GBV Case Worker Assistant

Job Description

Background/IRC Summary:

The Syria crisis is often described as the worst humanitarian catastrophe since the end of the Cold War. Today, 13.4 million people in Syria - more than half of the country's population - are in need of humanitarian assistance with needs increasingly being exacerbated by economic decline. Of these, 6.8 million are refugees and asylum-seekers who have fled the country. This is no short-term humanitarian episode. The devastating human consequences to huge numbers of people will endure for decades. The destruction of relationships, communities, livelihoods, homes, and infrastructure will take years to repair.

IRC is offering a robust humanitarian response to the Syria crisis a rapidly expanding portfolio, supported by more than 1000+ staff in Syria Country Program. IRC is undertaking programs in Syria and the neighboring countries of Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon, and Jordan in the fields of health, child protection, early childhood development, education, women’s protection and empowerment, non-food items and food distribution, cash assistance, water and sanitation, protection and rule of law, and livelihood programming. Our work in these challenging settings gives rise to some of the most pressing issues facing modern humanitarian action, including questions of access, security, funding, and coordination.

Job Overview/Summary:

IRC has an established program supporting the needs of women and girls throughout Al-Hasakah and Ar-Raqqa Governorate in northeast Syria. The IRC provides direct counseling, psychosocial, and case management services to women and girls, with a particular focus on responding to the needs of survivors of gender-based violence (gender-based violence). The GBV Case Worker Assistant works in the Women’s Listening Center or women's protection and empowering safe spaces. They will provide direct case management, individual counseling, and group-based psychosocial activities in the space. Their objective is to provide age-appropriate case management services to GBV survivors, including supporting them in assessing and planning for safety, assessing their own needs, and developing a plan to address their individual needs, and safely implementing this plan.

Responsibilities:

- Always enforce the gender-based violence guiding principles, women's protection Empowering Case Management Guidelines, the Inter-Agency Standing Committee gender-based violence Case Management Guidelines (2017) throughout all case management and PSS interventions for women and girls. - Ensure at all times women-, girl- and survivor-cantered approach throughout all activities and services you and the team provide in the women and girls Centers and safe spaces; this includes ensuring the confidentiality of survivors, and respect for their wishes and decisions. - Provide age-appropriate case management, including assessment of women and adolescent girl’s needs; provide emotional support, basic, crisis counseling (and in some contexts further individual counseling); safety strategizing and risk assessing; development of action plans; support in pursuing services and support; safe, confidential and appropriate referrals in-line with the formal gender-based violence referral pathways; providing discretionary assistance (such as transportation, dignity kit items, urgent medical cost) if in-line with internal protocols and eligibility criteria to meet most urgent needs; - Actively participate in the mandatory weekly team case management meeting at the Centre, and the individual supervision sessions with your casework supervisor (Senior Officer). - Working with the Women’s Centre Officer and Snr women's protection Empowering Program Officer, regularly advocate for the provision of life-saving medical care including clinical management of - Sexual abuse and psychosocial abuse, family planning and other sexual and reproductive health issues - Family planning, and other reproductive health; and where available and of quality, work in close collaboration with the health service near the center to ensure women and girls have safe, discrete, and confidential access to/from the women's protection Empowering and health services via agreed upon safe and confidential referral procedures. - Provide services to the child and adolescent girl survivors of gender-based violence, including case management as well as the best interest determination, age-appropriate engagement and decision-making by survivors, and Do No Harm analysis. - Lead age-appropriate and specialized group emotional services to vulnerable women and girls. - Collaborate with International Rescue Committee Community health worker where available, to mobilize women and girls around the centers and their services. - Conduct assessments with adolescent girls, their caregivers, and other stakeholders to identify key concerns, needs, and opportunities - Conduct ongoing focus group discussions with women and adolescent girls to advise program activities; and work with the WPE team in the Center to ensure a response to the evolving needs of women and girls and their communities. - Identify concerns related to and support adherence to gender-based violence referral protocols and gender-based violence guiding principles and bring these concerns to the women's protection Empowering Response Officer. - Maintain effective working relationships with relevant stakeholders including community leaders and other implementing partners. - Complete monthly activity reports, according to guidance provided by the WPE Officer. - Daily, where possible, update the women's protection Empowering Case Tracker with all new relevant case data; and submit it to the information management of gender-based violence Assistant/Snr women's protection Empowering Program Officer, at the end of each week. - Maintain detailed and confidential case files, ensuring they are carefully and safely stored in the in-line with the Case Management Protocol, data protection protocols, and safety and ethical standards on gender-based violence information management; and ensuring the women's protection Empowering Case Tracker remains password protected.

Qualifications

- University degree/institute certificate or other advanced technical qualifications in psychology, sociology, social work, education, or other related fields - Minimum, 2 years of progressively responsible professional experience of GBV cases management, counseling, or PSS, preferably with women / girls. - Previous experience in an emergency or conflict-afflicted setting is required.

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

- A commitment to IRC’s mission, vision, values, and IRC Way – Professional Code of Conduct. - Credible written, presentation, and verbal communication skills; ability to convey information optimally and proven experience providing training and staff development - Validated a sense of professional discretion, integrity, and ability to handle sophisticated situations subtly and to effective resolution. - Excellent management and communication skills and a solid ability to promote harmonious/cohesive collaboration, in a cross-cultural context. - Validated ability to plan long-term, organize priorities and work under administrative and programmatic pressures with detail orientation and professional patience. - Highly collaborative and resourceful; ability to establish positive working relationships with senior-level management and all other partners to improve collaboration and productivity. - Curiosity, a desire to continually learn and develop, and a sense of humor are a must. - Analytical ability in creating effective solutions to sophisticated matters while adhering to labor laws and internal policies.

Language/Travel:

Arabic is required, while Kurdish and English are desired.

Travel: 100% to field sites in 100% as well as attending regional and global workshops and meetings.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: WPE Senior Officer (technically) Position directly supervises: None.

Indirect Reporting (If applicable): Key Internal Contacts: IP staff

Key External Contacts:

Professional Standards: IRC staff must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way – Global Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability and Equality. In accordance with these values, IRC operates and carries out policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti-Workplace Harassment, Respect at Work Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.

Returning National Candidates: We strongly encourage national or returning national candidates to apply for this position. If you are a citizen of the Country in which this position is based and are currently located outside of your home country and possess over two years of international work experience, the Middle East Region has introduced an attractive remuneration package. The package includes competitive compensation, return flight to post, shipping allowance, temporary housing and a relocation allowance. Certain restrictions may apply. IRC strives to attract, motivate and retain qualified national staff in our programs.

Accountability to Clients: IRC staff must adhere to the commitment of contributing to the sustainability and development of its (CR) Client Responsiveness Mechanisms, preserving the culture of prioritizing the needs of our clients and affected communities by systematically listening to their perspectives and using their feedback to make programmatic decisions and give them greater influence over program design and delivery.

Gender Equality: IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances.

Diversity and Inclusion: at IRC MENA, we are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. Organizations that are diverse in age, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, ethnicity, nationality, and perspective are validated to be better organizations. More importantly, creating a safe workspace environment where everyone, from any background, can do their best is the right thing to do. So, bring your whole self to work.

IRC is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful, and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. In keeping with our core values of Integrity, Service, Accountability and Equality, IRC strives to maintain a work environment built on mutual respect in which all individuals treat each other professionally, and free of bias, prejudice, and harassment. IRC expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying of IRC Persons in any work setting. All IRC staff, wherever they are located, are accountable for creating an environment free of discrimination, harassment, bullying, and retaliation.