Child Protection Officer

About the Role

The Child Protection Officer will manage and support individual case management processes (including Best Interests Assessment [BIA] and Best Interests Determination [BID]) in the field offices. The role involves providing mentorship to community supervisors and caseworkers, designing capacity building strategies, participating in interagency coordination meetings, managing data via CPIMS, and ensuring that child protection standards and alternative care guidelines are adhered to.

Key Areas of Accountability

• Case Management & Support: Manage and support individual case management through BIA & BID development processes in field offices. Provide mentorship and support to community supervisors and workers through on-the-job training and guidance to enhance their case management skills and competencies.
• Capacity Building: Design a capacity building strategy for caseworkers and other stakeholders involved in the BIA & BID process. Analyze training schedules for caseworkers and provide technical support/guidance for effective implementation.
• Interagency Coordination: Actively participate in interagency coordination meetings such as BID panels, CPWG, and Case conferences at the field office. Participate in camp-level interagency meetings to identify and build links with partners, government bodies, and the community to address child protection issues.
• Data & Documentation: Ensure timely management of data and documentation of cases at camp level. Coordinate with MEAL assistants to ensure children's records and data are accurately recorded and updated in the CPIMS database. Collect complaints and feedback during field activities for the CFRM database.
• Reporting & Contingency Plan: Produce timely progress reports containing both quantitative and qualitative information. Contribute to the design of overall program contingency plans when needed.
• Alternative Care Guidelines: Coordinate the identification, follow-up, and monitoring of children in alternative care, ensuring placement adheres to SCI procedures and Kenya's alternative care guidelines (Guidelines for Alternative Care of Children in Kenya 2011).
• Safeguarding: Escalate serious complaints to the program manager and field office child safeguarding focal point. Comply with Save the Children policies including Child Safeguarding, Code of Conduct, Health and Safety, and Equal Opportunities.
• Staff Management: Manage caseworkers' annual leave and time-off schedules to ensure minimal disruption to activities.

Skills and Behaviours

• Accountability: Holds self-accountable for decision-making, resource management, and modeling Save the Children values.
• Ambition: Sets challenging goals, takes personal responsibility for development, and thinks strategically.
• Collaboration: Builds and maintains effective relationships with team members, colleagues, external partners, and supporters. Approachable and an active listener.
• Creativity: Develops innovative solutions and is willing to take disciplined risks.
• Integrity: Honest, open, and transparent.

Qualifications and Experience

• At least a Bachelor's Degree in Social Work, Social Sciences, or an equivalent discipline.
• At least four (4) years of relevant experience in similar settings.
• Prior experience in child protection and the Best Interest Determination (BID) process in refugee set-ups is essential.
• Substantial management and leadership experience, preferably in emergency programmes.
• Demonstrable competence in proposal and report writing.
• High-level communication skills, including engaging and informative formal public speaking.
• Fluent in spoken and written English and Kiswahili. Working knowledge of the local language is strongly preferred.
• Proven ability to work effectively in a multi-cultural environment and as part of a team.
• Ability to maintain networks with government and development partners.
• Strong negotiation and technical skills.
• Commitment to Save the Children’s Child Protection Policy.