Afghanistan: Child Protection Coordinator

International Medical Corps is adding a Child Protection Coordinator to its largest country program. The focus of this position is to develop/expand child protection services and integrate services into established emergency primary health care, nutrition, protection, and WASH services for conflict and disaster-affected people in Afghanistan's Eastern and Northern regions. This position will be based in Kabul with frequent travel to program activities in the northern and eastern provinces of Balkh, Kunar, Laghman, and Nangarhar. These activities will target children with specific needs and caregivers, as well as key community members, who can benefit from and/or carry out prevention and response activities for child protection, psychosocial support, and PSS services.

The Child Protection Coordinator will support and train the CPAN and Community Wellbeing Groups (CWGs) members to provide awareness raising and advocacy for children’s rights in the community with the support of social workers in order to strengthen the family and caregiving environments. International Medical Corps will also train parents in Fatherhood for Fathers and Motherhood for Mothers, which enables men and women to develop the knowledge, confidence and skills to become responsible fathers and mothers and co-parents, and Parenting without Violence training, through which parents will know how to deal with their children in difficult times and provide supportive home environments for the children. These trainings will be facilitated by male and female Child PSS counselors inside the CFSCs. International Medical Corps will distribute IEC materials to reinforce their learnings. CFSCs will serve as connecting points between parents at the community level and enable them to discuss issues concerning children’s wellbeing, spread knowledge and resources, and advocate for children’s needs.

The Child Protection Coordinator will support group activities for child wellbeing in the CFSCs with the aim of positively impacting the wellbeing of participating children as well as enhancing their resilience and reducing their stress. These group activities will be facilitated by Child PSS Counselors and will consist of group discussions and recreational activities such as structured and free play, arts and crafts, and sports, for which International Medical Corps will provide the required materials. IMC Child PSS Counselors and Social Workers trained in CP Case Management and CP Principles, Minimum Standards, and Identification and Referral will identify individual cases of vulnerable children who have experienced or are at a high risk of experiencing neglect, exploitation, violence, and/or abuse at home, at school and/or in their community, and in cooperation with community leaders and Child Protection Action Network (CPAN) members they will secure referrals to service providers offering legal, financial, PSS, health, cash, and other services.

To strengthen community support for children and parent wellbeing, International Medical Corps will also train community leaders, CWGs’ members, and members of CPAN on PFA, parenting skills, and child rights. The CWGs’ and CPAN members will facilitate group awareness sessions on supporting child rights and parenting skills which will be facilitated by IMC’s Social Workers.

The Child Protection Coordinator will work closely with the MHPSS and Protection Coordinators to integrate services to improve the resilience of vulnerable communities impacted by natural disasters and conflict by providing integrated emergency Health, Nutrition, WASH, PSS, Child Protection, and MHPSS assistance.

**Offer is contingent on donor approval and confirmed funding.**

JOB SUMMARY: 

International Medical Corps provides community-based child protection services to vulnerable populations, requiring a strategic and comprehensive approach to addressing child protection concerns.

The Coordinator, Child Protection is responsible for oversight of multiple child protection programs, or a large program with multiple sites of operation. This role includes strategic planning, technical leadership, capacity building, support and supervision of staff, senior internal and external coordination and representation, proposal development and reporting.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function with or without reasonable accommodation:

MAIN TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES: 

Strategic Planning: 

• Provide strategic direction and undertake analysis of child protection trends, gaps in services, and IMC’s capacities to guide IMC’s programming in country
• Contribute to national and inter-agency strategies
• Lead child protection assessments as required, maximizing available sources of information and opportunities for coordination, and ensuring compliance with safety and ethical standards
• Identify and build strategic partnerships with national and local partners
• Ensure that programs are driven by the needs of children and youth and planned with community stakeholders
• Identify appropriate locations and orientation for services
• Develop concept notes/proposals/appeals as needed

Implementation and Capacity Building: 

• Work closely with the global Child Protection Advisor, country level senior management, and program team to achieve program goals
• Ensure adherence to IMC’s Child Protection Minimum Standards, as well as relevant inter-agency guidelines and standards
• Oversee program interventions, including the establishment and delivery of focused child protection response services
• Build capacity of program staff/partners in relevant technical areas to deliver services and lead interventions
• Organize/support/facilitate technical trainings as needed, including Child Protection Case Management, Child Protection Minimum Standards, Child Protection SOPs and Referral Pathways, Caring for Child Survivors of Sexual Abuse, Unaccompanied and Separated Children, Best interest Procedures
• Establish and monitor supervision and support systems for child protection case management services
• Establish and maintain appropriate systems for information management, including implementation and monitoring of PRIMERO/CPIMS+ (Child Protection Information Management System) in appropriate contexts
• Ensure effective community participation throughout implementation
• Oversee appropriate prevention and awareness-raising/behavior change strategies
• Conduct regular program monitoring and quality assurance and apply learning for continuous improvement of interventions
• Produce regular program reports, on time and with accurate data

