Catholic Agency For Overseas Development – CAFOD is a GLOBAL NEIGHBOURS We believe that everyone in the world has the right to live their lives with dignity. That’s why we work through the local Catholic Church and other partners in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East to fight poverty and injustice, wherever the need is greatest.
Safeguarding Adviser – Africa
Job Description
Starting Salary: Kshs. 5,074,982 p.a.
Contract: 2 Year Contract
Position Description
Job Profile
This role will strengthen our safeguarding work in line with the organisational commitment to this important area of work. The post will be one of two leaders for the organisation on this issue with a particular responsibility for supporting African country programmes. Whilst this is a cross-organisational role, the post is located within CAFOD’s Advocacy and Education Group and based in the Nairobi office with a specific remit to support our African programme. The post will operate under a shared management agreement by the Safeguarding Adviser – Global, based in London and the Country Representative for Kenya and Uganda, based in Nairobi. The main responsibility of the post will be to advise on, integrate and embed safeguarding into the work of CAFOD and our partners. This will include:
- Providing training to staff, partners and Church organisations (mainly in Africa)
- Advising CAFOD staff on safeguarding for programme design, proposals and implementation
- Ensuring CAFOD’s organisational policies, practices and systems are up to date and relevant.
Key Responsibilities
Implementation and development of the safeguarding framework and action plan.
- To promote a strong and up-to-date understanding of our safeguarding framework and associated policies and procedures amongst CAFOD staff, especially in Africa, enabling them to incorporate this across their work
- To develop and implement audience specific training or activities on the framework or individual policies.
- To work with the Safeguarding Working Group, Safeguarding Advisor – Global and focal points to provide an ongoing mechanism to monitor our systems, policies and procedures and ensure continuous learning and improvement. Providing input on the latest sector initiatives, best practice or changes in legislation.
- Support the country focal points to ensure concerns can be raised and people supported with an appropriate response. Continuously develop the focal points as a network, offering advice and guidance as required.
Support and advice to CAFOD staff
- Provide expert advice and guidance to CAFOD staff on addressing safeguarding risks within programme development, implementation and monitoring including funding proposals
- Providing advice to staff and management on safeguarding issues, including how to develop an organisational culture and safe working environment free from sexual exploitation and violence
- To provide the resources to enable managers and Human Resources to ensure that staff and volunteers are clear on their rights and responsibilities under CAFOD’s safeguarding policies, and are equipped and supported to promote these and to report or understand how to deal with any concerns or allegations
- To assist, and in some cases lead, investigations into allegations made in line with CAFOD policies and procedures.
Supporting partners
- To support partner organisations, especially those working with children or vulnerable adults, on their safeguarding policies and procedures, providing training and technical input where-ever is appropriate.
- Respond to requests to support Bishops Conferences in the development and implementation of their policies and training programmes working with the appropriate Catholic safeguarding bodies.
- To identify and support south-south capacity strengthening options, alongside the focal points
- To support the assessment and monitoring of safeguarding within partner organisation.
Networking, communications and information-sharing
- To engage on cross-sector initiatives working to strengthen best practice in this area
- To work on any appropriate donor initiatives designed to strengthen the sector
- To support and share best practice with the Caritas and CIDSE networks and identify potential opportunities for collaborating on training or capacity strengthening
This list of duties and responsibilities is by no means exhaustive and the post holder may be required to undertake other relevant and appropriate duties as required. This job description is subject to regular review and appropriate modification.
Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults
CAFOD recognises the personal dignity and rights of children and vulnerable adults, towards whom it has a special responsibility and a duty of care and respect. CAFOD, and all its staff and volunteers, undertake to do all in our power to create a safe environment for children, young people and vulnerable adults and to prevent their physical, sexual or emotional abuse. CAFOD is committed to acting at all times in the best interests of children and vulnerable adults, seeing these interests as paramount. Any candidate offered a job with CAFOD will be expected to adhere to CAFOD’s Safeguarding policy and sign CAFOD’s Code of Behaviour as an appendix to their contract of employment and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these documents. This post involves responsibility for people who will have contact with children, young people and vulnerable adults and applicants will be subject to specific checks related to safeguarding issues.
Person Specification
Essential Criteria
Understanding our context
- Understanding Catholic identity: recognises and demonstrates knowledge of Catholic values; understands the importance of safeguarding to church, faith-based and other partners.
- Understanding CAFOD: able to demonstrate how CAFOD values influence safeguarding policy and practice including CAFOD’s partnership model, rooted in solidarity and subsidiarity, seeking change in the global north and south in the interests of the poorest and most marginalised people.
- Understanding international development: a consistent advocate for the dignity and interests of the poorest and dispossessed; proven understanding of the importance of safeguarding in humanitarian and development work; knowledge of accountability/quality standards including the Core Humanitarian Standards
Working together
- Managing ourselves: manages time and resources efficiently; able to take initiative and work with minimal supervision; manages emotions and stresses positively.
- Working with others: works with multicultural teams and in/with different cultural settings and faiths. Builds collaborative relationships across CAFOD, with partners and with safeguarding networks; helps others to achieve goals; resolves conflict successfully; looks outward taking into account other people’s priorities.
- Communicating: speaks and writes fluent English: able to communicate at a distance and across cultures making effective use of technology.
- Looking outwards: keeps on top of developments in the area of safeguarding.
- Making change happen
- Managing resources: Able to apply good stewardship in the use of CAFOD funds taking account of available resources in deciding what can be achieved.
- Achieving results: influences staff and partners to think about improved safeguarding practices.
- Managing our performance: able to promote high standards of safeguarding within CAFOD and its partners.
- Taking the lead: able to lead on safeguarding and to facilitate a network of focal points overseas; able to champion safeguarding within CAFOD and externally including with partners; inspires and influences particularly where there is no direct authority over colleagues
Job-specific competencies
- In-depth understanding of safeguarding (including protection from sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment and child protection) and the power imbalances that contribute to abuse. Knowledge of the legal aspects and experience of the practical application across a Non Governmental Organisation.
- Able to gather and communicate tools and materials to support implementation of safeguarding work across an extremely diverse and context specific programmes portfolio.
- Willingness and ability to travel to overseas programmes. This travel could be to insecure locations and could be at short notice.
- Fluency in both written and spoken French
Desirable Criteria
- Experience of developing, preparing and delivering culturally-sensitive training resources and courses
- Experience of conducting investigations into sexual exploitation and abuse
Come and join us and help make a real difference in the lives of the world’s poorest communities.
CAFOD is an equal opportunities employer. Recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to child protection.
More Information
- Job City Nairobi
