Case Management Technical Advisor, Ukraine Response

ROLE PURPOSE: 

The overall role of the Case Management Technical Advisor (CMTA) is to lead on the quality of Save the Children’s case management program in Ukraine. S/he will guide the design and strategic development of case management programs and support the implementation of activities to address the individual needs of children who are at risk of harm or has been harmed.  This includes unaccompanied and separated children and other children at risk of, or exposed to violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation. The CMTA will have a technical focus on case management procedures, alternative care of unaccompanied children, family tracing and reunification, and referral services. The CMTA will, in close collaboration with the Child Protection TA support needs assessments, proposal and budget development, reporting, and contextualization of technical tools for case management and alternative care.

The CMTA will have no direct line management but a strong technical line to the Case Management Coordinators, Program Managers in field bases, and CP Information Management (IM) staff, providing ongoing technical support and ensuring quality standards are met within the case management and alternative care activities.

The CMTA will focus on building Save the Children’s technical capacity and quality internally and will play a lead role in external child protection coordination, mainly as an active member of the Case Management Task Force (CMTF). The CMTA will lead on developing Save the Children, as well as inter-agency tools and SOPs to harmonize practices and ensure shared resources. 

This role will include leading the roll-out of the inter-agency Child Protection Information Management System (CPIMS+), both internally in Save the Children, with partners and in the inter-agency Case management TF. The CMTA will work closely with staff on information management, ensuring case files are completed and stored according to the quality standards, and case management data is ready to be provided for analysis and reporting.

The CMTA will lead on developing SC’s approach to alternative care, the provision of on-the-job training, and facilitating internal case review meetings. Specifically, the CMTA will provide hands-on high-quality technical support to CP Managers, CM Coordinators and Partners to substantially strengthen CM capacity and improve CM processes, grounded in the Inter-Agency Case Management Quality Assessment Framework (QAF) and drawing from SCI Steps to Protect Common Approach. 

The CMTA will primally be based in Kyiv, but will spend at least 50% of her/his time at field locations to provide hands-on technical assistance and coaching to CP Managers and CM Coordinators (and Partners) in addressing their main support needs, such as – but may not be limited to – how to handle individual (complex) cases, strengthen usage of common tools and forms, contextualization of Emergency Case Management Funds and Cash for Protection criteria and approaches, adequate SCI standards and capacity to transition to CPMIS+ requirements, update internal CM SOPs in-line with Ukraine-based and international inter-agency approaches.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

Standardising tools and approaches

• Ensure the case management programs implemented by SCI are aligned with local systems where possible and adheres to inter-agency and SCI specific standard operating procedures, minimum standards, and technical guidance. 
• Establish, review, and adapt standard tools and approaches on regular basis, and support case management teams and partners to understand and effectively use case management tools and forms.
• Develop additional guidance, as needed, for Case Workers (CWs) in line with SC and sector wide best practices.
• Support the development and updating of service mapping and referral pathways.
• Adapt relevant field-friendly guidelines to the context in coordination with CPTA.
• Serve as a coach to CM Coordinators, to guide them in providing the needed technical support to their teams in identification, registration, assessments, development of case plan, provision of services or referral of vulnerable children based on their protection needs.
• Through the Case Management TF, establish contact with, maintain and strengthen working relationship with relevant government authorities with the aim of improving coordination and develop a harmonized approach to case management.
• Ensure cooperation, collaboration and integration with other sectors and cross-cutting themes with an emphasis om MHPSS.

Information management

• Lead on the development, implementation and roll-out of the CPIMS+ in coordination with the CPTA 
• Ensure the implementation of a child protection data protection protocol in case management, ensuring that CWs, supervisors and partners understand and apply data management principles.
• In coordination with the CMTF, support on the development of the inter-agency Information Sharing Protocol (ISP) and ensure that it is understood and implemented at all stages of the case management process.
• Provide technical management and support to staff on information management ensuring case files are completed and stored according to the quality standards, and case management data is ready to be provided for analysis and reporting.

Alternative Care 

• Support the Child Protection team on the start-up of Alternative Care and FTR to support the process of care reform and deinstitutionalization in Ukraine. This may include capacity building to staff and partners on case management and FTR, and technical advice related to family based alternative care.
• Review and support the assessment of children at risk of or already living in institutions, the development of safe family strengthening plan and provide direction for quality implementation with an aim of ensuring family based alternative care.
• Provide direction to CP area teams on placement and capacity building of local authorities on family based alternative care, including regular case management meetings to enhance and strengthen the supervision system on family based alternative care and FTR process.

