Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Officer at Life at Best Development Initiative - 2 Openings

Life at Best Development Initiative (LABDI) is a team of change-makers who believe that every helping hand can create a better future for survivors of wars. We started extending help to vulnerable children and women who were affected by the insurgency which began in Borno state, Nigeria, in 2009. This moment intensified when we found that there were many such vulnerable children, women, and households who needed help with food, shelter, and education. Our team expanded and we spread out into different parts of the BAY states to make sure we cover all possible areas and help as many children, women, and households as possible. We support children, families, and communities affected by insurgencies and natural disasters.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Officer

Locations:  Monguno and Bama, Borno
Employment Type: Full-time

Job Description

• The MHPSS Officer will be responsible for planning, implementing, and monitoring Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) activities within the organization’s programs.
• This role involves providing direct support to affected populations, developing MHPSS programs, and ensuring the integration of MHPSS into other sectoral activities.
• The MHPSS Officer will work closely with local communities, healthcare providers, and other stakeholders to enhance the mental health and psychosocial well-being of individuals and communities, with a specific focus on supporting survivors of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV).
• The activities will be well-integrated into North-eastern Nigerian protection system and humanitarian coordination practices and guidelines. The activities will be carried out in Borno State areas according to the evolving needs of the project especially in Monguno and Bama LGA of Borno State.

Responsibilities
Psychosocial Support:

• Conduct specific child-focused activities for psychosocial well-being and building resilience for the most vulnerable and at-risk children and adolescents by ensuring a variety of activities that include active games, sports, expressive/creative activities, life skills, educational activities.
• Mobilize adolescent boys and girls to launch empowering activities that suit their interest, promote their psychosocial well-being and create an opportunity for their direct social engagement at community level.
• Conduct emotional group support sessions for caregivers.
• Work with the Community liaison Officer to conduct awareness sessions on child protection issues and issues affecting the protection and well-being of children.
• Provide basic counselling sessions to support children and their caregivers to better cope with difficulties, distress and enhance their resilience.
• Identify vulnerable children and adults in a need of protection or support and conduct referral to the case management team and/or education team as appropriate.
• Establish and maintain positive and efficient relations with target beneficiaries, community members, humanitarian actors and all the other key stakeholders for the successful delivery of PSS interventions.
• Ensure availability of the PSS materials and safe storage and maintenance of the PSS materials.
• Prepare weekly activity schedule, keep record of newly registered beneficiaries, fill beneficiary’s daily’s attendance lists, and other reports as required by the line manager and ensure accuracy and timely submission.
• Under the guidance of the Child Protection manager Supervisor, conduct participatory monitoring activities to collect beneficiaries feedback and opinions on the quality and satisfaction of activities.
• Provide supervision, mentorship and guidance to PSS volunteers.
• Perform any other job-related duties as requested by the line manager.

Child Protection:

• Promote inclusion and equal access for every child, paying particular attention to the most vulnerable and at-risk children.
• Identify potential cases of children victims and/or at heightened risk of violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect and any other child protection concern or threat and report to the Case Worker.
• Maintain strict confidentiality regarding information and data of beneficiaries at all times.
• Ensure LABDI Child Safeguarding Policy and Child Protection Minimum Standards are mainstreamed through all the programmatic activities.
• Report serious cases of abuse committed against children to the Consortium manager and/or LABDI CFRM. Strict confidentiality must be respected.
• Provide specialized psychosocial support to survivors of SGBV, including trauma-informed care and counselling.
• Facilitate access to additional services for SGBV survivors, such as medical care, legal assistance, and safe shelter.
• Develop and implement safe and confidential referral pathways for GBV survivors to access comprehensive care.
• Conduct awareness-raising sessions on SGBV and available support services within the community.

Coordination & Representation:

• Coordinates with other LABDI sectors to ensure implementation of standardized activities and with other departments (programme and support) of LABDI Nigeria as necessary
• Represent LABDI project in fora and meetings held at site level in her/his field of expertise.

Other:

• Fully comply with LABDI Code of Conduct and ensure Child Safeguarding Policy is upheld at all times.
• Ensure adherence to LABDI standards and quality requirements in all the project activities.
• Adhere to and ensure the team under her/his responsibility follows LABDI administrative and logistical regulations and procedures.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in psychology, Social Work, Mental Health, or a related field.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience in providing MHPSS services in humanitarian or development contexts.
• Experience in designing and implementing MHPSS programs and activities.
• Proven experience in supporting survivors of SGBV, including trauma-informed care and counselling.

Skills:

• Strong understanding of MHPSS principles and best practices.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work in challenging environments and under pressure.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making abilities.
• Proficiency in using MHPSS assessment and intervention tools.

Requirements

• Ability to work in diverse cultural and political environments.
• Fluency in English; knowledge of local languages is an asset.

General description of the position:

• The purpose of the position is to support the most vulnerable and at-risk boys, girls, men, and women through the provision of integrated, safe, and confidential case management services implemented in accordance with the Inter-Agency Case Management Guidelines. The post holder will be in charge of implementing case management activities in ensuring high-quality case management service delivery. The job location depends on the assignment and might change based on the project’s evolving needs.

Responsibilities & Tasks
Case Management:

• Provide individually tailored comprehensive Child Protection Case Management Services to Unaccompanied, Separated, and other Vulnerable Children in line with the Case Management Standard Operating Procedures.
• Receive and provide referral services for specialized case management services.
• Ensure the confidentiality of the information collected during the case management services and input the information on digital platforms.
• Establish a harmonious working environment with a wide range of stakeholders more specifically, children, beneficiaries, service providers, community leaders, religious leaders, and local government authorities.
• Raise the profile of case management services in the project area by training volunteers and raising awareness in the community.
• Support the establishment and strengthening of Community Based Child Protection mechanisms.
• Make strong efforts for the sustainability of the Community Based Child Protection Mechanisms by linking them to government structures and long-term programs/projects.
• Submit detailed weekly and monthly activity reports to the Case Management Supervisor
• Provide weekly and monthly situation report on the context and the evolving risks and threats hampering the protection and wellbeing of children in the LABDI project location.

Other:

• Fully comply with the LABDI Code of Conduct and ensure Child Safeguarding Policy is always upheld.
• Ensure adherence to LABDI standards and quality requirements in all the project activities.
• Adhere to and ensure the team under her/his responsibility follows LABDI administrative and logistical regulations and procedures.
• The tasks and responsibilities defined in this job description are not exhaustive and can evolve depending on the project needs.

Requirements

• Fluency in local languages and in English (speaking/reading/writing).
• University degree in Social Work, Social Studies, Human Rights, or any other related discipline
• Minimum 2 years of experience in the field of Child Protection / Case Management / SGBV / Social work.
• Good analytical and writing skills.
• Good knowledge of the MS office software package.
• Knowledge of child protection systems in Northeastern Nigeria/Good capacity building and supervisory skills / Previous experience in child protection case management is highly desirable.

Assets:

• Acquaintance with NGO rules, procedures, and regulations; Acquaintance with the Child Protection Minimum Standards, good knowledge of the Inter-agency Guidelines for Case Management and Child Protection.

Application Closing Date
11th December, 2024.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Applications (Letter of motivation and CV in a single PDF file) to: [email protected] to apply, using the Job Title as the subject of the mail.

Note

• LABDI has zero tolerance to sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA), any act of child abuse including sexual exploitation and sexual abuse constitute acts of serious misconduct and are therefore grounds for LABDI plenary measures, including summary dismissal.
• We encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, including but not limited to race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.