Child Protection Officer - IHA - MAPLE (Borno) at Save the Children Nigeria

Save the Children is the leading independent organization for children in need, with programs in over 120 countries. We save children’s lives. We fight for their rights. We help them fulfil their potential. Save the Children is working in Nigeria because one in five children in Nigeria dies before their fifth birthday. About 40% of children miss out on school and have to work to survive while nearly 2 million children have lost one or both parents to an AIDS-related disease.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Child Protection Officer - IHA - MAPLE

Location: Borno
Contract Length: 1 year Fixed Term
Grade: 4
Job Category: Programme Operations
Child Safeguarding: Level 3

Job Desceiption

• The responsibilities of the post may require the post holder to have regular contact with or access to children or young people. 
• As part of these responsibilities the post holder will support the establishment of child safeguarding systems, promote a culture of keeping children safe, and ensure that potential harm to children (by our own staff and/or because of how we do our work) is identified and addressed on an ongoing basis. 
•  The post holder should report and respond to interventions as determined by position related responsibilities identified in the Child Safeguarding Policy.

Role Purpose

• With Funding from GAC, the CP Officer will provide support to the Nutrition and Child Protection Project in Borno and is responsible for ensuring that quality mental health and psychosocial support services and case management for children experiencing or at risk of abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence including GBV survivors are provided.
• Build the staff capacity to provide direct meaningful support to children at risk and GBV survivors, mentor, supervise and monitor team activities and ensure effective coordination and networking system establishment to the rest of child protection team. 
• The CP Officer will be expected to support on child protection sectoral assessment, project planning and coordination with other actors and clusters. In most circumstances, the post holder will be expected to mentor and/or build capacity of implementing partners on the field.

Scope of Role

• Comply with Save the Children policies and practice with respect to child protection, code of conduct, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies and procedures.
• Reports to: Child Protection Coordinator
• Staff reporting to this post: None

Key Areas Of Accountability

• Conduct child protection using SC assessment processes and tools and the Inter-agency Child Protection Assessment Resource Toolkit.
• Adapt the Assessment Tool as necessary to children at risk.
• Coordinate with other SC thematic areas, the national/district Child Protection Working Group and/or other external sector agencies of GBV, ensuring assessment findings are documented and that all assessments include a specific, disaggregated data analysis of survivors’ needs.
• Develop monthly and quarterly plans and costed plans, contributing towards an overall thematic programme plan.
• Support to the psychosocial (physical, social, emotional) wellbeing of children including GBV survivors and their families.
• Build the staff capacity to provide direct and appropriate support services to children at risk.
• Prevention and response to all forms of exploitation including harmful child labour and child trafficking.
• Oversee and coordinate the development and maintenance of data collection and analysis mechanisms and share timely quality information the relevant sector management.
• Support the integration of child protection activities into other sectors.
• Supervise project implementation to ensure timely delivery of project activities.
• Prepare and review timely monthly reports submitted by partners and SCI Staff.
• Identify project supplies specific to the programme needs and coordinate with the logistics team to put in place a sensible phased procurement plan.
• Work with the MEAL plan to ensure links to reporting requirements where possible, refer the MEAL framework to build an evidence-base for child protection programming interventions including GBV survivors.
• With support from the CRM/Accountability Officer put in place accountability activities for your project, ensuring that feedback from children and their families is considered in project design.
• Ensure that the minimum standards of humanitarian relief are maintained in accordance with the Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Settings and the Sphere standard.
• Ensure children at risk and survivors of gender-based violence are timely identified and provided counselling and other appropriate response services.
• Ensure relevant referral forms are in place and implemented accordingly.
• Coordinate monthly meetings including, parent’s forum and child protection committee.
• Provide essential psychosocial first aid support to children and adults when needed.
• Ensure partner staff are supervised regularly to ensure activities are carried out in line with minimum standard guidelines.
• Consistently maintain referral pathway of project locations.
• Ensuring assistance is provided to children affected by the conflict in a dignified, respectful, equitable and inclusive manner that supports their resilience.
• Assisting children in acute distress and alleviating their stress, for instance ensuring that all staff / partners are trained on PFA and feel confident to use it.
• The mainstreaming of inter-agency guidelines (e.g. IASC MHPSS guidelines) and standards (e.g. CPMS) across the different sectors of programme activities delivered by SC and its partners.
• The use of structured and manualised MHPSS techniques.
• The participation of parents and caregivers in MHPSS activities.
• Support structured MHPSS activities for groups of boys and girls of different age groups, with particular attention to survivors of SGBV, unaccompanied children and other children who present with signs of poor mental health and distress.
• Identify MHPSS service providers and agree referral pathways for children with severe mental disorders.

Additional Job Responsibilities

• The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.
• Equal Opportunities:
  • The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.
• Child Safeguarding:
  • We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.
• Health and Safety:
  • The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI Health and Safety policies.

Qualifications and Experience

• University degree or equivalent in social work, Social Science, development studies or equivalent combination of relevant training and experience.
• Minimum 2 years post NYSC work experience in GBV and child Protection work, supervision, community mobilisation and distributions and solid understanding of the actual Nigeria Emergency context.
• Proven ability to supervise a CP project with a holistic approach and integrated to child protection rights.

Skills:

• Previous experience in similar responsibilities, preferably with an NGO and/or UN agency.
• Highly flexible and ability to work in a team.
• Communication & Interpersonal Skill Level – Excellent.
• Language Requirements – English and Hausa – Excellent.
• Level of IT literacy required – (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Email system, Internet browsing) excellent.

Behaviours (Values in Practice):
Accountability:

• Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values.
• Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.

Ambition:

• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same.
• Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others.
• Future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale.

Collaboration:

• Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters.
• Values diversity and sees it as a source of competitive strength.
• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.

Creativity:

• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions.
• Willing to take disciplined risks.

Integrity:

• Honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity.

Application Closing Date
14th April, 2025; 23:59.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online