Turkey: Child Protection Officer

National Post

Save the Children is the world’s leading independent organisation for children. We work in 120 countries. We save children’s lives; we fight for their rights; we help them fulfil their potential.

ROLE:

The Child Protection Officer will be based in Hatay, supporting Save the Children’s new Non-Formal Education (NFE) project establishing Adolescent Friendly Spaces (AFSs) for out-of-school adolescents in Hatay province. The Child Protection Officer will help manage the relevant project grant, support project planning, and work with technical advisors to support project implementation. This role will manage up to eight Community Outreach Workers, and will be responsible for, where relevant, building their technical capacity. The Child Protection Officer will assist the direct supervisor in all aspects of child protection activities start up and implementation, including psychosocial support (PSS) in AFSs, support to vulnerable children, training for key community members, and awareness on child protection issues.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

Programme Implementation

• Coordinate and provide support to the direct supervisor and outreach workers at the project sites in the planning, implementation and monitoring of regular activities that may include: recreational and psychosocial activities, individual support to vulnerable children, training, and awareness on child protection.
• Coordinate the preparation of weekly activity plans with the Project Manager and the team, ensure smooth implementation of these plans and monitor activities in AFS especially those on recreational, and psychosocial support activities.
• Coordinate the activities in AFSs and ensure that the facilitators and community outreach workers have adequate support in terms of child protection related issues.
• In coordination with all the Child Protection team members, support regular participatory recreational and psychosocial activities with different groups of children to identify issues affecting children in their communities, and assist the teams to develop appropriate responses.
• Supervise the activities conducted by the outreach workers and ensure that identification and referrals of vulnerable children are carried out according to the procedures.
• Identify training needs and assist the direct supervisor to organise training and awareness raising activities for staff, key community members and partners’ staff on child protection related topics.
• In partnership with UNICEF and other implementing partners, organise trainings on Child Protection in Emergencies, Child Protection in Humanitarian Action, Psychological First Aid and psychosocial support for the project team and facilitators in the AFSs.
• Ensure mapping of services and referral systems (health, education, psychosocial, etc.) are developed and kept up to date.
• Support community members to organise awareness messages on child protection issues.
• Build positive relationships with the communities and organize regular meetings and trainings for key community members with the outreach team.
• Produce and submit weekly and monthly reports on project activities as required.
• Work with cultural sensitivity and respect the dignity of refugees and members of the host communities at all times.
• Perform other functions relative to Child Protection activities and initiatives that may be assigned by the Project Manager.
• Ensure full compliance of Child Safeguarding Policy at field level and especially with Save the Children engaged personnel.
• Respond to all Child Safeguarding Policy concerns expressed or discovered appropriately and effectively.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE AND ATTRIBUTES:**

Essential

• Master’s degree in social sciences, psychology, sociology, community development or related matters
• Previous experience in child protection programmes, psychosocial support, social work and community mobilisation
• Demonstrated experience working with children
• Good technical understanding of child protection and community based approaches
• Knowledge of Child Rights, Child Protection Minimum Standards and other international recognised tools
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Ability to work with limited supervision and strong ability to take initiative
• Able to work to tight deadlines and under pressure
• Excellent team player
• Ability to quickly form relationship within the communities
• Computer literacy including the use of Microsoft Office
• Fluent in Turkish and English – written and spoken
• Valid rsidency in Turkey

Desirable

• Fluent in spoken Arabic and/or Kurdish
• Experience in working with NGOs
• Experience in working with refugees/IDPs/asylum seekers
• Experience in representing an organisation in external meetings

Please apply in English by sending your up to date CV with a cover letter as a single document explaining your salary expectations to turkey.recruit@savethechildren.orgby 17th of December 2015 and mention the position that you are applying for to the subject section.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

We need to keep children safe so our selection process reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.