Outreach Psycho-Social Worker

Handicap International is an independent and impartial international aid organization working in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster. Working alongside persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups, our action and testimony are focused on responding to their essential needs, improving their living conditions and promoting respect for their dignity and their fundamental rights.

Handicap International is a not-for-profit French organization with no religious or political affiliation.

Handicap International (HI) started its activities in Iraq in 1991.

The program currently implemented in Iraq includes three main components:

- Long-term development projects: support to civil society, access to services, awareness campaigns, community-based rehabilitation;

- Emergency response for Internally Displaced Persons and vulnerable host communities (rapid protection assessments, provision of physical rehabilitation and psychosocial support services);

- Mine Action component: risk education, victim assistance, non-technical survey and clearance operations.

The current operations are implemented in direct intervention and through local partners in the Kurdistan region and in the disputed territories of Iraq. The operations are implemented through local partners in Central and South Iraq. HI has currently a country coordination office in Erbil, three field offices in Kirkuk Mosul and Khanaqin and a support office in Suleymaniah.

Directly linked to the Emergency Response Department of Handicap International France, the employee will be mandated for the following mission:

GLOBAL OBJECTIVE OF THE POSITION:

Under the line management of Project Officer, the Outreach Psychosocial worker (OPSSW) is responsible for identifying persons affected by the crisis with specific needs, particularly physical rehabilitation and psychosocial support in the governorate of Kirkuk and Salaheddin (Tooz District). The OPSS is as well responsible for the implementation of a qualitative community-based approach of the psychosocial support activities for the most vulnerable population affected by crisis.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS DESCRIPTION

Under the direct responsibility of the Victim Assistance Project officer and in close collaboration with the pluridisciplinary Emergency team (Outreach workers, physiotherapists, referral focal point) and with the support of the Technical Unit, you will have to: 

• Identify and conduct the screening of the needs in physical rehabilitation and psychosocial support of the most vulnerable population in your area of intervention

1. Actively participate to all initial identification training;

2. Work as mobile/outreach team to identify, register and analyse household situation and beneficiaries’ specifics needs;

3. Develop a community approach to ensure a confidence in HI process and project;

4. Ensure that the information collected at household level is coherent and consistent;

5. Manage the identification and referral process as set up by the project tools and guidelines
    

• Assess the psychosocial and psychological issues of the screened beneficiaries

1. In a close mobile work team system, assess psychological needsas defined by the tools of the project;

2. Develop a community-based approach in working with local partners and key-resources persons in IDPs camps and communities, to ensure a confidence in HI organization and project;

3. Provide a global understanding of the individual and familial needs and challenges faced at the identification step of the beneficiaries ;

• Provide direct psychosocial support and refer internally and externally as needed, respecting confidentiality and the right of the beneficiary

1. With the support of the VA project manager and the PSS Technical Advisor, provide tailored psychosocial support services at the individual, family and community levels;

2. Refer all cases in need of additional support from partner as set up by the tools and processes of the project.

• In specific cases, and if the beneficiary agrees, do mediation and conflict resolution

1. In link with the PSS technical advisor and  the VA Project Manager, the psychosocial worker will launch micro-counselling and familial mediation between beneficiaries and families or between families and other structures in a problem-solving approach;

2. Ensure a neutral and respectful position within mediation and in regard of HI mandate;

• Develop and reinforce the relationships with INGO, LNGO, authorities, community focal points and any other stakeholders on the field to improve the identification system, with the support of VA Project Officer (PO)

1. Develop and follow up the network of HI focal points within your area of intervention ;

2. Regularly contact the focal points to get information about the general situation of most vulnerable population affected by the crisis ;

3. Maintain a flexible system of referrals from focal points to HI team, according to focal points constraints;

4. Share with the other team members the cases located outside of your area of intervention.

• Conduct specific psycho-social group activities, adapted and appropriate to each one’s specific needs and capacities

1. Conduct group talk sessions with individuals, families, hosting communities ;

2. Organize and implement innovative community-based psycho-social activities to enhance aid-mutual mechanisms inside groups of beneficiaries and camps’ residents.

3. When needed/possible, work in close collaboration with others health workers and volunteers from others organizations to create and implement psychosocial activities in the centres and the communities ;

4. Procure any support to facilitate partner’s work

• Report data , follow-up cases, and organize your daily and weekly activities

1. Ensure a qualitative close follow-up of the beneficiaries in identifying the improvement done and the barriers faced by the individuals and / or his / her caregivers in the rehabilitation and resilience processes;

2. Participate to the daily and weekly reporting (both qualitative and quantitative) of activities in filling specific tools (assessment form, follow up form, referral form, discharge and monitoring forms) provided by the VA Project Manager or officer;

3. Provide any other reports to be made upon line manager request;

4. Participate to the monitoring and evaluation of these implemented activities to measure positive impact of HI services;

5. Be pro-active in the organization of the weekly planning of activities and movements in the field; 

6. In formal and informal meetings with the project team, participate to a qualitative analysis of the situation and of the different kinds of issues (factors of stress and distress) that you observed in the field among our target-groups;

7. Be part of a constructive holistic team work to develop a very qualitative analysis and response for disable and vulnerable persons;

• Demonstrate an ethic and professional practice :

1. Respect beneficiary confidentiality and point of view;

2. Respect and promote HI’s Policies and report to your line manager any non-respect of HI’s policies among the teams or partners.

3. Address needs and requests in a professional way.

4. Report any incident or act that causes any harm to beneficiary or to others.

5. Always interact with children with the presence of their parents or caregivers.

6. Always respect a refusal of treatment.

• Demonstrate willingness to improve professional competences and abilities to increase care quality:

1. Demonstrate a constant motivation at work.

2. Demonstrate willingness to improve your own knowledge and skills by participating actively in any training sessions, capacity building activities, review of the PSS activities provided…

3. Participate in the different activities, meetings and training that are common to all HI team members

4. Respect each team member’s positions, work, and specialty;

5. Adapt to special situations or demands from supervisor (reporting, etc.)

Note that this job description must remain flexible, to respond to additional tasks or changes as identified by the line manager.

TIME SCHEDULE:

The working hours are the following:

Sunday till Thursday, from 8.00 AM to 16.30 PM with 30 minutes lunch break.  The work duration is fixed but the working hours can vary according to the planning of activities.

It can be exceptionally requested to work on Friday or Saturday. In that case a day off is planned between Sunday and Thursday during the previous or following week.

Note that working time can go up to 48 hours per week if it is required by the volume of activities and by the line manager. In that case the overtime will be considered as recovery time to be planned by the line manager in the next days.

HIERARCHICAL RELATIONSHIP:

Base : Kirkuk

Line Manager : Project Officer

Head of Department : Project Manager

Management : No

Operational link : Outreach workers, physiotherapists, Referral Focal Point

REQUIRED PROFILE

Education

• University degree/ Diploma in psychosocial support or humanitarian related field.

Languages

• Arabic and Kurdish mandatory (oral and written), English is advantage.

Experience

• Minimum of 2 years relevant professional experience.

• Previous experience with international or local NGOs.

Skills

• Able to handle confidential and sensitive information.

• Excellent communication skills.

• Strong interpersonal and intercultural skills.

• A demonstrated commitment to high professional ethical standards and humanitarian values.