Education: Bachelor's degree in social work, pedagogy, sociology or other relevant field.< /p>

Work related knowledge: Child protection and emergency response knowledge.

Skills:

• Planning and Organization
• Analytical Thinking
• Problem Solving and Decision Making
• Application of Technical and Professional Knowledge
• Working effectively with others, including local authorities and community stakeholders
• Communicating with attention to detail
• Building connections
• Child-centred communication , and the ability to listen without judgment

Welcome

• Knowledge of the English language ( fluency in spoken and written language) will be an advantage. 

 We offer:

• Official employment
• International working conditions
• Working day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Location of the office in the center of Dnipro

Child Protection Policy:

We need to provide child protection, so our selection process, which includes a thorough background check, reflects our commitment to protecting children from abuse.

< strong style="font-weight: 700">Health and Safety:

The person holding this position is required to comply with SCI's health and safety policies and procedures.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: 

SCI is committed to creating a truly inclusive, effective and representative organizational culture, promoting equity and diversity among its employees and eliminating unlawful discrimination.

Ready to hire an employee with a disability.

If you are interested in the vacancy, we are waiting for your feedback. Summaryin English will be an advantage in consideration. Also, we will be grateful if you indicate the expected salary level and the level of English language proficiency.

Please note that we will only contact selected candidates for an interview. Written tests and interviews will be conducted gradually, and the vacancy will be closed upon confirmation of candidacy for the position.

Save the Children International is the humanitarian organization with more than 100 years of history. Save the Children was founded in May 1919 in London. SCI has been working in Ukraine since 2014. The Organization started its work in the territory of the Donetsk region. Currently, SCI is expanding its activities to eight cities of Ukraine, and Dnipro is one of them. We work in the directions of education, child protection, overcoming child poverty, health care, and also, we have advocacy activities related to the protection of children's rights.

ROLE PURPOSE:

Under the supervision of the Alternative Care (AC) and Deinstitutionalization (DI) Coordinator, the Child Protection (CP) Officer - Deinstitutionalization will be responsible for supporting community-level efforts to reduce family separation and contribute to the deinstitutionalization of children in Ukraine. S/he will oversee day-to-day implementation, monitoring and reporting of the program in line with Save the Children (SC) Ukraine quality benchmarks and interagency standards, in close collaboration with Case Management (CM) colleagues also working on AC and DI .

S/he will be responsible for supervision, training and coaching of SC Ukraine Family Outreach Workers/Psychosocial Support (PSS) facilitators, and where relevant, for provision of technical support and training to partners, local authorities and counterparts in the children's workforce. This role may also include direct involvement with families and communities at risk of separation and/or interested in providing family-based alternative care.   

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

 Supervision and Management of Family Outreach Workers: 

• Supervise Family Outreach Workers / PSS Facilitators and maintain open and professional relationships with team members, promoting a strong team spirit and providing oversight and guidance to enable staff to successfully perform in their roles. 
• Develop performance objectives with all Family Outreach Workers / PSS Facilitators and provide regular feedback, one-to-one supervision meetings and performance reviews. 
• Ensure timely completion and submission of monthly time sheets, probation reviews, and annual performance reviews.  
• Promote and facilitate Family Outreach Workers/PSS Facilitators' access to support for their own self-care and well-being. 
• Support the AC & DI Coordinator in identifying training needs of the workforce and support the ongoing capacity building of Family Outreach Workers/PSS Workers. 
• Assist with the recruitment of Family Outreach Workers/PSS Facilitators. 

Assessment monitoring, implementation of quality CP prevention and response: 

• Under the technical direction of the AC& DI Coordinator, collaborate with other CP and CM colleagues to include CP needs in any future joint/multidisciplinary assessments, including institutional or residential care facilities; and facilitate external research or analysis through administrative and logistical support. 
• Under the technical guidance of the AC & DI Coordinator,cooperate with pilot communities in the direction of the development of family forms of upbringing and social services for families and children. Create and participate in working groups of pilot communities.
• In coordination with the DI team and the wider CP & MHPSS team, support other sectors in the identification, development, planning and implementation of community-level CP prevention and cross-sector responses: Conduct and/or oversee the provision of appropriate CP awareness based on needs and PSS activities for families and children and/or children/families through involvement in public structures. 
• Support the dissemination of evidence-based, age- and gender-appropriate community-based CP messages to target populations, including children and families. 
• Support the AC & DI Coordinator in developing and delivering training and capacity building for partners and stakeholders to deliver structured CP interventions for boys, girls, adolescents, and caregivers with a focus on strengthening families.
• Facilitate and support the creation of support groups for carers, including foster carers, carers, carers, adopters etc.; the creation of a peer mentoring; and support group for care leavers.
• Organize, together with the Coordination Center, communities, an information campaign to raise community awareness of children's rights, family care, etc., and provide information on how to become foster families.

