Plan International is an independent global child rights organisation committed to supporting vulnerable and marginalized children and their communities to be free from poverty. By actively connecting committed people with powerful ideas, we work together to make positive, deep-rooted and lasting changes in children and young people’s lives.
We are recruiting to fill the position below:
Job Title: Global Child and Youth Safeguarding Technical Advisor
Location: International Headquarters in Woking, Surrey. Other locations where Plan currently runs programmes may also be considered as this role will principally cover the Region of the Americas.
Reports to: Global Head of Child Protection Policy
Location: International Headquarters in Woking, Surrey. Other locations where Plan currently runs programmes may also be considered as this role will principally cover the Region of the Americas.
Reports to: Global Head of Child Protection Policy
Job Overview
- Plan International’s Child Protection Policy Unit at Plan International’s Headquarters provides the strategic direction for keeping children and young people safe in Plan International in line with the overall organisational strategy.
- This includes the implementation of the Child Protection Policy, all activities throughout Plan International associated with keeping children and young people safe, and ensuring that where they are engaged in our decision making process it is done in a way that is legitimate safe and meaningful for them. In addition the activities of the Unit includes the management of reported policy breaches and incidents where there is concern about a child or young person’s welfare.
Job Description
- The role of the Child Protection Policy Technical Advisor is to design and develop tools, guidance and procedures and provide expert advice and support which ensures child and young people who engage with the organisation do so in a manner that is safe them.
- In addition you will ensure Plan International attains and maintains its standards on the safeguarding of children and young people, ensuring they are meaningfully engaged with us and that no child or young person comes to harm through their association with the organisation.
- You will also provide expert case management review, support and advice on child and youth safeguarding concerns and incidents which may arise from policy breaches, ensuring that such incidents and concerns are reported and responding to in line with our Child Protection Policy and associated procedures and identifying learning and implications for management.
Purpose
- Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We believe in the power and potential of every child. But this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And its girls who are most affected. Working together with children, young people, our supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children.
- We recognise that the abuse and exploitation of children and young people occurs throughout the world and in all societies and includes physical, sexual, emotional abuse and neglect. Furthermore, children and young people may be vulnerable and at risk due to, for example, reasons of gender, sexual orientation, disability and age, or illness. All children and young people have equal rights to protection.
- We are fully committed to providing a safe, protective, and supportive environment for all children and young people and intend that their welfare will at all times be the paramount consideration. Furthermore we take seriously our responsibility to promote safe and protective practices for children and young people and to protect them from all forms of harm. This is fully reflected in our organisational Values and Behaviours.
- We hold ourselves to account, through our Child Protection Policy (CPP) Say Yes! to Keeping Children and Young People Safe, in making sure that whatever we do or however we or those associated with us behave, we do no harm to children and young people..
- The Child Protection Policy Unit at Plan International’s Headquarters based in Woking, Surrey UK provides the strategic direction for keeping children and young people safe in Plan International inline with the overall organisation strategy. This includes the implementation of the CPP, all activities throughout Plan International associated with keeping children and young people safe, and ensuring that where they are engaged in our decision making process it is done in a way that is legitimate safe and meaningful for them.
- In addition the activities of the Unit includes themanagement of reported policy breaches and incidents where there is concern about a child or young person’s welfare.
- The role of the Child Protection Policy Technical Advisor is to design and develop tools, guidance and procedures and provide expert advice and support which ensures child and young people who engage with the organisation do so in a manner that is safe them. In addition the role ensures Plan International attains and maintains its standards on the safeguarding children and young people, ensuring they are meaningfully engaged with us and that no child or young person comes to harm through their association with the organisation.
- The role also provides expert case management review, support and advice on child and youth safeguarding concerns and incidents which may arise from policy breaches, ensuring that such incidents and concerns are reported and responding to in line with our CPP and associated procedures and identifying learning and implications for management.
Dimensions of Role
- Provides technical and professional advice and support to CPP Focal Points within a region/s (e.g. Asia, The Americas, West, Central and East Africa, IH and National Organisations)empowering them to take full ownership of their role and strengthen the implementation of the policy and procedures within their countries
- Provides technical support, input and/or implementation of safeguarding for specific global tasks as delegated by the Global Head CPP(Global tasks may be Safeguarding in – Emergency Response, Engagement, Case Management, Programming, and Sponsorship for example)
- Designs, develops and conducts specific projects and activities in relation ensuring a robust child and youth safeguarding framework across the organisation, specifically within their assigned region, working flexibly within multidisciplinary teams. This will include the design and development of guidance, toolkits and training materials.
