Requisition ID: req54686

Job Title: Child Protection MHPSS Assistant

Sector: Child Protection

Employment Category: Fixed Term

Employment Type: Full-Time

Open to Expatriates: No

Location: Gaza, occupied Palestinian Territory (oPT)

Work Arrangement:In-person

Job Description

The IRC began planning to reopen an oPt country program in mid-2022 and launched an emergency response in Gaza in October 2023. The organization is currently supporting a network of local partners in both Gaza and the West Bank to sustain critical health, protection, food security, cash, education, and early childhood development interventions. The IRC is also deploying emergency medical teams to provide surge clinical capacity in hospitals and other health facilities.

The IRC is working to scale its emergency response while building a longer-term oPt country program in parallel. This effort is being jointly managed by the Emergencies and Humanitarian Action Unit (EHAU) and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, with a view to eventually transition the country program fully under the MENA region.

In Gaza, the IRC is currently scaling up its direct program implementation in protection, with a particular focus on child protection and women’s protection and empowerment / gender-based violence (GBV) programming. IRC’s child protection program in Gaza aims to ensure that girls and boys are protected from and treated for the consequences of violence, abuse, and exploitation, family separation is prevented, and appropriate care is provided in emergencies.

Position overview

Under the supervision of the Child Protection (CP) Mental Health & Psychosocial Support Officer (MHPSS) Officer, the CP MHPSS Assistant will be responsible for leading and implementing MHPSS activities for children and their caregivers, in close collaboration with IRC’s community facilitators. In addition, he/she will be in charge of implementing risk reduction activities for children and caregivers. The CP MHPSS Assistant will have good technical and organisational capabilities to ensure that MHPSS activities and risk reduction activities are implemented in line with IRC’s program guidelines and according to CP minimum standards and principles. The CP MHPSS Assistant will be based in Deir-Al-Balah and report to the CP MHPSS Officer.

Responsibilities

MHPSS for children and caregivers:

• Help in setting schedules for weekly activities for children / adolescents / caregivers

• Support and guide community facilitators to implement MHPSS activities for children and adolescents based on the agreed-upon schedule

• Support and guide community facilitators to implement MHPSS sessions for parents / caregivers to help improve their stress management skills, positive parenting practices, and strategies to support children and adolescents with psychosocial needs

• Ensure that a safe environment for children is created to play, socialize and learn according to established schedules and routines

• Support and guide community facilitators to engage with children / adolescents in a positive way, using a child-centred approach

• Ensure that children and youth are safe from harm

• Observe children and adolescents with special needs and ensure they are well integrated into activities

• Support the identification of children who have been separated from their caregivers and who have been harmed or are at-risk of harm

• Refer identified and suspected child protection cases to the IRC focal point

• Answer questions from community members and parents / caregivers about IRC’s implemented activities

• Support M&E activities as requested to support quality programming

• Ensure that registers of children, caregivers and community facilitators are accurately recorded and reported.

• Ensure respect for children’s participation in all activities, including their regular and proactive consultation to support the quality and relevance of interventions.

Community Engagement & CP Risk Reduction

• In close collaboration with the CP team and IRC’s community facilitators, lead on the dissemination of responsive and risk reduction information, available services, and other relevant topics

• 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 propose mitigation/reduction measures

• Identify gaps in CP response services that are available to the community and share concerns with the CP MHPSS Officer / within IRC, protection actors and other relevant stakeholders

• 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

Administration & Reporting:

• Ensure that attendance sheets are completed, material needs are reported, and support other administrative tasks as required

• Report supply/material needs to the supervisor

• Complete relevant activity trackers and contribute to activity reports, according to the guidance provided by the CP MHPSS Officer

• Provide information to the CP MHPSS Officer on an ongoing basis

Coordination & Representation:

• Actively coordinate with staff from other IRC sectors in the field, including Women’s Protection and Empowerment, WASH, Nutrition, Safety & Security, Supply, Finance etc.

• Actively develop, coordinate, maintain and strengthen effective working relationships with IRC’s partners.

• Actively develop and maintain effective working relationships with relevant local actors in the field, including community, non-governmental and governmental actors

• Closely collaborate with organizations and partners working in implementation area.

• Actively take part in relevant CP coordination meetings at the community level

Other:

• Attend trainings organized 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.

• Assist identifying new implementing partners and arrange meetings with partners to discuss their program implementation when necessary.

• Conduct any other task requested by his/her supervisor to enable and develop IRC programs

Qualifications

• Degree desired in Social Work, Psychology, Education, Human Rights, Social Science, Humanities or other related field.

• At least 1-2 years’ experience in implementing child protection programs, preferably in the field of MHPSS programming for children, parenting programs for caregivers, and CP risk reduction in humanitarian or development settings.

• Demonstrated understanding of working with children who have been affected by conflict, disasters or other humanitarian crises, particularly unaccompanied and separated children and children at-risk of violence, exploitation, abuse or neglect.

• Clear understanding of and interest in the well-being of children and supporting their healing after the experience of violence

• Experience with community work, community mobilization and engagement, and working with children affected by conflict

• Positive and professional attitude, including ability to lead and work well in a team setting.

• Comfortable speaking about sensitive topics in an honest, professional, and thoughtful manner

• Demonstrated ability to liaise with partner organizations.

• Good organizational and planning skills.

• 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.

• Highly motivated, interested and eager to learn.

• Fluency in Arabic; good English skills.

• Available to travel within Gaza, as required.