Requisition ID: req14370

Job Title: Psychosocial Support Officer

Sector: Women Protection & Empowerment

Employment Category: Fixed Term

Employment Type: Full-Time

Open to Expatriates: No

Location: Kasulu, Tanzania

Job Description

Background

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.

For over half a century, Tanzania has been a country of asylum, hosting one of the largest refugee populations in Africa. At present there are 66,370 Congolese refugees, many of whom have lived in Tanzanian camps for 20 years. Tanzania also now hosts 167,000 Burundian refugees, many of whom arrived over the last 16 months as violence in Burundi increased.  Refugees continue to arrive at a rate of 300 persons per day, and are received at a dozen reception centers close to the Burundian border, before being transferred to a longer-term refugee camp. 

Within this context, IRC provides protection and basic assistance in the areas of gender-based violence / women’s protection and empowerment, child and youth protection and development, community-based rehabilitation for persons with disabilities and special needs, livelihoods, mental health services and primary health care at the border posts and reproductive health for the Burundian and Congolese in refugee camps in the Kigoma region. 

The Women’s Protection and Empowerment program in Tanzania has worked to strengthen gender-based violence (GBV) service delivery, help survivors heal, mobilize communities to prevent violence, and promote women and girls’ inclusion. The IRC works to ensure GBV survivors have access to life-saving care, improved protection and envisions a country in which women and girls are respected, have access to essential services and opportunities, and live free from violence. The IRC Tanzania has been implementing GBV programs in refugee camps.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) Tanzania is present in the Kigoma Region, Northwestern Tanzania, providing services in three refugee camp namely; Nyarugusu in Kasulu District, Nduta in Kibondo district and Mtendeli in Kakonko districts, in addition to the transit centre in Kigoma town and 10 border entry points.  The IRC provides protection and basic assistance in the areas of education, Child Protection, Youth and Development, Community-based Rehabilitation/Persons with special needs, e, Youth & Development and Women’s Protection and Empowerment/Gender-Based Violence (WPE/GBV).

Scope of work

This position will be responsible for providing direct comprehensive case management service and holistic psychosocial support services, in best response to the needs of GBV survivors in the the target population/ assigned refugee camp. The Psychosocial Support Officer work in close coordination with multi-sectoral response GBV services providers. The position is based in the assigned camp and report to GBV Psychosocial Support Supervisor.

Program Responsibilities:  

  • GBV survivors must be provided services with supportive environment in which there are respected and treated with dignity, following survivor-centered approach that survivor are engaged, and their best interest, rights, needs and wishes are respected, as outlined in the IRC’s WPE Case Management Guidelines.
  • Adhere to GBV guiding principles: ensure the safety of the survivor and their children; and staff involve at all times, respect the confidentiality of the information provided by GBV survivors, if using interpreters, interpreters must be trained on respecting confidentiality, and conduct interviews in private settings. Maintain a non-judgmental manner and respect the survivor decision.
  •  Provide professional psychosocial and confidential services to survivors of GBV, grounded in the IRC’s holistic, survivor-centered case management approach.
  • Provide case management services in accordance with the case management steps, conduct safety assessment and planning, conduct consent based, timely multi sectoral response referrals for GBV survivors including access to justice, working closely with the WPE legal team.
  • Ethically and confidentially document client information through accurate filling of IRC provided intake forms and ensure confidential and safe storage
  • Ensure cases that need life-saving services are prioritized for immediate medical or security related action.
  • Ensure proper and safe documentation of reported GBV incidences through utilization of GBVIMS tools and coding system; consent form, case intake form, action plan, follow up plan, client satisfaction tool and other case management tools accurately and appropriately, strictly follow data protection protocol and confidentiality. Secure document storage in a lockable cabinet and location at all time.
  •  Conduct GBV ethical and accuracy data collection in GBV information management systems (GBVIMS) entered with data protection and confidentiality – working with supervisor for analysis, planning, evaluation to inform WPE programming
  • Conduct effective working relationships with all GBV services providers including police, and MHA at camp level in best representation of survivors’ best interest and needs, use and follow of GBV referral pathway and GBV SoPs.
  • Attend internal weekly case review meeting with supervisor.
  • Attend Case conference meeting as assigned by supervisor.
  • Ensure that IRC support center is safe, confidential, and accessible in supportive environment for GBV survivors.
  • Advocate on survivors’ needs and best interest, ensure actions are immediate taken especially medical and safety issues, and other survivors’ needs are met by services providers.
  • Promote networks with community leaders, women leaders, women’s group, service providers and camp management to ensure that survivors receive compassionate support from the community.