- Carries out investigations into concerns or reported incidents or provides distance or onsite support on case management and case review.
- Proactively works with members of the CPP and Youth Engagement (YE) networks to ensure the safe and meaningful engagement of children and young people
- Actively facilitates and promotes collaboration, engagement, communication, team work, and learning and sharing on safeguarding and safe and meaningful engagement and across members of the CPP network within designated region/s
- Leads and promotes a culture commitment to attain the Plan International Standards on keeping children and young people safe , ensuring it remains a alive, current and reflects emerging risks in the sector
- No budget or line management responsibilities
Typical Responsibilities – Key End Results of Position
- To ensure that Plan International is well supported in meeting is commitment to keep children, young people, girls and boys safe with initiative, confidence and courage, upholding high standards in providing safe and supportive environments which are responsive to the needs of all children, young people, girls and boys benefitting from, and engaging with us as well as protecting the reputation of the organisation.
Focus areas: This will particularly focus on supporting the countries within designated region to:
- Strengthen keeping children and young people safe and protected particularly as the organisation goes through its transformation to achieve the current global strategy.
- Ensure accountable and engaged leadership in keeping children, young people, girls and boys safe and protected
- Strengthen the mainstreaming of and embedding of keeping children and young people safe and protected measures across our programming and influencing activities and interventions
- Ensure our partnerships embed and embrace principles of keeping children safe and protected
- Ensure that where children and young people, girls and boys participate in activities or engage with us this is done in a manner that is safe and meaningful for them and us.
- Initiate/support/contribute tothe design, development and/or delivering of training on keeping children safe and protected for various modalities (self-directed, online, face to face) and for various audiences (staff, managers, partners, board members, children) to ensure high levels of understanding and awareness on the organisation’s commitment to and framework for keeping children and young people safe, including reporting and responding to concerns.
- Support/contribute to/ or initiate the design, develop and/or delivering CPP briefing information to make sure staff and particularly CPP focal points have quick access to clear information on keeping children safe.
- Taking on global tasks as delegated by the Global Head of CPP such as working with/supporting the working with Plan International Headquarters’ to ensure global guidelines and global projects reflect measures which address the management of any activity or operational inherent risks to children and young people and high standards on keeping children safe are maintained.
- Design, develop, implement, and maintain advice on CPP implementation procedures and practices which ensures the strengthening of keeping children safe and protected and the attainment associated standards in assigned countries. This should give full consideration to the safeguarding implications of different individual identities (e.g. gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, ethnic origin, race, colour and or any other aspect of their background or identity)
- Support CPPfocal points to identify, manage and monitor risks to keeping children and young people safe and protected.
- Provide technical support to Youth Engagement Focal Points on safe and meaningful engagements
- Provide high quality technical support and advice on the implementation of the policy, implementation of associated procedures including those related to safe and meaningful engagement, attaining the CPP implementation standards and dealing with concerns and policy breaches.
- Analyse, monitor and report on countries within designated region/s attainment of Plan International Standards on Keeping Children and Young People Safe with a particular focus on progress against the current operational plan. This should identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats and implications for management.
- Technical input and collaboration on external networks/groups with designated regions on projects which enhances Plan International’s opportunity to improve on and strengthen keeping children and young people safe and protected
- Ensuring that the Global Head of CPP is made aware of potential and emerging risks /issues that could impact on the organisations commitment to keeping children and young people safe and protected and particularly as they pertain to focus areas outlined above.
- Responding to CPP cases and making decisions so as to ensure cases reported through the management reporting line are responded to in a timely fashion and in a way that safeguards the best interests of children and young people.
- Responding to and providing high quality technical advice on and support for CPP issues reported, supporting country management risk assessment and decision making on actions to address the issue and determining the level of escalation required and maintaining a high level of confidentiality and sensitivity.
Responding to CPP cases may require post holder to carry out:
- An administrative investigation
- A case management review
- A Country office or Partner review – a review of the safeguarding environment and policy implementation of the country office or partner organisation,
- In all cases there would be a requirement to identify what went wrong, gaps to be addressed and implications for management
Dealing with Problems and supporting the Global Head of CPP:
- Identifying or supporting the identification of CPPopportunities and risks through knowledge of the organisation’s internal environment including its operations, capability of people and resources, the needs and expectations of key stake holders, its activities and interventions and the external developments in the sector and decides what CPP processes, procedures or controls are needed and should be developed to ensure opportunities are exploited and risks mitigated.
