Case Management FTR Specialist

TITLE: Case Management FTR Specialist (National)  REPORTS TO: Head of Protection LOCATION:  Juba with extensive field travel GRADE: 3

CONTRACT LENGTH: 6 months (subject to extension)

Child Safeguarding:

Level 3:  the role holder will have contact with children and/or young people either frequently (e.g. once a week or more) or intensively (e.g. four days in one month or more or overnight) because they work in country programs; or are visiting country programs; ore because they are responsible for implementing the police checking/vetting process staff.

Role Purpose:

Save the Children (SCI) has been the lead agency for family tracing and reunification (FTR) in South Sudan since 2014. Working with the UN, international and national partner agencies, SCI coordinates humanitarian actions and responses for children who have become separated from their biological families. Save the Children and our partner organizations have reached most states in South Sudan with case management interventions, including FTR and alternative care. Additionally, Save the Children is the national systems administrator for the Child Protection Information Management System (CPIMS+) database. However, over the years, a constantly changing context coupled by shrinking financial resources has affected inter-agency cooperation constraining the quality of case management service provision. In response, Save the Children has developed an FTR Uplift Improvement Plan and is recruiting a dedicated Case Management FTR Specialist to lead work with unaccompanied and separated children (UASC).

The overall role of the Case Management (CM) FTR Specialist is to enhance the quality of FTR and reach under the supervision of the Head of Protection. The CM FTR Specialist will lead the implementation of the FTR Uplift Improvement Plan, guide the design and strategic development of FTR programs, actively engage in case management task force/working groups of the national CP Workstream and support activities addressing the needs of UASC and other at-risk vulnerable children with protection concerns.

The CM FTR Specialist will focus on building Save the Children’s staff and partner agencies’ case management FTR technical capacity and quality.  He/she will be a key member of external child protection coordination platforms especially the Child Protection Workstream in South Sudan and any other related forums focusing on child protection such as the Protection Cluster. The CM FTR Specialist will review and develop Save the Children’s and inter-agency strategies, tools, and SOPs to harmonize practices and ensure shared resources. The CM FTR Specialist will work closely with staff on coordination of FTR processes and on information management, ensuring case files are completed and stored according to quality standards.

The role will include facilitating regular workshops at field and national level, leading on developing an inter-agency CM FTR capacity building plan, provision of on-the-job training and establish a solid system for mentoring and supervision, including regular case review meetings.  The CM FTR Specialist will work closely with MHPSS TA, Child Protection Coordinators, Case Management Officers, and Case Workers and the Information Management Manager and/or Child Protection Information Management System (CPIMS+) focal person to ensure quality implementation of case management and FTR processes. The role will be primarily based in Juba but requires considerable field work in all operational areas implementing case management activities.  

Key Areas Of Accountability:

Standardising tools and approaches

• In collaboration with the Head of Protection ensure that child protection case management programs implemented by SCI, partner organizations, and members of the CP Workstream align with local systems where possible and adhere to inter-agency and national standard operating procedures, minimum standards, and technical guidance.
• Regularly establish, review, and adapt standard tools and approaches, and support case management and FTR teams and partners to understand child protection and effectively use case management and FTR tools and forms.
• Develop additional guidance as needed for case management officers/supervisors and Case Workers (CWs) in line with SC and sector-wide best practices.
• Support the development and updating of service mapping and referral pathways.
• Adapt relevant child protection case management guidelines to the context in coordination with other agencies in the country Child Protection Workstream.
• Facilitate workshops at all relevant field locations to take stock of progress and needs.
• Serve as a coach to case management officers/supervisors, including partner staff, to guide them in providing the needed technical support to their teams in identification, registration, assessments, development of case plans, provision of services, or referral of UASC and other at-risk vulnerable children based on their protection needs.
• Establish and strengthen working relationships with relevant government authorities through the CP Workstream and other relevant platforms to improve coordination and develop a harmonized approach to case management and family tracing and reunification.
• Ensure cooperation, collaboration, and integration with other sectors and cross-cutting themes, such as MHPSS.
• Liaise with humanitarian actors, authorities, and communities to increase the quality of case-management service provision and disseminate information to ensure participation and safe access of children to comprehensive case management services.

Capacity building & support

• Review and update the South Sudan inter-agency FTR training (and ToT) packages for Case Workers and supervisors.
• Develop, contextualize, and carry out inter-agency case management Supervision and Coaching trainings and support field-based SCI and partner CM/FTR teams.
• Support and facilitate capacity building of field teams and partner organizations in implementing programs for UASC, building on inter-agency Global standards for CP in Humanitarian Action.
• Systematically build the capacity of Case Management and FTR Officers/Supervisors to mentor and supervise CWs and social workers, ensuring adherence to good practices and inter-agency guidelines, and meeting minimum standards in their daily work.
• Support field-based case management supervisors and partners to hold regular case conferences and 1:1 meeting with CM staff.

