Child Protection PSS Worker

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the worlds largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and more than 25 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees delivers lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If youre a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

Organization description
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC works with people forced to flee from war, conflict and disaster and the host communities which support them, as well as those who remain within their homes and communities. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we improve outcomes in the areas of health, safety, economic wellbeing, education, and power. Given the disparity faced by women and girls, IRC seeks to narrow gender inequalities and ensure social inclusion of all vulnerable groups in broader policies, processes and actions affecting their lives. In Ukraine, the IRC started emergency programming in April 2022 in the field of child protection (CP), protection and rule of law (ProL), women’s protection and empowerment (WPE) (i.e. gender-based violence), health and cash and basic needs.

Job Overview:
Under the supervision of the Child Protection (CP) Psychosocial Support Officer (PSS) Officer, the CP Psychosocial Support (PSS) Worker will be responsible for leading and implementing PSS activities for children and their caregivers. CP PSS activities include social-emotional learning (SEL) activities for children (6 – 11 years), SEL and life skills activities for adolescents (12 – 17 years), arts-based and other skills-building activities for children (2 – 17 years), as well as parenting and stress management activities for children’s and adolescents’ caregivers. Activities are implemented in IRC’s Safe Healing and Learning Spaces (SHLS), which are secure, caring and predictable places where children and adolescents living in conflict and crisis settings can learn, develop and be protected. The CP PSS Worker will have good technical and organisational capabilities to ensure that PSS activities are implemented in line with IRC’s program guidelines and according to CP minimum standards and principles. The CP PSS Worker will be based in Dnipro and report to the CP PSS Officer.

Major Responsibilities:

PSS for children and caregivers
Help in setting schedules for weekly activities for children / adolescents / caregivers
Facilitate social-emotional, recreational, creative and life-skills activities for children and adolescents based on the SHLS schedule
Facilitate sessions for parents / caregivers to help improve their stress management skills, positive parenting practices, and strategies to support children and adolescents with psychosocial needs
Engage with children / adolescents in a positive way, using a child-centred approach
Create a safe environment for children to play, socialize and learn according to established schedules and routines
Ensure that children and youth are safe from harm
Observe children and adolescents with special needs and ensure they are well integrated into activities
Refer identified and suspected child protection cases to the IRC focal point
Answer questions from community members and parents / caregivers about what activities are taking place
Support M&E activities as requested to support quality programming

Community Engagement & CP Risk Reduction
Identify barriers to accessing available services for vulnerable/specific groups of children and propose measures to reduce/eliminate those barriers
Identify key protection risks and mitigation/reduction measures
Identify gaps in CP response services available to the community and share concerns with the CP PSS Officer / within IRC, protection actors and other relevant stakeholders
Ensure broad dissemination of information on rights, duties, and services available
Maintain relationships with communities, including local leaders, different groups, and stakeholders, youth groups, children etc. to foster an environment of support to children and their families and IRC programming
As needed, organize community meetings for information dissemination or other purposes
Ensure, to the extent possible, that children and adolescents actively participate and help shape IRC’s activities
Encourage and foster social cohesion among host and IDP community
Support distributions of risk reduction items (inc. PSS kits) and follow-up monitoring

Administration & Reporting:
Take attendance, report material needs and support other administrative tasks as required
Report supply/material needs to the supervisor
Complete relevant activity tracker and contribute to activity reports, according to guidance provided by the CP PSS Officer
Provide information on a weekly basis to the CP Officer

Coordination & Representation:
Actively coordinate with staff from other IRC sectors in the field, including Protection & Rule of Law, Women’s Protection and Empowerment, Health, Economic Relief and Development
Actively develop and maintain effective working relationships with relevant local actors in the field, including community, non-governmental and governmental actors
Upon request by his/her supervisor, actively take part in relevant CP coordination meetings at the local and national level (e.g. national CP Cluster)

Other:
Attend trainings organised by the IRC
Stay informed about the child protection situation and developments within the communities and surrounding areas
Consistently and proactively monitor the safety and security of field teams, promptly reporting concerns or incidents to IRC management and liaising with other external parties as required to maintain/enhance the security environment
Promote and adhere to the principles, objectives and code of conduct of the IRC
Act both professionally and personally in a manner that brings credit to the IRC and does not compromise its humanitarian mission
If necessary, provide translation and interpretation at meetings, training sessions and/or documents for a better understanding of all staff
Conduct any other task requested by his/her supervisor to enable and develop IRC programs

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

Position reports to: Child Protection PSS Officer
Direct reports: N/A
Other internal contacts: Protection & Rule of Law (ProL), WPE, MEAL, ERD, Health, Finance, Supply, Grants, HR and other relevant departments

Requirements:
The Child Protection PSS Worker will need to meet the requirements below:

Degree desired in Social Work, Psychology, Education, Human Rights, Social Science, Humanities or other related field
Previous experience in implementing PSS programming for children and demonstrated understanding of working with children, particularly vulnerable children and children at-risk of violence, exploitation abuse or neglect
Experience with community work, community mobilization and engagement, and working with children affected by conflict
Clear understanding of and interest in the well-being of children and supporting their healing after the experience of violence
Positive and professional attitude, including ability to lead and work well in a team setting
Ability to keep records and write simple and basic reports of activities
Comfortable speaking about sensitive topics in an honest, professional, and thoughtful manner
Demonstrated understanding of and ability to maintain confidentiality and respect for clients/beneficiaries
High degree of flexibility and strong ability to organize work, meet deadlines, maintain composure, prioritize work under pressure, coordinate multiple tasks and maintain attention to detail
Computer literate, including Microsoft Word and Excel
Language: Fluent in Ukrainian and Russian, basic skills in English

This position will be based in Dnipro, with frequent travel to field locations.

Standards of Professional Conduct
The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Harassment-Free Workplace, Fiscal Integrity, Anti-Retaliation, Combating Trafficking in Persons and several others.

Gender Equality & Equal Opportunity
We are committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer generous benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances. We welcome and strongly encourage qualified female professionals to apply.

IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, colour, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

#LI-GR2

Standard of Professional Conduct:The IRC and the IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – our Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Equality.
Commitment to Gender, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: The IRC is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful, and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. The IRC expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying of the IRC persons in any work setting. We aim to increase the representation of women, people that are from country and communities we serve, and people who identify as races and ethnicities that are under-represented in global power structures.