Counsellor/Social Worker 225 views5 applications

Title: Counsellor/Social Worker

Ref Nos: CISP005-2022

No. of positions: 1 (One)

Location of work: Based in Kakamega- Mumias

Reports to: Child Protection Technical Supervisor & Sub-County Children’s Officer

Duration: August 2022 to November 2022

CISP – Comitato Internazionale per lo Sviluppo dei Popoli (International Committee for the Development of Peoples) is a rights-based international NGO established in 1983 in Rome. CISP implements humanitarian, rehabilitation and development projects through its cooperation with public and private local actors in over 30 countries globally. Since 1997 CISP has been working in Kenya to carry out projects in areas of development by supporting national and county authorities to provide quality, equitable, transparent and accountable services in various sectors. Over the past 23 years, CISP Kenya has expanded its activities across more than 12 Counties in both rural and urban areas in various sectors of intervention, including Agriculture and Food Security, Conservation, Livelihoods, Health and Nutrition, Protection (children, refugees, GBV), Education (early childhood, university), Governance, and Arts and Culture.

CISP with support from AICS (Agenzia Italiana per la Cooperazione allo Svillupo) is currently implementing a 3-year Child Protection Project (October 2019-December 2022) titled “Safe Communities for Safe Children and Adolescents in Kenya” in Kakamega and Nakuru Counties (Mumias West, Matungu, Naivasha and Gilgil sub counties respectively).

Job purpose

CISP is leading a consortium of partners to implement a Child Protection project funded by AICS in four sub-Counties in Nakuru and Kakamega Counties. The purpose of this position is to support the sub-County Children’s Offices through providing effective case management and psychosocial support to children identified to be in need. The position will work closely with all other staff at the Sub-County Children’s Office and other child protection stakeholders to achieve quality and timely child protection services for children in the targeted communities.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Contribute to comprehensive case management through proper assessment of children, case planning, service provision and appropriate referrals to relevant service providers in consultation with the SCCO and CP Technical Supervisor;

• Provide direct counselling for children as well as their families or guardians as identified to be in need psychosocial support; • Organize and conducting group therapy for parents, children, families and staff;

• Provide pre-trial briefing to clients and their witnesses; • Ensure court attendance when required to support children and their caregivers;

• Assist in fact-finding in homes, schools, police stations and other institutions;

• Assist in writing reports and recommendations to the child magistrate and facilitate court processes;

• Make referrals, follow-ups and report on the progress made with referred cases;

• Assist in implementing child abuse preventative programs and activities in schools and at the community level;

• Assist in the designing, planning, implementing and facilitating of internal and external trainings and capacity building exercises for numerous target groups, including for children and duty bearers;

• Interact with children at the SCCO and facilitate structured games and appropriate play to facilitate healing, growth and development of children;

• Effectively use the outlined data collection tools including CPIMS to document and report all cases reported and addressed through the SCCO;

• Make use of CPIMS as a case management tool • Assist and support behavior change programs for identified children at the SCCO;

• Follow up cases that have been referred and make adequate recommendations

• Keep appropriate records of children’s cases at the SCCO and ensure filling and updating of records is done on a daily basis to ensure quality reporting;

• Ensure all work with clients is confidential and that ethical practices are observed;

• Work with other partners (i.e., Police, Magistrate, DMOH, etc.) to strengthen the referral system and ensure proper follow up of cases;

• Develop new and strengthen existing referral systems with other organizations;

• Engage in self-care through supervision, debriefings, and other shared sessions;

• Conduct mobile outreaches to extend service provision to the community level;

• Promote the services of the SCCO by ensuring that children and the community understand and access the services provided at the SCCO and during mobile community outreaches;

• Advocate for children and sensitize the community on the rights and welfare of the child;

• Participate in identifying and supporting activities that promote child protection in schools and the community;

• Integrate children with their families and provide follow-up support for such families;

• Develop a monthly work plan to be submitted to CP Technical Supervisor for discussion and approval. Performance will be measured upon achievements of the work plan;

• Participate in multidisciplinary teams and meetings (such as child protection, advocacy, health promotion, education, etc.) that aim at promoting child protection at the SCCO and in the community;

• Become proficient with project data collection and reporting tools, and conduct and submit reports in a timely and accurate manner;

• Perform other duties as assigned by the SCCO and/or by the CP Technical Supervisor.

Minimum Qualifications and Experience

• Diploma in Social Sciences with a focus on counselling or psychology

• Graduate degree in social sciences is added advantage

• Proven experience in working closely with children especially at Sub County Children Offices in Mumias or Matungu sub counties

• Currently volunteering or an intern in SCCOs in Matungu or Mumias is an added advantage

• Experience in case management is an added advantage

• Ability to use a wide range of child counseling methodologies

• Good communication skills with fluency in written and spoken English and Kiswahili

• Ability to adapt to different cultures

• Good IT skills including the use of Word and database software

• Knowledge of community-based child protection approaches, preferably including experience in participatory approaches (PRA/PLA) and child participation methodologies.

• Demonstrable ability to adapt to changing programme priorities and emergency priorities that may arise

• Strong self-starter, able to take initiative and adapt to changing circumstances and priorities

• Positive attitude towards community work with an emphasis on the ability to learn from communities and support innovative approaches to problem-solving

• Commitment to CISP values and Child Protection Policy.