Capacity building & support

• In close collaboration with the CPTA, lead on the development and provision of capacity building initiatives on case management, including FTR, alternative care and caring for child survivors of SGBV.
• Adopt a hands-on, direct support and coaching approach, with daily interactions both remote and through day-to-day in-person coaching while in field locations.
• Systematically build the capacity of Case Management Coordinators and Program Managers in the role as mentors and supervisors for CWs to ensure that good practices are adhered to and that the inter-agency CM guidelines are followed, and minimum standards are met in their daily work.
• Support field-based CM supervisors and Partners to hold regular case conferences and 1:2:1 meeting with CM staff.
• Provide direct technical support to CWs to respond to complex and high-risk cases.
• Support the CP Managers with the recruitment and capacity building of CM team members as appropriate.
• In cooperation with the MHPSS TA and Heads of Programme in each operational area, put in place systems for staff care and wellbeing to support the front-line CM staff in a demanding and sometimes insecure working situation.

External relations and coordination 

• Liaise with humanitarian actors, authorities, and community to increase the quality of the case-management service provision and disseminate information to ensure participation and access of children to CM services. 
• Support implementation of and adherence to inter-agency CM guidelines and tools for case management in the humanitarian response in Ukraine.
• Participate in other working groups when relevant, such as the MHPSS and CP AoR
• Represent SCI case management in internal or external visits and calls where needed. 

MEAL, reporting and documentation.

• Work with the PDQ MEAL team to ensure a variety of age and gender appropriate accountability mechanisms. 
• Support CWs in documentation and the use of case management forms. 
• Train and conduct case file audits and case management and alternative care quality benchmarks.
• Support the CPTA in drafting reports based on trends of cases for donors as needed.
• Support SC teams in field locations to ensure safe programming.

Co-leadership of the inter-agency Case Management Task Force

• Play a leading role in external child protection coordination, mainly to support SCI in the role as co-lead in the Case Management Task Force (CMTF) in partnership with UNICEF.  
• Promote a commonly agreed, harmonized approach, practices and tools for case management among child protection case management actors and other relevant stakeholders. 
• Provide technical support and supervision to Save the Children’s role as co-lead of the CMTF.
• Support the development and roll-out of the inter-agency information management system (CPIMS+) as a common case management tool across agencies.
• Support the CMTF to develop and implement inter-agency Monitoring and Evaluation systems on the coverage and quality of case management (staff ratios, timeframes, documentation, feedback mechanisms): develop/agree on interagency indicators  on case management reports, strengthen the feedback system.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Essential

• Degree level in Social Work, Human rights Law, International Relations, Development Studies or similar, or equivalent field experience.
• 10 years’ experience in child protection programming, with significant experience in Case Management processes.
• Ability to work both in an Advisory and a hands-on implementation capacity.
• Significant CP management or advisor level experience in emergency contexts.
• Previous experience and strong skills on case management, including UASC, FTR, alternative care and caring for child survivors of SGBV. 
• Previous first phase emergency response (Cat1/2) experience.
• Experience of and commitment to working through systems of community participation and accountability.
• Experience in monitoring and evaluating child protection programmes in emergency, transition and development contexts.
• Experience in capacity building and in strengthening various duty bearers understanding of and response to child protection and case management in particular.
• Good working knowledge of the Inter-Agency Child Protection Information Management System and Primero.
• Experience in inter-agency CP work and coordination.
• Experience of representation and ability to represent SC effectively in external forums.
• Excellent communication skills, politically and culturally sensitive with qualities of patience, tact and diplomacy.
• High level of written and spoken English. 
• Capacity and willingness to be extremely flexible and accommodating in difficult and sometimes insecure working circumstances.
• Commitment to and understanding of child rights, the aims and principles of SC, and humanitarian standards such as the Sphere Charter and the Code of Conduct. In particular, a good understanding of the SC mandate and child focus and an ability to ensure this continues to underpin our support.

Desirable

• Experience in psychosocial support programmes for children, MHPSS background a plus. 
• Experience in Ukraine. 
• Previous experience of working with Save the Children. 
• Specific experience of working in interagency projects.
• Spoken Ukrainian language.