Protection Case Worker

 "This position is contingent upon the availability of funding"

Background/IRC Summary:

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity, and hope to millions uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.

The IRC had worked in Pakistan since 1980 when hundreds of thousands of refugees crossed the border from Afghanistan in the wake of the Soviet invasion. The IRC continued to support Afghan refugees and their host communities; it responded to the 2005 earthquake, the flood in 2010, COVID-19, the Flood of 2020, and the displacement caused by humanitarian crises, including Afghan Migration.  Currently, the IRC is responding the protection and other basic needs of Afghan refugees and their hosts communities mainly in KP and Balochistan through multi sectoral approach.

The IRC protection program in Pakistan seeks to safeguard the rights and well-being of those affected by conflict and natural disasters. The IRC approach to protection aims to increase the impact of its interventions and contribute to the safety and power of the most vulnerable populations in crisis situations, as committed under safety and power outcome areas in SAP 2025. IRC Pakistan’s programming regarding Safety had/has a wide-ranging focus, from safety within homes and schools to safety within the community, especially focusing on displaced women, girls, and children.

With this intervention, the IRC aims to reach primarily the at-risk population of Afghan nationals, including ACC holders, with a specific focus on those taking refuge in the identified districts of Punjab (Lahore, Rawalpindi, Attock) and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). The IRC will focus on individuals and groups at higher risk of protection within this population due to their demographic profile, legal status, and other vulnerabilities and work on reducing protection risk through strengthen community-based protection, case management and enhancing social cohesion among host and refugee communities. 

Purpose of the position/Summary:

The International Rescue Committee is seeking for dynamic and self-motivated individuals for the positions of Protection Case Workers for implementation of Case Management activities (Protection including CP and GBV). The Protection CWs will conduct all steps of the case management process for an assigned number of individual and people of concerns exposed to abuse, exploitation, neglect, and violence in this process while ensuring the principles of case management. To ensure the identification of at-risk people and receive individual case management support by conducting documentation, assessments, action plans, direct service provision, referrals and follow ups for assigned case load to directly work with service providers on quality referrals up to the closure of cases with satisfactory evaluation. The following are some key responsibilities required for the desired role.

Major Responsibilities:

Project planning and implementation:

• Ensure the implementation of Protection Case Management activities at the district level by ensuring appropriate coordination with all relevant stakeholders.
• Ensure that all interventions are in-line with the IRC strategy, and global guidelines on Protection Case Management.
• Works closely with community-based protection committees to organize training for their members on Referral Mechanism and Case Management.
• To identify the social services available to People of Concerns for example, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services; protection case management services; health and nutrition services, and education services etc.
• Perform analysis for identification of protection related risks, vulnerabilities and capacities faced by the local communities.
• Conduct follow-up visits of the targeted clients to ensure that agreed services are provided in an agreed and timely manner.
• Establish and lead all areas of the referral mechanism (Identification, registration, referral, and case closure) for effective support to the survivors/ people at risk.
• Ensures that safeguarding standards are acknowledged, and case management guidelines are taken into consideration while contacting at risk people.
• Collaborate with Commissionerate of Afghan Refugees/ SWD for the capacity building of caseworkers and relevant stakeholders as per the case management SOPs.
• Build positive relationships with relevant departments, other government actors as appropriate, and other collaborators to ensure that referred cases are managed appropriately followed by all steps of protection case management.
• Support in awareness-raising campaigns for sensitization of communities on protection issues and concerns.
• Ensure that all the cases are well managed and recorded in the Case Management database and ensure the confidentiality of clients and data as per the data protection guidelines.
• Ensure timely reporting of CM database to the supervisor and share the status of open and closed cases at regular bases.
• Ensure that all the Case Management files are managed as per guidelines and actively participate in the case conference/ case supervision meeting.
• Document success stories and lessons and share them with supervisor on a regular basis.
• Perform any other project-related tasks assigned by the supervisor.

Coordination and Representation:

• Actively develop and maintain effective working relationships with district key partners, including government actors, UN agencies particularly international and local NGOs, and other relevant actors working in protection sectors in the targeted districts.

Job Requirements:

Education:

Bachelor’s in Psychology, Sociology, International Relations, or equivalent is required.

Work Experience:

• Should have a minimum of one to two years of field experience in protection case management programming, preferably in emergencies.
• Ability to work under pressure in an unstable security environment. Able to handle critical information with strict confidentiality.
• Experience in training, capacity building, and team building of staff.

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

• Applied experience in Protection/ Case Management/ Referral Mechanisms.
• Demonstrated knowledge of and implementation of multi-sectoral protection prevention and response programming.
• Experience handling protection case management programs, including implementation of the best interests’ procedures.
• Proven understanding of critical issues around protection data and knowledge of safe and            ethical data collection analysis and conducting assessments.
• Flexibility to work in a diverse multicultural team with respect for relevant culture and norms.
• Ability and experience coordinating with government and CSOs.
• Excellent interpersonal and communications skills.
• Excellent report writing skills.
• Flexible demeanor towards receiving feedback.
• Knowledge of MS Office packages (word, excel, PowerPoint).

Language:

• Good written and spoken English and Urdu skills.
• Proficient spoke in local / Sindhi and or Local Languages.

Key Working Relationships:

• Position Reports to Case Management Supervisor.
• Dotted Reporting: Project Manager Protection.
• Staff reporting to position: None.
• Position Coordinates With: Communities, Government Departments & Civil Society Organizations including other protection partners.

Travel: Willingness and capacity to work and travel to project field areas

Gender Equality and Diversity:

IRC recognizes that gender equality is fundamental to the achievement of our organizational mission. As such, IRC is committed to the promotion of gender equality in all aspects of our operations and programs. Our organizational policies, procedures, and actions demonstrate this commitment. Women, minorities, persons with disability (PWD), and transgender candidates are highly encouraged to apply.

The IRC Core Values and Commitments.

• The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity Anti-Retaliation, and Combating Trafficking in Persons.
• IRC is committed to ensuring that IRC staff is suitable to work with children and have the knowledge they need to uphold and abide by the IRC’s Child Safeguarding Policy.
• Level of interaction with children: Less frequent direct contact with children
• IRC recognizes that gender equality is fundamental to the achievement of our organizational mission. As such, IRC is committed to the promotion of gender equality in all aspects of our operations and programs. Our organizational policies, procedures, and actions demonstrate this commitment.

Women candidates and differently abled persons are highly encouraged to apply