MHPSS Case Worker - Maternity replacement

CONTEXT

Founded in 1994, La Chaîne de l’Espoir (CDE) is an international NGO headquartered in Paris, France. Its mission is to strengthen healthcare systems and provide to everyone, especially children, equal chances and opportunities of survival and development.

CDE is currently active in twenty-seven (27) countries with a global approach, mainly focusing on children, mothers and disadvantaged communities. Find our activities briefly elaborated as follows:

• Prevention and screening from an early age, particularly through school health programs;
• Care and surgery to meet the most urgent needs of children and their mothers;
• Training and transfer of skills to local teams (capacity building) thanks to our international network of experts in all areas of surgery;
• Construction and equipment of hospital facilities adapted to local needs.

CDE has been implementing humanitarian activities in Lebanon since 2005, working through local partners, such as HeartBeat, to provide access to medico-surgical care to children suffering from cardiopathies and orthopedics disabilities. In late 2020, CDE eventually opened its mission in Lebanon to respond to growing needs due to the significant deterioration of the situation. Since then, CDE is implemented two (2) projects related to tertiary healthcare, including several aspects such as the strengthening of the healthcare system, early detection of congenital orthopedics disorders, psychosocial support, etc. – via direct and indirect (through local partners) implementation. Currently, CDE is implementing a large-scale project to provide general pediatric surgery for vulnerable populations through a network of hospitals. Aiming at enhancing providing a supportive environment to children undergoing treatment, their caregivers, and the healthcare staff, CDE intends to implement various activities that require the expertise of a MHPSS Case Worker.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

Under the management of the Mental Health Team Leader, the MHPSS case worker contributes to the timely and quality implementation of la Chaîne de l’Espoir’s activities.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

Patient Care & Psychosocial Support

• Conduct MHPSS assessments with patients and families.
• Provide individual and group psychosocial support sessions.
• Address specific psychological needs related to medical conditions and circumstances.
• Ensure continuity of psychosocial support throughout the care cycle.
• Offer follow-up support in cases of deterioration of wellbeing after treatment.
• Collaborate with the line manager to maintain a child-friendly, child-centered environment across all stages of care, in coordination with social workers.

Mental Health Assessment

• Contribute to updating and adapting mental health assessment tools (WGQ, PHQ-9, GAF, etc.).
• Participate in developing and refining operating procedures to ensure high-quality psychosocial support.
•  

Documentation, Reporting & Learning

• Maintain accurate case documentation and update relevant databases.
• Submit regular reports on achievements to the line manager.
• Document challenges, lessons learned, and best practices.
• Provide analysis and statistical reporting of findings.
• Collaborate with Social Workers to identify and share positive patient stories (with patient consent).

Other

• Provide feedback and recommendations on the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions.
• Conduct field visits to monitor progress and effectiveness of interventions.
• Ensure regular communication and collaboration with social workers, program staff, medical staff, program staff, and support departments (HR, MEAL, etc.).
• Facilitate external referrals in collaboration with the referral focal point.
• Support constructive relationship-building between CDE staff, patients, and stakeholders.
• Safeguard confidentiality of patient and family data.
• Report any security, ethical, or acceptance-related concerns to the line manager.
• Troubleshoot access or availability issues for patients.
• Uphold professional standards in all interactions with patients, families, and staff.
• Perform additional tasks as requested by the line manager, based on urgent or important needs.

Team Relationship

Line and technical manager: Mental Health Team Leader

Close collaboration with: Works closely with patients and families, along with CDE colleagues, hospital employees and other paramedical staff when needed

Profile

Professional training

Bachelor's degree in psychology or social work [Required]

Specific training on mental health and psychosocial support for children specifically sick children and/or children in humanitarian settings is a plus

Working experience

Demonstrated experience working in NGOs or humanitarian sector. [Required]

Strong understanding of protection-related issues, including safeguarding and child protection. [Required]

Specific skills

• Experience using and updating databases (Excel, Access, etc.) [Desirable].
• Previous experience in data collection and analysis [Desirable].
• Strategic thinking with the ability to analyze situations and propose solutions [Desirable].
• Strong documentation and organizational skills [Required].
• Ability to listen actively and engage in shared decision-making [Required].
• Patient, diplomatic, and solution-oriented in operational environments [Required].
• Good writing and communication skills, including reporting [Required].
• Good understanding of medical ethics and patient education [Required].
• Ability to classify and manage multiple priorities effectively [Required].
• Capacity to make context-appropriate decisions [Required].
• Flexibility and polyvalence in adapting to changing needs [Required].
• Ability to build trust and maintain constructive relationships with patients, families, and colleagues [Required].

Languages

Fluent in Arabic and English (speaking, writing, reading) [Required]

Knowledge of French is a plus

CDE always ensures its team members:

• Are driven to answer beneficiaries’ needs
• Works in line with the humanitarian principles and CDE’s values
• Respects at all-time CDE’s procedures in place
• Have a sense of teamwork in multicultural context
• Maintain confidentiality of work