- Taking initiative on a range of often difficult and complex CPP implementation issues and CPP breaches reported at short notice often with little support and supervision. Ability to be resilient in the face of often traumatic reports.
- Giving high quality technical advice often under pressure and in response to policy and procedure implementation, issues and breaches including when the impact of the advice may challenge the behaviour or management style of senior managers and may challenge the risk appetite or response of the organisation.
- Effective management of large volumes of qualitative and quantitative data from office levels within designated region to report on CPP implementation, trend analysis of CPP risks and recommendation on the same
- Discussing and training on a range of sensitive topics with the ability to manage and remain calm in the midst of strong emotional reactions from staff and managers.
- Anticipates, forward plans and schedules work required for specific areas of responsibility and projects using professional judgement and experience to identify potential issues, timings and likely costs
- Develops cost effective and sustainable solutions and materials to enhance awareness, understanding and implementation of the organisations commitment to keep children safe and deliver on its current operational plan.
Communications and Working Relationships:
Internal relationships:
- Global Head of CPP (high)
- CPP top level group and Country CPP focal point network (high)
- Country Youth Engagement focal points (high)
- IH Functional Leads (medium)
- IH Risk Management Team – (medium)
- Country Directors and Country Senior management teams (low)
- Regional Director/s (low)
External Relationships:
- Organisations in the sector (medium to low)
Knowledge, Skills, Behaviours, and Experience Required to Achieve Role’s Objectives
Knowledge:
Knowledge:
- Expertise and substantial experience of safeguarding and child rights in an international development setting
- Excellentconceptualunderstandingoftheorganisational risksassociatedwith keeping children and young people safe and protected
- Knowledge of human rights, child rights, inclusion and gender equality
- Knowledge and/or experience of child protection programming and/or child protection in emergency interventions a significant bonus
- Knowledge and understanding of safe and meaningful participation and engagement of children and young people and a deep understanding of safeguarding and protection issues that may arise
- Expertise, technical knowledge and substantial experience in responding to issues, breaches, investigation and case management
- Experience at providing advice and developing and delivering training on keeping children and young people safe on a diverse range of issues and to a diverse audience
- Understanding of safeguarding standards within the sector (e.g. Keeping Children Safe Coalition standards)
- Knowledge and use of different learning modalities to design and deliver blended learning techniques.
- Knowledge of risk assessment approaches
- Experience of working with a range of countries at a regional level.
Skills:
- Excellent ability to influence, build strong relationships and inspire people at all levels
- Highly effective at using skills and or creativity to identify and develop procedural, briefing materials and training programs that are user friendly, fit for purpose, robust and cost effective
- Ability to challenge behaviour/attitudes in a non-confrontational evidence based manner
- Self-motivated and efficient with the ability to prioritise tasks
- Strong analytical and report writing skills with excellent attention to detail.
- Training, facilitation and clear communication skills
- Ability to think and work under pressure
- Advanced Excel and computer skills
Behaviours:
- Passionateaboutprotection and safeguarding
- Abilitytoworkunderpressure,maintainconfidentiality
- Team player and highly collaborative
- Diplomatic, culturally and politically sensitive
- Professional, constructive and positive in approach
- Flexible, proactive, resilient, comfortable with and adapts well to change
- Completer/finishergettingtaskdoneontime
- Self-starter,usedtodeliveringhighqualityworkwithlimitedday-to-daymanagementsupport.
- Holdsselfandotherstoaccounttodeliveronagreedgoalsandstandardsofbehaviour.
Physical Environment and Demands:
- Typical Office Environment.
- Medium level travel to Plan International Offices (Country, National, Regional Offices and IH)
Level of Contact with Children:
- Mid contact: Occasional interaction with children
Note
- If based in a Country/Regional office, local terms and conditions will apply.
- Please note that only applications and CVs written in English will be accepted.
- A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with Plans Child Protection Policy.
- As an international child centred community development organisation, Plan is fully committed to promoting the realization of children’s rights including their right to protection from violence and abuse. That means we have particular responsibilities to children that we come into contact with.
- Plan believes that in a world where children face so many threats of harm, it is our duty to ensure that we, as an organisation, do everything we can to keep children safe. We must not contribute in any way to harming or placing children at risk.
Deadline 5th January, 2018.
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