Psychosocial Officer at Terre des hommes (TDH)

Working time in % : 100%

Location: Dadaab, Garissa

Reports to (Hierarchically (Functionally): Psychosocial Senior Officer

Number of subordinates: Assistant counsellors, Lay Counselors, Center Animators and CFS Supervisors.

Context: Terre des hommes (Tdh) launched its activities in Kenya in January 2011. Tdh provides support to children in Dadaab Refugee Camp and in Korogocho slums.

Tdh also implements WASH, Child Protection, health and nutrition projects in Garissa County.

General description of the position: Reporting to his/her immediate supervisor,the Psychosocial Officer provides psychosocial support to the refgee children and families in Hagadera, Ifo, Dagahaley Refugee Camps and eight surrounding host community villages, monitor the activities in the three child friendly centers and girls safe play areas and provide technical support to the center supervisors, Animators. Lay counselors and Assistant counsellors

Specific Job Descriptions:

Responsibility: Psychosocial support
Aim: To ensure all psychosocial activites are done in Hagadera camp.
Activities:

• To provide psychosocial support to selected cases of high risk or cases in need of specialized psychosocial support or mental health interventions.
• Participate in need assessments and project evaluations aiming at contributing to the development of the child protection programme strategy for the refugee community project in Dadaab Refugee Complex and in eight villages of Dadaab and Fafi Sub-Counties host communities.
• To support in the development of intervention criteria for the psychosocial cases and design appropriate technical responses to psychosocial and mental health cases.
• Provide training and supervising the CP team and community based structures on the management of children and families with basic psychosocial and mental concerns.
• Train CP team members on the child friendly interviews techniques and implementation of psychosocial assessment.
• Under the supervision of the Psychosocial Senior Officer, coordinate with the Case Management and Empowerment Senior Officers on assistance response to cases of children in need of psychosocial interventions.

Responsibility: Conduct Mobile monthly CFS and monitor the two CFS in Hagadera and one CFS in Alinjugur.
Aim: Conduct mobile monthly CFS. Ensure effective and efficient implementation of CFS activities in the three CFSs.
Activities:

• Ensure monthly mobile CFSs are conducted in the three camps and host villages.
• Train and monitors lay counselors and CFSs animators on the mobile CFSs activities.
• Ensure children who can’t access the centres are reached through various PSS interventions.
• Ensure the centre activities are conducted appropriately and they are safe and child friendly.
• Provide technical support to the centre supervisors.
• Monitor the two girl safe play spaces.
• Plan the leave schedule for the center supervisors, lay counselors and CFSs animators.
• Ensure that children living with disabilities are incorporated into centre activities.

Responsibility: Renovation and maintenance of the CFS.
Aim: Conduct situational anaylsis on what the center requires.
Activities:

• Conduct and assessment on host community and refugee camps CFSs and Girls safe play areas while ensuring the CFSs are safe and well equipt with play materials.
• Plan with the logistic team on what the centre needs.
• Train the community members who are willing to volunteer on basic counselling skills and Psychosocial First Aid (PFA).
• Ensure all the activities are carried out in the center and they are safe for children.

Responsibility: Provide psychosocial support to the eight neighnbouring villages of Dadaab and Fafi Sub-counties.
Aim: Ensure chidren in the eight villages receive psychosocial services.
Activities:

• Provide group and individual therapy.
• Identify and screen children with psychosocial distress.
• Work in close collaboration with other departments.
• Provide mobile CFSs in collaboration with the Child Protection Volunteers.
• Liaise with the Sub-County Children’s Officer to support high risk cases that need protection interventions.

Responsibilty: Report writing
Activities:

• Develop unit reports.
• Work closesly with the MEAL Officer and Assistants for efficient documentation of psychosocial work.
• Develop referrals for high risk cases and ensure regular follow up of the cases.
• Participate and represent Tdh in relevant working group meeting at the camp level.
• He/she will conduct his or her duties in respect of the Charter of Terre des hommes and the Tdh Child Protection Safeguarding Policy.
• Terre des hommes expects that its staff professional conduct reflects proper behaviour in accordance with local culture and traditions. He/she assures the moral protection of the name of Terre des hommes and defends in all circumstances the interests of the movement.
• Tdh intervenes without any affiliation for politics, religion or financial profit. He/she will direct his or her activities and engagements without preoccupation of political, racial or religious affiliation.

Abuse Prevention Policy – Operational Risk Management

• Commit to respect Tdh Risk Management Policies including: Child Safeguarding Policy, Safety and Security Policy and Anti-Fraud/Corruption Policy, Code of Conduct, Whistle Blowing Policy.
• Commit to ensure the best implementation possible of the Tdh Risk Management Policies.
• Commit to inform supervisors and to deal with any cases, allegations, or possibility of transgression, even potential, of the Tdh Risk Management Policies.

Competencies

This position requires personal, social and leadership competencies, technical and methodological competency.

Skills:

• Good facilitation skills.
• Problem solving skills.
• Competency in computer applications and packages.
• Skills in involving children in various PSS activities.

Requirements

• Minimum bachelor Degree in Psychology. Clinical Psychology or Counseling Psychology from a recognized university, clinical experience is a plus.
• Experience in use of community based approaches for the management of psychosocial and mental health issues.
• Experience in application of innovative/creative and evidence based psychosocial and mental health issues.
• Minimum of three years’ experience with prominence in psychosocial and mental health assignments.
• Experience in case management including management of case conferences.
• A good understanding of MHPSS framework and guidelines.
• Project reporting and evaluation experience.
• Staff supervision experience.
• Fluency in English and Kiswahili. Knowledge of Somali culture, language and traditions is a plus.

Languages: Fluent in English and Swahili.

Other: Knowledge of Garissa and Dadaab Refugee Camps or similar context.