Social and Safeguarding Compliance

Coordinate closely with the safeguards team (Social Development and Environmental Specialists) of the Free Education Project Secretariat (FEPS), Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) and provide overall safeguarding management oversight during the project

• Lead in raising aware of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, Gender Based Violence as well as Child Safeguarding.
• Promote safe programming across the programme interventions, technical approaches and operational designs.
• Provide overall technical direction for safeguards ad accountability management for activities implemented by the NGO Consortium.
• Support and advise the NGO Consortium implementing partners in addressing a variety of social and accountability issues at all stages of the implementation of the project.
• Ensure that each activity under the project is implemented in accordance with the Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) `process and procedures, and Environmental and Social Commitment Plan (ESCP) of the project as well SCI Policies and procedures.
• Prepare additional technical guidelines, if necessary, to support the safe programming principles in order to strengthen the implementation of social safeguards.

Capacity Building 

• Coordinate, support and identify capacity gaps of the Safeguarding Focal Points across the NGO consortium’s and partner organisations.
• Develop, organize and deliver social and environmental safeguards training programs and workshops for the NGO consortium partners at the field level, contractors, field supervision staff and other staff as needed, on safeguard requirements and their management.
• Ensure that all consortium staff across the partnership have done acceptable PSEA, GBV, and Child Safeguarding training
• Build the capacity of staff  to work with different stakeholders, in particular, children’s clubs/networks and civil society to develop key success indicators to ‘safeguard children and vulnerable adults’, which will be used in monitoring and evaluation.
• Maintain, update and disseminate induction and training materials to offices of NGO consortiums, local partners and implementation sites.
• Promote safe programming concept of all SC’s programs by ensuring child safeguarding risk assessment is conducted by all programs and work with the Director PDQ to integrate safeguarding in proposals
• Lead on the implementation of the Safeguarding action plans and following up from reviews and audits relating to safeguarding.

Accountability, Reporting and Investigation 

• Work with the MEAL Manager to develop tools to evaluate the impact of the Safeguarding protocols on the projects and consolidate as Lessons Learned to improve programme quality.
• Devise a system for reporting incidents of violence against women and harassment of women, related to both conditions on the project work sites and in the family context, and facilitate that required action is taken, including counseling victims of violence.
• Work with consortium technical staff to ensure that a Grievance Redressal Mechanism in place. Develop a referral pathway for NGO consortium that will feed into SCI’s local safeguarding procedures.
• Contribute to project reports on the overall social and environmental safeguards’ performance of the activities implemented by NGO Consortium as part of the periodic progress reporting.
• Lead on investigation of cases of SEA linked to consortium staff, partners and representatives.
• Update the SCI safeguarding case management database system (DATIX) and promote the popularization of the use of the system for staff reporting.
• Ensure quality and robust case management (quality reports and documentation of decision-making process and actions).

BEHAVIOURS (Values in Practice)

Accountability:

• holds self accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
• holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities – giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.

Ambition:

• sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same
• widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
• future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale.

Collaboration:

• builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters
• values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength
• approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.

Creativity:

• develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
• willing to take disciplined risks.

Integrity:

• honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

Essential

• Degree or higher Diploma level qualification in social work or equivalent, legal/human rights, education or other relevant professional qualification and working experience
• Significant direct experience in safeguarding or protection sector
• Up to date working knowledge of Child Right Act 2007 sexual harassment, child protection policies and practice and current issues in relation to safeguarding children and adult within Sierra Leone as well as relevant international polices and protocols such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and Universal Declaration on Human Rights.
• Proven track record in the implementation of safeguarding or protection implementation policy and practice.
• Demonstrates strong leadership behaviors.
• Proven experience of planning, delivering and evaluating training.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to engage with people at all levels, in particular children, their families and local leaders and members of different communities and social groups.
• Good analytical and problem-solving skills
• Organizing and managing a complex and demanding workload and working on own initiative
• Influencing practice and policy, including communicating effectively and persuasively at all levels, and in different situations, both verbally and in writing, at individual and group level
• Facilitating learning, development and change for individuals and/or groups/organizations
• Developing, sustaining and referring to external and internal professional networks
• Preparing written reports or materials to a publishable standard in English
• Valuing and respecting the contribution of others working effectively with diversity and challenging discrimination
• Coordination skills, especially in relation to cross-departmental working and external networks
• Work and travel in challenging environments

Desirable

• Master of Development, Social Sciences or related field.
• Knowledge and understanding of Save the Children’s social, environmental and child safeguarding policies and procedures
• Strong awareness and understanding of social, environmental and Child safeguarding in the digital world (online abuse and materials/interventions to protect children).

Additional job responsibilities

• The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.

Equal Opportunities 

• The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI Equal Opportunities and Diversity policies and procedures.

Child Safeguarding:

• We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse

Health and Safety

• The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI Health and Safety policies and procedures.