Duty station: Odesa

Key working relationships:
Position Reports to: Protection Case Manager
Internal collaborations within IRC: Protection and Rule of Law Manager, Community Mobilizers, Senior Protection and Information Officer, Protection Information Management Officer, Sr Legal Officer, Legal Officers
External collaborations to IRC: Protection and information services actors, MHPSS organizations and agencies

Job Overview/Summary:
The Case Worker will be responsible for providing direct support and care for persons at risk, including case management and unstructured psychosocial support. The Case Worker will be supervised by the Protection Case Manager to ensure qualitative and effective case management and will be based in Odesa with frequent travels to Mykolaiv oblast.

Specifically, the case worker will be responsible for:

Programme implementation

Case Management and Psychosocial Support
Identify and receive referrals regarding individuals and families who require support who are detected during registration, psychosocial, outreach and other activities
Conduct household visits and center-based interviews to assess the needs of individuals and families.
Provide information to individuals and families about their rights and entitlements, including what services and are available (including beyond the scope of services provided by IRC).
Work with identified individuals and families to develop and implement an action plan in accordance with their needs, capacities and goals.
Offer individuals and families’ choices and options, including seeking out alternatives when the needed services are not available, and actively involve individuals and/or families in decision making that will affect them.
Assess risk and support individuals and families to understand risks relevant to their situation.
Link individuals and families with support groups and networks, and other community-based resources, as appropriate.
Directly provide psychosocial counseling and support the coordination of provision of services by other specialized service providers in accordance with the needs of individuals and families.
Ensure appropriate monitoring, review and follow up of the services provided to cases.
Facilitate structured group psychosocial assistance tailored to the needs of the community.
Refer cases that require additional MHPSS interventions through appropriate referral pathways

Data management and reporting
Manage, file and store data, ensuring the confidentiality of the information collected and the services provided.
Prepare and submit weekly and monthly work plans in a timely manner for the Senior Case Management Officer’s validation.
Support the implementation of monitoring and evaluation tools and report on problems in the implementation of the program.
Participate in weekly reporting and planning meetings to ensure adherence to standards of care, quality case management and reporting requirements.

Coordination and representation
Contribute to the maintenance of an up-to-date service mapping of the service providers operating in the area and take proactive steps to remain informed about the available services.
Receive cases referred from other agencies (following case allocation by the Senior Case Management Officer). Provide feedback of actions taken to other agencies, when necessary and appropriate in light of confidentiality requirements.
Lobby on behalf of individuals and families to access services and support individuals and families to effectively represent their views, needs and capacities in all meetings affecting them.

Requirements:
Language: Bilingual in Ukrainian and Russian and verbal and writing skills in English desired.
Bachelor/Degree in Social work, Counseling, Psychology or other related field.
Minimum of 2 years of relevant work experience in \, psychosocial support/psychology, in clinical and/or direct practice settings.
Knowledgeable in and has used the IASC MHPSS guidelines and best practices as part of their previous work experience.
Excellent communication skills
Demonstrated understanding of and ability to maintain confidentiality and respect for clients
Positive and professional attitude, including ability to lead and work well in a team setting
High degree of flexibility and 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

Professional Standards
The International Rescue Committee is determined to protect the people it serves and staff from all kinds of harm, including sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment. It is committed to take all necessary preventive measures and create an environment where people feel safe. IRC builds diverse and inclusive teams of professionals who promote critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity to deliver the best possible services to our clients.
IRC workers must adhere to the core values and principles outlined in IRC Way – Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces its safeguarding policies to protect adult and child clients from any form of exploitation and abuse, including sexual exploitation and abuse, and its staff from sexual harassment and violence.
Where misconduct is alleged, IRC follows a Zero tolerance approach and takes all necessary actions and corrective measures. IRC investigation unit comprises of experts and trained investigators that ensures professional survivor-centered investigations are conducted if allegations of safeguarding violations are reported through the safe and accessible reporting channels that IRC makes available to its staff, partners, and clients.
These commitments are set out in IRC’s Safeguarding Policies, accessible in English and in Ukrainian language via this link: https://rescue.box.com/v/irc-safeguarding-policies. IRC is an active member of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) set-up in Ukraine