Information Management

• Provide technical management and support to staff on information management ensuring case files are completed and stored according to the quality standards, and case management data is ready to be provided for analysis and reporting.
• Lead in conducting case verification exercises in liaison with the information management focal point.
• Support and train the Child Protection Information Management team on basic child protection principles including FTR and case management, to ensure completeness of case management data. 
• Support and train the Child Protection Information Management Manager to manage the integration of case management standards and other changes into the national level IA CP IMS SOP and information flow as required.

UASC and alternative care 

• Lead on Save the Children’s technical approach to alternative care.
• Support staff to respond to the needs of UASC and implement the inter-agency Alternative Care guidelines, as developed by the inter-agency task force.
• Review and develop capacity building materials and support mechanisms to foster families, kinship families, mentors and others involved in the daily care of UASC and for community-based structures.
• Ensure availability and use of quality benchmarks for alternative care including interim care services. 

External relations and coordination

• Lead the case management task force of the CP Workstream and represent SCI in other initiatives related to case management and FTR.
• Promote a commonly agreed, harmonized approach, practices, and tools for case management and FTR among child protection actors and other relevant stakeholders. 
• Support the child protection workstream on issues relating to implementation of quality case management. 
• Ensure that coordination with other actors is happening effectively in each location.
• Attend the Child Protection Workstream meetings and other relevant platforms. 
• Engage and initiate relevant community-based mechanisms/leaders to support case management and particularly on FTR processes. 

MEAL, reporting and documentation.

• Work with the MEAL team to ensure a variety of age, gender and disability inclusive appropriate accountability mechanisms. 
• Support case workers and partner agencies in documentation and the use of case management forms. 
• Train and conduct case file audits and train staff and partners in the use of case management, FTR and alternative care quality benchmarks.
• Support the Head of Protection with drafting reports based on trends of cases for donors as needed.
• Conduct field support and supervision visits ensuring the utilization of quality benchmarks (QBs) and child friendly reporting mechanisms (CFRMs)
• Support SC teams in field locations to ensure safe programming.
• Perform other tasks as requested.

Other

• Ensure a strict adherence to the principles of child protection and child safeguarding, including respect for confidentiality and always acting in the best interests of the child.
• Comply with Save the Children policies and practices with respect to child protection, code of conduct, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies and procedures.
• As delegated, assumes role of Head of Protection through providing strategic leadership, leading sectoral programme development, donor engagements and overall technical oversight and guidance to program design and delivery.

Competencies For This Role:

Applying Technical and Professional Expertise: Applies the required technical and professional expertise to the highest standards; promotes and shared best practice within and outside the organisation
Level required: Accomplished 

 

Delivering Results: Takes personal responsibility and holds others accountable for delivering our ambitious goals for children, continually improving their own performance or that of the team / organisation.
Level required: Accomplished

 

Problem Solving and Decision-Making: Takes effective, considered and timely decisions by gathering and evaluating relevant information from within or outside the organisation.

Level required: Accomplished

Leading and Inspiring Others: Demonstrates leadership in all our work, embodies our values, and articulates a compelling vision to inspire others to achieve our goals for children.

Level required: Accomplished.

Developing Self and Others: Invests time and energy to actively develop self and others to help realist their full potential, and to build the organisation’s capability for the future

Level Required: Accomplished

Qualifications And Experience

Essential

• BSc Honours/MSc level in Social Work, Human rights Law, Development Studies or relevant Social Sciences.
• Minimum of 5 years child protection experience working in emergency contexts/fragile states at the level of manager or specialist role.
• Experience in child protection case management with strong skills in UASC response, alternative care and FTR programming. 
• Experience in training and capacity building of staff in a field programming context.
• Good problem solving, decision making, strategic planning and analytical skills.
• Experience of representation and ability to represent SC effectively in external forums.
• Ability to plan well, set own targets and meet them with minimum supervision.
• Ability to meet deadlines and work under pressure.
• Excellent communication skills
• A high level of written and spoken English 

Desirable

• Experience in monitoring and evaluating child protection programmes.
• Good working knowledge of the inter-agency child protection information management system.
• Strong influencing skills and experience in advocacy
• Politically and culturally sensitive with qualities of patience, tact and diplomacy
• Specific experience of working in interagency projects.
• Experience in psychosocial support programmes for children, MHPSS.
• Previous experience of working with Save the Children 
• Commitment to and understanding of child rights, the aims and principles of SC, and humanitarian standards such as the Sphere Charter and the Code of Conduct. A good understanding of the SC mandate and child focus and an ability to ensure this continues to underpin our support.

The Organization
We employ approximately 25,000 people across the globe and work on the ground in over 100 countries to help children affected by crises, or those that need better healthcare, education and child protection. We also campaign and advocate at the highest levels to realise the right of children and to ensure their voices are heard. We are working towards three breakthroughs in how the world treats children by 2030:

· No child dies from preventable causes before their 5th birthday
· All children learn from a quality basic education and that,
· Violence against children is no longer tolerated

We know that great people make a great organization, and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children.We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive workplace where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued.

Application Information:
Please apply using a cover letter and up-to-date CV as a single document. Please also include details of your current remuneration and salary expectations. A copy of the full role profile can be found at www.savethechildren.net/jobs We need to keep children safe so our selection process reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.