Senior Coordination, Representation and Advocacy: 

• Coordinate with other service providers to ensure holistic support for children, including participation in strengthening child protection SOPs and referral pathways
• Represent IMC’s child protection programming in relevant coordination meetings and with a range of stakeholders
• Contribute to inter-agency efforts to strengthen child protection prevention and response through active participation in coordination mechanisms and promotion of sector principles, standards, and guidelines
• Coordinate with, and build capacity of, other sectors as possible to ensure integration of child protection concerns into various services and broader humanitarian response
• Advocate as necessary with relevant authorities, humanitarian actors, donors, and other stakeholders

Human Resources Management: 

• Select and orient program staff/volunteers/partners for effective implementation
• Support, coach and supervise staff to build capacity and strengthen quality of interventions.
• Develop support strategies for staff, foster teambuilding, and introduce principles of self-care
• Provide supportive and constructive feedback, and conduct regular performance appraisals

Security and Conduct: 

• Ensure compliance with security protocols and policies
• Consider security implications of programs, reviewing plans with teams and appropriate stakeholders
• Foster a safe and supportive working environment for all child protection staff/volunteers/partners
• Exemplify core principles of child protection programming, including the child's survival and development, best interests of the child, non-discrimination, children's participation
• Contribute to the positive image and overall credibility of the program and organization, notably through adherence to the Code of Conduct and Ethics, including compliance with anti-harassment, safeguarding and PSEA policies

Perform other duties as assigned. The duties and responsibilities listed in this document are representative of the nature and level of work assigned and not necessarily all inclusive.

Code of Conduct: 

As applicable to this position, an individual must promote and encourage a culture of compliance and ethics throughout the organization and maintain a clear understanding of International Medical Corps’ and donor compliance and ethics standards and adheres to those standards. Staff are also responsible for preventing violations to our Code of Conduct and Ethics, which may involve Conflicts of Interest, Fraud, Corruption or Harassment. If you see, hear or are made aware of any violations to the Code of Conduct and Ethics or Safeguarding Policy, you have an obligation to report.

If this is a supervisory position, one must set an example of ethical behavior through one’s own conduct and oversight of the work of others; ensure that those who report to you have sufficient knowledge and resources to follow the standards outlined in the Code of Conduct & Ethics; monitor compliance of the people you supervise; enforce the Code of Conduct & Ethics and International Medical Corps’ policies, including the Safeguarding Policy and the Protection from Harassment, Bullying and Sexual Misconduct in the Workplace Policy, consistently and fairly; support employees who in good faith raise questions or concerns.

Safeguarding: 

It is all staff shared responsibility and obligation to safeguard and protect populations with whom we work, including adults who may be particularly vulnerable and children. This includes safeguarding from the following conduct by our staff or partners: sexual exploitation and abuse; exploitation, neglect, or abuse of children, adults at risk, or LGBTI individuals; and any form of trafficking in persons.

Equal Opportunities: 

International Medical Corps is proud to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, age, disability or status as a veteran.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Typically, a 4-year university degree in Social Work, Psychology, or another related field. Advanced degree preferred. Equivalent combination of relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate
• Typically, 8+ years professional child protection experience, of which 5 years in humanitarian sector in emergency and/or in refugee settings, including field experience in case management.
• Knowledge and experience of child protection case management and psychosocial programming in the humanitarian context
• Relevant regional experience preferred
• Demonstrated application of child protection core competencies and commitment to core principles of child protection programming
• Experience with humanitarian architecture and knowledge of mandates/roles of donors, UN agencies and other NGO
• Strong knowledge of standards and guidelines for child protection programming, coordination and data management
• Facilitation experience required
• Supervisory experience required
• Experience working with local partners and community mobilization preferred
• Profound cross-cultural awareness
• Ability to exercise sound judgement, remain flexible and apply experience and guidance to evolving challenges
• Strong communication skills, both oral and written and ability to communicate in English and capacity to write clear and concise reports in English
• Computer literacy, including Microsoft Word and Excel
• Regional experience and languages (Dari and Pashto) are desirable

How to Apply: 

Please upload your resume and cover letter at this link.