Job Title: Assistant Child Protection Officer (Fresher UN Jobs)
Organisation: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Duty Station: Yumbe, Uganda
About US:
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was established on December 14, 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly. UNHCR’s mandate under the Statute of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is to lead and co-ordinate action for international protection to refugees; seek permanent solutions for the problems of refugees and safeguard refugee rights and well-being. UNHCR has an additional mandate concerning issues of statelessness, as it is given a designated role under Article 11 of the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.
Job Summary: The Assistant Child Protection Officer normally reports to a Protection Officer. The incumbent is expected to: support quality, timely and effective child protection responses to the needs of populations of concern; and support mainstreaming of child protection methodologies and integrate protection safeguards in operational responses in all sectors. S/he contributes to identifying key child protection issues, implementation of child protection programmes and supports child protection partnerships and coordination as guided by the supervisor. The Assistant Child Protection Officer also works to involve children, adolescent youth and their families to participate with UNHCR in making decisions that affect them, whether in accessing their rights or in identifying appropriate solutions to their problems. To achieve this, the incumbent builds and maintains effective interfaces with communities of concern, local authorities and protection and assistance partners.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
Needs Identification, Strategy and Advocacy
- Support in the formulation of the child protection key considerations in in multi-sectoral and protection specific assessments.
- Contribute to the formulation of child protection strategy as part of the operation’s broader Protection and Solutions Strategy, which incorporates age, gender and diversity analysis, identifies the protection needs and capacities of children of concern, communities and services and reflects UNHCR’s policies, standards and priorities, including the Framework for the Protection of Children.
- Ensure compliance with UNHCR’s child protection policy, priorities and commitments, as well as other aligned policies on age, gender, diversity (AGD) and accountability to affected populations (AAP), GBV, gender equality, disability and youth empowerment.
- Participate in defining context – appropriate approaches for a meaningful participation of children, adolescents and youth in the development and implementation of strategies that address key child protection priorities.
- Support the analysis of the national systems and ensure that child protection programmes complement national child protection systems and work towards the inclusion of children of concern into national child protection laws, policies and services.
Programme planning and implementation
- Assist in the designing of child protection programmes, including multi-sectoral activities, and monitoring framework based on identified needs and in line with Child Protection Strategy and UNHCR’s global, regional and national policies and standards, including the Framework for the Protection of Children and the Best Interests Procedure.
- Support in implementing quality child protection programmes, including multi-sectoral activities, in collaboration with partners and key stakeholders.
- Contribute to the effective implementation of Best Interests Procedure by UNHCR and partners for timely support for children at heightened risk including supervision of UNHCR case management staff in line with UNHCR Best Interests Procedures Guidelines.
- Work with the team to ensure that Best Interests Determination panels are carried out in a timely manner and recommendations are implemented as planned.
- Implement and monitor the application of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for child protection.
- Support UNHCR and partners’ case workers to ensure that child protection information management is maintained in accordance with UNHCR’s Policy and procedure as well as data sharing protocols.
- Support partners and communities in strengthening/ establishing community-based child protection programming.
- Support the monitoring of child protection partners’ programmes in line with relevant partnerships-agreements to ensure all children at risk are identified and supported.
- Support protection and programme teams in identifying gaps and needs for the child protection and other related partners, participating closely in the annual programme cycle and partnerships revision.
- Provide functional guidance to UNHCR and partner staff involved in child protection activities.
Partnership and coordination
- Assist in strengthening strategic and innovative partnerships for Child Protection with community-based, local, national, and international organizations, with a focus on ensuring continuity and sustainability.
- Work with partners to ensure statistics and reporting on children at risk are provided on a regular basis.
- Support coordination among CP relevant stakeholders at the local level.
- Contribute to mainstreaming and integrating child protection considerations into other sectors.
- Contribute to interagency monitoring and reporting on child protection issues and programmes.
- Ensure CP issues are mainstreamed by working closely with other sectors.
Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building
- Assist in identifying training needs of UNHCR, Government and partner staff in the area of child protection, and development of learning plans.
- Participate in initiatives to build capacity of authorities, relevant institutions and NGOs to strengthen national protection related legislation and procedures.
- Assist in providing functional guidance to UNHCR and partner staff involved in child protection activities
- Identify and document lessons learnt and good practices.
- Perform other related duties as required.
Qualifications, Skills and Experience:
- The applicant for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Assistant Child Protection Officer job should have one year of year relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or no experience with Graduate degree; or no experience with Doctorate degree in International Law, Human Rights, International Development, International Relations, Anthropology, Social Work, Gender Studies, Political Science, Social Science or other relevant field.
- Experience in the field of protection of children, broader protection or social work involving children and youth, with knowledge of issues relating to child protection, education, gender, humanitarian and development issues, and GBV prevention and response.
- Applied experience in child protection prevention and response.
- Skills and experience in interviewing and working with children and families including on child protection case management.
Desirable
- Knowledge of protection in forced displacement settings and knowledge and demonstrated use of UNHCR and Interagency child protection tools and Guidance.
- Knowledge of the international legal and policy framework governing refugees, asylum seekers and returnees and IDPs
- Knowledge and good understanding of the UNHCR Best Interests Procedures Guidelines
- Experience in working with children, adolescents and youth and participatory child friendly approaches.
- Experience implementing child protection case management and/or implementation of best interests procedures.
- Experience working with partners.
- Language Requirements: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language.
Functional Skills
- PR-Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD)
- IT-Computer Literacy
- CO-Cross-cultural communication
- TR-Training – Virtual and face to face
- PR-Child Protection Information Management System
- *PR-Child Protection Prevention and Response Programming
- PR-Child Protection Case Management and Best Interests Procedures
- CL-Multi-stakeholder Communications with Partners, Government & Community
NB: Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential.
How to Apply:
All suitably qualified and interested candidates who wish to join the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) should apply online at the link below
Deadline: 27th April 2023