Position: Child Protection Associate

Job Time: Full-Time

Job Type: Contract

Place of Work: Gambella - Ethiopia

Posted date: 41 minutes ago

Deadline: June, 16/2024

Standard Job Description

Child Protection Associate

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships

UNHCR is committed to the effective protection of children of concern, with children representing more than half of the persons falling under its mandate. UNHCR adopts a rights and community-based approach to addressing the protection needs of children, with a strong emphasis on inclusion within national child protection, child-friendly procedures, and working with other sectors to protect children including education. Child protection is recognized as a global organizational priority for UNHCR. Dedicated child protection positions are needed to provide technical support to improve UNHCR's operational capacity to deliver effective protection to children, adolescents, and youth of concern.

The Child Protection Associate is a member of the protection team in an Office. S/he may report to a (Child) Protection Officer, or the Head of Field-Office/Unit and/or Head of Sub-Office. The incumbent monitors child protection standards, operational procedures, and practices in protection delivery in line with international standards and provides functional protection support to information management and program staff. The Child Protection Associate is expected to coordinate quality, timely, and effective protection responses to the needs of populations of concern (children, women, marginalized groups) and is responsible for the implementation of Best Interests Procedures for children at risk in their area of responsibility, under the guidance of the supervisor. S/he may also supervise staff undertaking Best Interests Procedures. S/he identifies opportunities to mainstream Child Protection methodologies and integrate protection safeguards in operational responses in all sectors and liaises externally with authorities and partners on protection doctrine and policy as guided by the supervisor. The incumbent works directly with communities and children of concern to identify the risks they face and to leverage their capacities to protect themselves, their families, and their communities. To achieve this, the incumbent will need to build and maintain effective interfaces with communities of concern, local authorities, and protection and assistance partners.

All UNHCR staff members are accountable for performing their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional, and managerial competencies and UNHCR's core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.

Duties and Responsibilites:

Needs identification, Strategy, and Advocacy

• Contribute to assessing child protection issues through multi-sectoral and protection-specific assessments.

• Facilitate consultation with children, youth, and communities to inform child protection strategy and program activities.

• Contribute to the formulation of child protection strategy and planning.

• Ensure compliance with UNHCR's child protection policy, priorities, and commitments, as well as other aligned policies on age, gender, diversity (AGD), and accountability to affected populations (AAP), GBV, gender equality, disability, and youth empowerment.

• Support the analysis of the national systems and ensure that child protection programs complement national child protection systems and work towards the inclusion of children of concern into national child protection laws, policies, and services.

• Undertake consultation with children, youth, and communities and provide information on appropriate and meaningful approaches for their effective participation and programmatic responses to child protection issues.

• Provide input to the Protection Unit to inform advocacy to address key child protection concerns.

Program planning and implementation

• Engage children, youth, and communities in the implementation of child protection activities, provide information to children, youth, and communities about child protection services, and monitor and report on needs and issues to inform the Operations Response.

• Conduct Best Interest Procedures for individual children at heightened risk and prepare Best Interests Determination reports, when required.

• Participate in the Best Interests Procedure Case Conferences and BID panels and draft associated documentation as required.

• Implement child protection SOPs and ensure up-to-date and effective referral to key services.

• Store and update the child's case file in UNHCR databases under UNHCR standards.

• Engage with children, youth, and community members in identifying community-based child protection activities.

• Monitor and support appropriate care arrangements for unaccompanied and separated children and referral of children to ICRC or other relevant partners for the establishment of family linkages.

• Regularly report on emerging protection issues and concerns voiced by children, youth, and communities and assist in drafting reports, compiling and preparing data for the protection unit/section.

• Provide functional guidance to UNHCR and partner staff involved in child protection activities.

Partnership, coordination, and capacity building

• Assist the Child Protection interagency coordination and information management activities as needed.

• Provide technical support and monitoring to child protection partners.

• Assist in carrying out learning needs assessment and analysis of findings.

• Support in implementing learning activities for UNHCR and partners staff and communities.

• Support the identification and management of risks and seek to seize opportunities impacting objectives in the area of responsibility. Ensure decision-making in risk based on the functional area of work. Raise risks, issues, and concerns to a supervisor or a relevant functional colleague(s).

• Perform other related duties as required.

Job Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

• Years of Experience / Degree Level

• For G6 - 3 years relevant experience with a High School Diploma; or 2 years relevant work experience with a Bachelor's or equivalent or higher

Field(s) of Education

Not applicable.

Certificates and/or Licenses

• Law;

• Social Sciences;

• Community Dvpt/Social Work;

• Human Rights;

• (Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience

Essential

• 3 years of previous work experience relevant to the function of child protection in a local context and having experience in the field of child protection prevention and response, broader protection or social work involving the empowerment of women and girls, gender, child protection, mental health, counseling and working with survivors, humanitarian and development issues. Skills and experience in interviewing and working with children and families including supervision of child protection case management.

Desirable

Knowledge of UNHCR child protection policies and tools including the UNHCR Best Interests Procedures Guidelines, and interagency child protection Minimum Standards, Guiding Principles and GBV case management standards. Knowledge of local child protection laws, policies and services. Knowledge and experience of participatory approaches to engage with and mobilize communities. Understanding of displacement and protection issues including GBV, education and the application of the Age, Gender and Diversity Policy. Completed Protection Learning Programme. Experience working with marginalized groups. Knowledge of protection information management tools, including but not limited to proGres and/or CPIMS.

Functional Skills

• IT-Computer Literacy

• PR-Child Protection Case Management and Best Interests Procedures

• PR-Child Protection Information Management System

• PR-Child Protection Prevention and Response Programming

• (Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Language Requirements

• For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English.

• For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language.

• For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English.

All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination and abuse of power.

As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise.

This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. The Operational Context may contain additional essential and/or desirable qualifications relating to the specific operation and/or position. Any such requirements are incorporated by reference in this Job Description and will be considered for the screening, shortlisting and selection of candidates.

Additional Qualifications

Skills

IT-Computer Literacy, PR-Child Protection Case Management and Best Interests Procedures, PR-Child Protection Information Management System, PR-Child Protection Prevention and Response Programming Education

Certifications

Community Development/Social Work - Other, Human Rights - Other, Law - Other, Social Sciences - Other Work Experience

Other information

This position doesn't require a functional clearance

Home-Based

No

How to Apply

Interested and qualified applicants can apply online using THIS LINK