Case Management Officer - Women Protection Empowerment

The International Rescue Committee 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, IRC offers life-saving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in more than 40 countries and in 22 U.S. cities, IRC restores safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted by conflict or disaster. IRC leads the way from harm to home.

The IRC started operations in Cameroon in 2016 to respond to the increasing concerns for people affected by violence linked to Boko Haram, in the Far North of the country.  Assistance to displaced populations extends across the Far North, notably Mayo Sava, Mayo Tsanaga and Logone & Chari, delivering lifesaving programming to increase access to water and improving hygiene practices in vulnerable displaced and host communities, cash programming to enable poor families to meet basic needs and improve food security, and protection programming, including meeting specific needs of women and girls.  The Coordination office is located in Maroua, with a field base in Kousseri and a representation office in Yaounde.

Following the increasing crisis in the North West and South West regions of Cameroon, the IRC expanded its operations into the South West region in August 2018. The IRC is delivering lifesaving humanitarian assistance to internally displaced populations, with a field base in Buea.

IRC Cameroon is committed in its 2020 Strategic Action Plan, to continue to provide essential humanitarian services, with a focus on safety in communities and ensuring affected populations can meet their basic needs, whilst also building the resilience of beneficiaries, especially women and girls. IRC Cameroon is funded by European and American donors

OBJECTIVE

The WPE Response Officer – Psychosocial/Case Management oversees individual (through the case management process) and group-based psychosocial activities for survivors of GBV. The WPE Response Officer also oversees information collection and advocacy related to health gaps and services. This position supervises GBV Psychosocial Assistant.

BASICS RESPONSIBILITIES

Technical Quality

• Oversee the provision of basic case management and psychosocial activities for survivors of GBV;
• Oversee activities to reinforce referrals for survivors of GBV;
• Reinforce referral mechanisms, and the safety, security and confidentiality of survivors accessing referral services;
• Support the identification of GBV focal points in health centers and liaise with health actors for the training of medical and non-medical staff in health centers;
• Provide staff mentoring and reinforce adherence to GBV guiding principles and best practices throughout IRC’s WPE work;
• Reinforce adherence to the GBV guiding principles throughout all WPE activities;
• Ensure response work with clients, including case management and psychosocial interventions, adheres to best-practice principles when working with survivors of GBV.

Staff Supervision & Development

• Directly supervise GBV Psychosocial Assistant;
• Mentor and support staff professional development and foster a positive team spirit to encourage innovative and quality programming.
• Identify training needs for GBV Psychosocial Assistant and support organization and facilitation of training to meet those needs, in collaboration with the WPE Program Manager and WPE Coordinator.

Grant Planning & Implementation

• Prepare and maintain/update detailed work plan(s) that support and achieve activities.
• Provide direct support and ongoing mentoring to GBV Psychosocial Assistant as they provide services to survivors of GBV. This will include assessment of client needs; basic, crisis counseling (and in some contexts further individual counseling); development of action plans with clients; support to clients in pursuing services and support.
• Provide direct support and ongoing mentoring to GBV Caseworkers as they provide services to child and adolescent survivors of GBV. This will include case management as well as best interest determination, age appropriate engagement and decision-making by survivors, and Do No Harm analysis.
• Develop and implement a series of age-appropriate and specialized group emotional services to be provided to vulnerable women and girls, with an emphasis on meeting the needs of survivors of GBV.
• Ensure the existence of a confidential space for case management and individual counselling.
• Oversee and provide guidance for age appropriate and relevant psychosocial activities for women and adolescent girls.

Coordination & Representation

• Identify concerns related to and support adherence to GBV referral protocols by all relevant stakeholders.
• Support the identification of GBV focal points in health centers and liaise with health actors for the training of medical and non-medical staff in health centers.
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with relevant stakeholders including community leaders and other implementing partners.

Monitoring

• Prepare and submit weekly, monthly and three-month work plans in a timely manner, and incorporate supervisor feedback as requested;
• Compile monthly activity report for submission to the WPE Coordinator;
• Ensure that all relevant financial documentation is accurately completed and submitted, as required by IRC policies.

• Bachelor of Arts or Science in Social Science, Public Health, Humanities or other related field, desirable

Skills and abilities

• Counseling and training experience, including at least two years of experience counseling survivors of abuse or violence;
• Clear understanding of gender, human rights, and issues surrounding violence against women and girls;
• Demonstrated understanding of and ability to maintain confidentiality and respect for clients;
• Knowledge and experience with community outreach and mobilization;
• Experience facilitating trainings and workshops and mentoring others;
• Positive and professional attitude, including ability to lead and work well in a team setting;
• Strong ability to organize work, meet deadlines, maintain composure, prioritize work under pressure, coordinate multiple tasks and maintain attention to detail;
• Computer literate, including Microsoft Word and Excel;
• Fluency in English and/or (other languages) required
• To be of Cameroonian nationality