Child Protection Social Work Supervisor for Birth Registration

Background

Equality for Peace and Development Organization (EPDO) is an Afghan non-profit, non-governmental organization founded in 2010 to empower
women and youth at the community and policy level in Afghanistan. EPDO envisions Afghanistan as a peaceful, prosperous, and welfare state where all Afghans enjoy
equal rights without discrimination. Therefore, EPDO aims to increase the capacity of vulnerable groups, especially women and youth, to enable them to represent their
needs in all aspects of development. EPDO focuses on various spectrums of peace, security, livelihood, and development in Afghanistan — ranging from the salient
need for humanitarian assistance, economic empowerment, and continuous development processes, to long-term projects for sustainable peace.

Project Background:

UNICEF child protection supports to strengthen child protection system in Afghanistan closely working with government sectors and non-government partners on system building, justice for children, birth registration, elimination of harmful practices and child protection in emergencies. UNICEF supports strengthening psycho-social support services to better respond to the needs of children abused or at risk of abuse and violence.

The key challenge in responding to the growing child protection and gender-based violence (GBV) crisis is the absence of a qualified, incentivized workforce. To meet the needs of Afghan children and women within the current context, UNICEF anticipated a need for 25 social workers per 100,000 children.

However, due to the turnover of social workers and the expiry of NGO partnerships, the number of social workers remains in constant fluctuation, requiring continuous training and deployment. Therefore, to ensure services are provided to the most vulnerable children in Afghanistan, and in line with the aforementioned strategy, UNICEF continues to fund the recruitment and training of the social welfare workforce, onboarded by EPDO as the implementing partner. These social workers support the delivery of integrated humanitarian child protection services, including case management; family tracing and reunification (FTR); provision of psychosocial support (PSS); referrals to education, health, GBV, and other specialized services; and income-generating activities for vulnerable children and their families, among other interventions

The Child Protection Social Work Provincial Supervisor is required to work closely with the team and relevant stakeholders to achieve the goals and objectives designed for this program. S/he is also required to manage and oversee the effective implementation of the activities.

Job description:

Under the direct supervision of the Child Protection Officer in CR and in close coordination with the UNICEF team in Daikundi outpost, NSIA and CRVS in Daikundi, this position will be tasked to:

1) Support the child protection program in birth registration

• Development of a BR program implementation plan to promote birth registration in Daikundi province.
• Assess the current birth registration system in Daikundi, including the review of existing plans and operational frameworks on CRVS (civil registration and vital statistics) and identify key barriers and challenges to birth registration.
• Produce an analysis of the functionality of CRVS centers in Daikundi province.
• Working with the Health Officer in Daikundi, conduct a mapping of all available health facilities that are currently undertaking birth registration.
• Identify the focal points of the health facilities (midwife) to do the BR align with MOPH relevant department.

2) Support the programme management, monitoring, and delivery of results for birth registration

• Support data management on number of registered births and coverage rates.
• Plan and provide capacity building initiatives on birth registration for UNICEF’s partners and health facilities staff.
• Distribute birth registration related materials, including monitoring of their proper usage and reporting in a timely manner.
• Working with key partners, develop harmonized IEC materials including key messages on the importance of birth registration for demand creation.

3) Support UNICEF’s partnership building in the CRVS sphere

• Coordination and liaison with the NSIA and the Department of Public Health in Daikundi province.

• Coordination with the District Health Committee and ensure BR is an agenda point in their meetings.
• Perform other tasks as assigned by the direct supervisor.

Terms of Payment:

• The monthly remuneration for the Child Protection Social Work Provincial Supervisor is based on the approved funding for this position by UNICEF.
• The position is entitled to a communication allowance and travel costs, in line with the approved budget

Work schedule:

Full-time every day from Saturday to Thursday for 8 hours per day.

Required Qualifications:

• Graduates of social work, psychology, or counselling departments at registered Afghanistan universities (or international).
• At least five years’ work experience in child protection programs with national and international organizations.
• Be a resident of the Daikundi province or have complete familiarity with the province and access to hard-to-reach areas.
• Experience in working with government departments and provincial stakeholders in the relevant province.  
• Expertise in communication with children and families, representation, facilitation, mobilization, and negotiation.
• Fluency in Pashto, Dari & English is a must (both written and verbal).

Interested candidates are invited to submit their application (CV and Cover letter in one file) by email to
admin@epdo-afg.org (mailto:admin@epdo-afg.org)
Please write the position title and VA# in the subject line of your email otherwise your application will not be considered.
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.