Country: South Sudan
Closing date: 25 Sep 2018
1.Terms ofReference
Job Title: Psychosocial Support PSS Expert for Child Protection
Code: SR-41-679
Duty station: Malakal with frequent travel to Juba
Starting date: 01/10/2018
Contract duration: 9 months
Reporting to: EiE / CP Project Manager and Protection Coordinator
Supervision of: 2 Local PSS assistants
Dependents: n/a
2.General context of the project
Context Brief South Sudan
300 km of paved road, the rainy seasons, poor network infrastructures, resurging of armed clashes and continuous changes in ground controlling powers pose severe and immediate threats to the life of hundreds of thousands trapped in remote areas. In South Sudan. 7 million people live in emergency settings in dire need of humanitarian assistance. The crisis has exposed civilians to human rights violations, abuses, war crimes and crimes against humanity, often targeting people based on ethnicity. Extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, rape and other acts of sexual violence, arbitrary arrests and detention, targeted attacks against civilians not taking part in hostilities, violence aimed at spreading terror among civilian population, attacks on hospitals and schools have been reported. The conflict has been characterised by the destruction of civilian property including villages, hospitals, and schools; the recruitment of child soldiers and separation of families; arbitrary restrictions of movement; blocking access to goods and services; and looting and destruction of humanitarian property.
The situation for children has deteriorated violations reportedly affecting about 100,000 children since 2013. More than 19,000 children are estimated to have been recruited by armed actors, up from 17,000 in 2016. A total of 16,055 unaccompanied, separated or missing children have been registered since December 2013. Destruction of schools and the departure of teachers from many affected areas severely impact access to education, ( approx.. 2 m children out of school).
In addition, Gender Based Violence is on a record global high; domestic violence, rape and other types of GBV are pervasive but largely unreported—1,324 in the first half of 2017. In Hard-to-Reach-Areas women and girls risk sexual assault almost three times as the danger of looting by armed groups, being respectively 20% and 8% As identified during the recent ICRM assessment in Wechjal, displaced women spend considerable amount of time away from villages searching for firewood and food exposing themselves to the risk of being sexually assaulted. Within the domestic setting partner violence is double the global average with 65 % incidence reported by IRC (November 2017) experienced either sexual or physical violence in their lifetime by an intimate partner or a non-partner. Woman are in charge of the household and food basket, they gather food, grind grain, collect water and firewood for the cooking. There is a direct correlation between food insecurity and increased incidents of sexual violence. For women the food crisis means more than just hunger; it means risking the most brutal, personal violence while struggling to keep their families alive across the country. Furthermore South Sudan is ranked among the top twenty countries in the world with the highest prevalence rates for child marriage, and, according to the 2010 NBS survey, 45% of women, ages 20-49, were married before they were 18-years-old and 7% of women, ages 15-49, were married before turning 15-years-old.
Estimates from UNICEF also show that as many as 900,000 South Sudanese are “psychologically distressed”. As is frequently observed in contexts of high GBV incidence limited effort is placed on preventive action with men, and support for individuals presenting high to severe MHPSS needs is limited. Local services are unable to cope with specific needs of individuals with mental and physical disabilities who face compounded risks due to cultural practice of discrimination and isolation. Estimates reported by IOM suggest that the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder may be as high as 41- 53%.
There is an overarching need to secure and improve access to education for conflict-affected communities. Schools have been spared during the conflict and both teachers and learners were not safe. Qualified teachers fled with their life. Thousands of children have no access of education while significant of children are learning in the open ground under the sun. In some parts of the country, over 75% of primary-aged girls are not in school[1]. Children in rural areas and those displaced by conflict are also amongst the most educationally disadvantaged in the country, but nearly all South Sudanese children fit into at least one of the at-risk profiles, including children who are overage for their grade level, child labourers, children with disabilities, and street children, with a danger that the current schooling crisis will become the status quo.
[1] Global Initiative on Out- of- School Children South Sudan Country, May 2018
3.General purpose of the position
The PSS Expert will be based in Malakal and be responsible for the technical capacity building of Child Protection staff of UNICEF implementing project staff. This will be done through regular training and visits to project implementing sites for monitoring and evaluation of PSS interventions. He/She will gain a thorough understanding of local MHPSS needs and give individual technical advice and guidance to ensure that quality of implementation meets standards as per international CP standards. He/She will contribute to the development and improvement of field friendly guidelines, which will include a set of practical ready-to-use tools and checklists.
4.Main responsibilities and tasks
· Identify PSS capacity building needs of INTERSOS child protection project staff and CP partners through self-evaluation questionnaires and field monitoring visits.
· Conduct capacity building trainings in PSS programming focused on the concept of child resilience and psychosocial programming, based on the newest research and knowledge on child development for INTERSOS child protection project staff and CP partners.
· Facilitate workshops for CP field staff for peer-to-peer learning through exchange of experiences, learnings and best practices.
· Ensure a coherent approach to quality PSS programming amongst all partners of the CP subcluster in line with the IASC MHPSS pyramid.
· Review case management practices and interview techniques for staff of CP partners to ensure core principles, including no harm, are respected at all times.
· Support CP partners with user friendly guidelines, including a set of practical ready to use tools and checklists for developing and implementing PSS programming in different settings and phases of an emergency.
· Promote a clear understanding of the responsibilities of CP and non-CP frontline actors in South Sudan to protect boys and girls from harm and subsequent psychosocial distress, which inhibits their ability to develop and thrive.
· Identify and promote participatory approaches to strengthen community resilience and preparedness and train CP partners through practical simulation exercises.
· Ensure a functioning platform for information sharing and Child Protection library / resources gateway to support partners
· Design a mainstreaming Child Protection/PSS matrix and advocate with UNICEF Partners for Child Protection issues mainstreaming (in particular work with Education partners on integrating child protection through PSS in schools)
· Develop an advocacy strategy for issues related to child protection that require sensitization of local authorities or donors and contribute to the development of key messages for broader humanitarian advocacy/messaging initiatives of UNICEF Child protection.
5.Required profile and experience
Education
· Masters Degree in Psychology is preferred
· Degrees in social sciences, social work, or other disciplines combined with proven track record of PSS activities will be considered
Professional Experience
· At least three years of relevant professional work experience in MHPSS or Child Protection in the humanitarian field.
· Experience in working in emergency context with international CP standards.
· Strong training and capacity building skills, particularly using participatory techniques for training of project staff**.**
Professional Requirements
· Strong knowledge and understanding of Child Protection and the case management process
· Ability to strategise and develop PSS activities that complement and strengthen the case management process
· Strong knowledge and experience in structuring training programs focused on capacity building
· Able to represent the organisation in relevant fora
· Experience in designing, tailoring and delivering training to others focusing on CP and PSS
Languages
Fully proficient in written and spoken English.
Personal Requirements
· Strong inter-personal skills to develop effective working relationships with donors, colleagues and other stakeholders
· Strong team spirit, comfortable in a multi-cultural environment
· Excellent analytical skills, observation and analysis capacity
· Ability to plan ahead and output oriented (pro-active)
· Able to ensure quick quality delivery in stressful environment (stress-resilient)
· Ability to adhere to deadlines and respect line management
· Practical and problem-solver
· Ability to deal with heavy work pressure
How to apply:
HOW TO APPLY:
For further information and to apply, follow the link below:
In case you encounter difficulties applying through INTERSOS' platform, you can also apply by sending your CV, motivation letter and 2 references via email to recruitment@intersos.org , with subject line: "**SR-41-679 - Psychosocial Support PSS Expert for Child Protection – South Sudan** ".
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for the first interview.