Coordination, networking and operational support: 

• Work as the first point of contact for SC sectors and partner organizations for CP related issues in each field location; support partnerships to benefit from local expertise, develop local PSS capacity, improve the local impact and sustainability of CP activities. 
• Make regular visits to the field; carry out process monitoring and provide feedback and support for achieving high quality CP prevention and response, document lessons learnt and thus contribute to develop and strengthen a shock-resilient PSS prevent and response program which could eventually inform system strengthening.
• Provide ongoing feedback on any operational needs or challenges arising at the field location and here challenges arise, ensure that these are flagged early, communicated to the AC & DI Coordinator and addressed in an appropriate way; Communicate and share learning with other SC units and sectors involved in the response.
• Assist the AC& DI Coordinator and CP & MHPSS PM in development of implementation plans and propose budgets for SC and partner organizations to strengthen DI and prevention of family separation interventions.
• Maintain positive coordination, communication, and transparent relationships with partners, local authorities, community members, families, and other SCI sector staff. Facilitate learning lunches and/or other exchanges to foster knowledge sharing and highlighting of best practices. 

 Ensure program quality:  

• In coordination with the AC & DI Coordinator and PDQ  AC&DI, CP & MHPSS Team, support the use and roll out of appropriate CP tools which recognize vulnerabilities of children in varied levels and contexts, recognize the resilience of children and community in mitigating risks. 
• Conduct collection, documentation and reporting of CP program data according to CPMS and IASC standards. Monitor and ensure day to day basis that CP program components are following the Quality Benchmarks and in accordance with the Minimum Standards of Child Protection in Humanitarian Action, and Core Humanitarian Principles and Standards. 
• Provide feedback to the PDQ AD & DI, CP & MHPSS Team, CP & MHPSS PM and AC & DI Coordinator in terms of needs for capacity building of project staff, partners, and government as required.
• Participate in the lessons learnt and best practices.
• Write high quality weekly and monthly reports, as directed. Provide timely inputs to programme and donor reports on CP intervention activities 
• Other CP related duties as assigned by the supervisor to enable and develop SC Ukraine Child Protection programming.

Analyse the contexts and promote the Centrality of Protection

• Ensure through day-to-day monitoring that the CP prevention and response is effectively targeting the most affected children and communities including unaccompanied and separated children, prevention and response to child recruitment, grave violations, including maiming and killing, prevention and response to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and child trafficking. 
• Contribute to developing and rolling-out advocacy strategy for CP and DI Strategy. Always act as proactive advocate to ensure that other international and local service providers adhere to Centrality of Protection Policy, thus prioritise protection at the centre of all humanitarian actions when delivering CP services.

Additional job responsibilities 

• The job duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the post holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.

Working Experience: At least 1 years of experience of progressively responsible professional experience in a similar capacity and/or within a development organization

 Most relevant areas experience to this position include: 

• Child protection, community engagement and development, and child rights
• Experience working with vulnerable and at-risk groups (children and adults)
• Experience in managing field staff
• Experience in providing/ facilitating trainings; coordination
• Good working knowledge on using MS Office, and internet

Academic: Bachelor’s Degree in social work, pedagogy, sociology, or another relevant discipline.

Job related knowledge: Knowledge on child protection and emergency response. 

Skills: 

• Planning and organising
• Analytical thinking
• Problem solving and decision making
• Applying technical and professional expertise 
• Working effectively with others, including local authorities and community stakeholders
• Communicating with impact and attention to detail
• Networking
• Child-friendly communicator and non-judgemental listener

Desirable

• Ability to speak, write and understand English
• Familiarity with family strengthening approaches and deinstitutionalization processes in Ukraine

 We offer:

• Official employment
• International working conditions
• Working day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m
• Location of the office in the center of Dnipro

Child Safeguarding: 

We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

Health and Safety:

The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI Health and Safety policies and procedures.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: 

SCI is committed to create a truly inclusive, effective and representative organizational culture, encouraging equity and diversity among its employees and eliminating unlawful discrimination. 

Ready to hire an employee with disability.

If you are interested in the vacancy, we are looking forward for your response. A СV in English will be an advantage. Also, we will be grateful if you indicate the expected salary level and the level of English language proficiency.