Case Management Officer (Child Protection)
Search for Common Ground, Nigeria

Case Management Officer (Child Protection)(Maiduguri, North East Nigeria)Position Summary
The Case Management Officer supports the direct implementation of the Supporting the Socio-Economic Reintegration of Children Associated with Armed Groups, and other vulnerable children, in North East Nigeria project through ensuring the provision of case management services for children in need of protection, in addition to supervising, mentoring and technical support to Case Management Assistants and Community Case Workers. This will ensure a quality case management response to select beneficiaries to support their well-being and protection.The Case Management Officer will work closely with all team members including Case Management Assistants, Community Case Workers, Community Mobilisers, Education Officers, Enterprise Officers, in addition to the Deputy Project Manager and Child Protection Manager.Reports to: Case management CoordinatorDirect Reports: Child Protection Community Case Workers Working Relations: Enterprise Coordinator, Senior Enterprise Officers, Senior Education Officers, Psychosocial Support (PSS) Officer and Community Mobilization Officers.
About the Project
In the past decade, states in the North East region of Nigeria have faced frequent attacks by Boko Haram militants leading to widespread displacement, violations of national laws, international humanitarian and human rights laws, and a deepening humanitarian crisis. Children, who are the most vulnerable members of society, have suffered the worst impacts as pre-existing problems of access to social protection, education and healthcare increase, new threats emerge, and the systems to protect children fails.This project aims to ensure that children verified and separated from CJTF receive a comprehensive child protection package including counselling, psychosocial support and socio-economic reintegration and that their communities understand the importance of their separation and reintegration. Search will work closely with the children, their families and communities, and CJTF to address the psychosocial and economic needs of the children and to influence the attitudes of communities and CJTF so they understand the negative impact of associating with armed groups on children and prevent the CJTF from using children. By increasing the resilience of children associated with CJTF and increasing their employability, this project will facilitate lasting reintegration of these children and amplify positive narratives around their role in communities as productive civilian actors and agents for peace.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Provide on-the-job mentoring and technical assistance to Child protection Community Case Workers.
• Ensure alignment with Inter-Agency Case Management Guidelines, standardized operating procedures and tools.
• Adherence to key child protection principles including best interests of the child and do no harm.
• Ensure adherence to child safeguarding and Code of Conduct. Ensure any violations are escalated to the Child Protection Manager in a timely manner.
• Together with the Child Protection Manager, ensure the establishment and implementation of work plans, setting clear targets and activity plans.
• Ensure suitable allocation of Case Management Assistants and Community Case Workers across the range of target communities to ensure adequate coverage for beneficiary children.
• Ensure that Case Management Assistants and Community Case Workers follow case management steps ensuring that each step is properly implemented and documented in the individual’s file.
• Undertake periodic case audits to ensure quality interventions and relevant principles applied.
• Ensure Case Management Assistants and CPIMS Assistant register and regularly update cases in the Case Management Information Management System as well as hard copy files.
• Support individual cases, when necessary, and provide regular monitoring of all aspects of case management services.
• Support development of Service Mapping and Referral Pathways, instructing Community Case Workers to feed in to it as necessary, to support beneficiaries’ access to services. Share updates with Child Protection Sub-Sector Working Group.
• Represent Search at relevant case management as required. Take adequate minutes and share updates with Child Protection Coordinator/Manager.
• Conduct weekly supervision meetings with all Community Case Workers, providing technical advice on cases and psychosocial support. Facilitate peer-to-peer support groups where appropriate.
• Monitor timescales for response, decision-making, follow-up and review.
• Review staff caseloads to ensure that they are manageable and share challenges with Child Protection Coordinator/Manager.
• Ensure case information and data is collected systematically and acc