Psychosocial Worker

NGO PRESENTATION  Handicap International is an independent and impartial international aid organisation 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 organisation with no religious or political affiliation. It operates as a federation made up of a network of associations that provide it with human and financial resources, manage its projects and implement its actions and social mission.   HI has been present in the Middle East since 1987 through its Development Department. HI started from early April 2012 a new project at the regional level aiming at the recognition and respect of the rights of PwD by the authorities and institutions, through the reinforcement of the Disabled People’s Organisations (DPO) and the disability movement at large. In Lebanon, in addition to the regional project, HI has been implemented a project aiming at improving the access to mental health rehabilitation services for the children with psychological distress living in the Palestinian camps. At last, in 2010, HI established the only humanitarian demining capacity in northern Lebanon (Batroun Region) Action Center (LMAC) in achieving its goal of making Lebanon mine impact free by 2020.  MISSION CONTEXT  Following the yearlong crisis in the Syrian Arab Republic, that has caused the displacement of civilians in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, Handicap International is implementing projects in Lebanon and Jordan, aiming at mitigating the impact of the crisis on the Syrian refugees and the host communities. In Lebanon as well as in Jordan, Handicap International aims to improve the access to emergency rehabilitation cares for the Syrian refugees at hospital and community level and to improve the coverage of the specific needs of the most vulnerable people affected by the crisis at the community level. In Lebanon, the targeted areas are the northern Bekaa Valley and Tripoli, whereas in Jordan, the targeted area is the northern region closed to the boarder.   In Bekaa, Handicap International aims to improve the coverage of basics and specific needs of the most vulnerable people affected by the crisis at the community level, and by developing a tailored response to improve conditions of life during winter period. In Tripoli, Handicap International aims to provide direct support to syrian injured refugies at hospital and community level. Besides, HI aims to improve the coverage of specific needs for vulnerable persons in the North.   Line manager: DFVP Project Officer Line manager+1: DVFP Project Manager  ACCOUNATBILITIES Based in Jdeideh (North Beqaa), with daily movements on the field, under the direct responsibility of the Project Officer, in close collaboration with the pluridisciplinary DVFP team, especially the psychologist, and with the support of the mental health and psychosocial supervisor, the psychosocial worker will have to:    1.     Identify specific needs (with a focus on psychosocial and psychological issues) of the programme beneficiaries, contribute to the assessment of these needs and/or directly assess these needs as required:   Work as mobile/outreach team to identify, register and analyse beneficiaries specifics needs (disabilities and vulnerabilities) In a mobile work team system, with technical advices and support from the mental health supervisor, assess psychological needs and issues in particular Develop a community approach to ensure a confidence in HI process and project Ensure a global vision of the individual and familial needs in the identification Assess all protection issues at individuals and familial level     2.     Answer to the identified needs, by providing direct support (psychosocial support and donation) and refer internally and externally as needed, respecting confidentiality and the rights of the beneficiary   Identify basic and specific needs and deliver appropriate items if need arise, following the appropriate strategy With the support and advices of the mental health supervisor, provide psychosocial support at the individual and family level Refer all cases identified internally to the relevant actors of the DVFP team, within the internal system in place. Refer all cases identified externally to the line manager, following the appropriate strategy of the programme   3.     In specific cases, and if the beneficiary agrees, realise mediation and conflict resolution   In link with the mental health supervisor and the social workers, participate to mediation between beneficiaries and families or between families and other structures. Ensure a neutral and respectful position within mediation and in regard of HI mandates 4.     Conduct specific psycho-social group activities, adapted and appropriate to each one’s specific needs and capacities   Conduct discussion group, focus group with individuals, families, hosting communities (...) Organize and implement innovative community-based psycho-social activities When needed/possible, work with the partners and volunteers to create and implement social activities in the centres and the communities Participate to the activities and the monitoring of these activities Procure any support to facilitate partner’s work Ensure a qualitative follow up of the beneficiaries Participate to the reporting of activities and evolution of the beneficiaries psychosocial situation   5.     Develop and reinforce the relationships with INGO, LNGO, authorities, community focal points and any other stakeholders on the field, following the identified strategy, and with the support of the line manager   Develop the network of HI focal points within the area of intervention Maintain a flexible system of referrals from focal points to HI team, according to focal points constraints Share in formal and informal meetings with the team the information collected on the field regarding humanitarian actors activities and constraints Regularly contact the focal points to get information about the general situation of most vulnerable population affected by the Syrian crisis, and especially within the refugee’s communities.   6.     Report datas, follow-up cases and organize the daily and weekly activities   Close follow-up of individual and familial cases to ensure a qualitative follow-up of all the beneficiaries, Ensure a daily quantitative and qualitative reporting through the tools and system in place Organization of the weekly plan within the pluridisciplinary team, with the support of DVFP PO Any other reports to be made upon line manager request 7.     Participate in the analysis and reporting of global issues in the refugee population, with a focus on psychosocial and psychological issues   In formal and informal meetings with the team, participate to a qualitative analysis of different kinds of issues, at individual, familial and community level Participate to report with the tools and the internal system all issues identified Be part of a constructive holistic team work to develop a very qualitative analysis and response for disable and vulnerable persons   8.     To demonstrate an ethic and professional practice: Respect beneficiary confidentiality. Respect and promote HI’s Policies and report to the line manager any non respect of HI’s policies amongst the teams or partners. Address needs and requests in a professional way. Report any incident or act that causes any harm to beneficiary or to others. Always interact with children with the presence of their parents or caregivers Always respect a refusal of treatment.   9.     Demonstrate willingness to improve professional competences and abilities to increase care quality:   Demonstrate motivation at work. Demonstrate willingness to improve own knowledge and skills by participating actively in any training sessions, capacity building activities… Participate in the different activities that are common to all team members Respect each team member’s positions, work, and specialty Adapt to special situations or demands from supervisor  THE CANDIDATE’S REQUIREMENTS (include various soft skills & language skills)   KNOWLEDGE Mandatory : Community work Preferable : Protection SKILLS Good communication and listening skills Diplomacy Excellent computers skills (Pack Office) Excelent reporting skills (English) LANGUAGES Arabic English French is an asset PERSONAL QUALITIES Adaptation to specific working conditions Sense of relationship and responsability Capacity to work in team and autonomously Capacity to work in an multidisciplinary and multicultural team Capacity to support high workload Flexibility and availability Dynamism, high level of motivation Interest for humanitarian work Willingness to learn new skills and/or approaches Good capacity to interact with members of the team and different communities Proactive and sense of initiatives Common sense EXPERIENCES Community work or related in Bekaa Experience in social, or protection field is an asset