Data collection and reporting;

  •  Conduct regular administration of client satisfaction surveys for survivors accessing GBV services
  •  Conduct regular IRC case management supervision tools with officer and case worker.
  • Regular check data quality and accuracy, review case files on a regular basis, focusing on active cases to make sure that a) forms are being used and filled out appropriately; and b) to monitor the services that are being provided (as documented in the case file).
  •  Track indicators, maintain, update  and analyze data on WPE response activity and indicator
  •  Prepare and submit timely and quality weekly, monthly, quality and other donor reports as per the donor requirements, including assist in proposal input. Accountable to meet report deadline.
  • Support and working closely with WPE M&E Manager on program data collection.
  • Use of WPE Response M&E tools and GBVIMS tools sufficiently and systematically
  • Participate in data analysis, interpretation of the analyzed data on GBV reporting trends to inform intervention areas.

Program management

  •  With support from supervisor participate in all response budget planning; accountable for develop and maintain work plans, spending and procurement plans, tracking expenditures and ensure all prevention activities are allowable and allocable according to IRC and donor compliance and regulations; review monthly BvA and bring any over/under expenditure, miss-charge or double charging issues etc to the attention of the supervisor in a timely manner and jointly develop corrective plans and prepare response activity cash projection submit to supervisor.
  •  Build the knowledge and skills of case worker/incentive staff on GBV cases management emphasis on safety assessment and planning, and psychosocial support/counseling, referral to other services.
  • Communicate any incentive staffs issue to supervisor in a timely manner. Any recruitment of the new incentive staff must obtain supervisor approval.
  • Participate and support in building the capacity of community based groups to provide ongoing psychosocial support to emotionally distressed persons
  •  Participate in capacity building of other service providers and community based structures to ensure that survivors receive compassionate support as assigned by supervisor.
  • Conduct transparent and accountable records of beneficiaries issued with non-food items distribution at the IRC support center. Inventory of all materials support must be regular update and accurate.
  • Participate the identification for material needs of GBV survivors in collaboration with Supervisor and initiate purchase requests to respond to the needs in line with approved budgets, and in advance of the quarterly procuring.
  • Direct manage assets/inventory assigned to the support centers

 General Responsibilities:

  •  Attend and participate in trainings identified organized by your supervisor.
  •  Follow any new procedures and guidelines designated in circulars from Country Director.
  • Support the IRC Tanzania Country SAP implementation in Kibondo field office, coordinate with other IRC actors particularly Health, Education, MHPSS and Operational Department to achieve the IRC strategy outcome with support of WPE Sr. Manager and WPE Coordinator.
  • Report any violations of the IRC Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Code of Conduct (Tanzania and worldwide) as per the IRC Tanzania reporting mechanism. The reporting of violations is an obligation on the part of all staff members.
  • Assist where necessary in undertaking activities that aim to prevent the occurrence of sexual abuse and exploitation of refugees by IRC and other humanitarian workers.
  • Represent IRC at interagency meetings as assigned.
  • Assist in control and proper usage of stationery and other items relating to work.
  • Perform other duties as may be assigned by your supervisor.

Qualifications

  • Bachelors Degree in counseling and/or psychology. Diploma holders with extensive work experience will also be considered.
  •  Minimum 2 years of direct psychosocial/counseling experience with a reputable agency; experience working mental health cases preferred.
  • Clear understanding of psychosocial support, psychosocial care, counseling and support service for survivor of GBV.
  • Must maintain confidentiality, working ethics, GBV guiding principle and uphold rights and survivor best interest, respect survivor decision at all times.
  • Positive, highly motivated, innovative, with strong organizational and inter-personal skills.
  • Able to work as part of a team.
  • Strong knowledge of computer applications, including MS Word, Excel and power point
  • Willing to work in a remote location.
  • Fluency in Swahili and English, knowledge of French or Kirundi is a plus.