Organization: UNICEF – United Nations Children’s Fund
Location: Dhaka
Grade: Junior level – P-2, International Professional – Internationally recruited position
Occupational Groups:
Children’s rights (health and protection)
Protection Officer (Refugee)
Closing Date: 2024-12-25

The Child Protection Officer (P2) will report to the Child Protection Specialist (Output II) in BCO and will support the Output II team by providing technical and operational assistance in the planning, administration, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of social service workforce strengthening and mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) program initiatives. This role is essential to establishing effective and robust child protection mechanisms. The Officer utilizes both technical and theoretical expertise, as well as a comprehensive understanding of organizational goals, policies, rules, and procedures, to carry out these responsibilities

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

ey functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks:

1. SUPPORT TO STRATEGY DESIGN AND STRENGTHEN SOCIAL SERVICES WORKFORCE

• Support in rolling out the Social Service Workforce development initiative.
• Support in establishing and strengthening community-based child protection mechanisms through capacity building and advocacy.
• Support in reviewing and updating the country’s Social Service Workforce development curriculums.
• Support in developing a normative framework for the Social Service Workforce in Bangladesh.
• Support in developing an accreditation system for social workers.
• Support the National Social Service Training Academy of the Department of Social Services to develop/upgrade child protection social work foundation course.
• Support in initiating Master/Executive Courses or Certificate Courses on child protection social work with public and private universities.

2. SUPPORT FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF CHILD PROTECTION ACTIVITIES

• Collaborate and/or consult with internal and external partners to provide operational and technical support to research, develop, and produce evidence-based strategies.
• Assess and recommend potential contacts, networks, resources, and tools to support the maximum impact and outreach of CP initiatives.
• Follow up and monitor the production of CP materials to ensure the technical quality, consistency and relevancy of the materials that are developed, produced, and disseminated to target audiences (e.g. individuals, communities, government officials, partners, media etc.).
• Collect, assess, and organize information for budget planning and management of programme funds and prepare documentation and related materials for financial planning for CP initiatives.
• Monitor/track the use of resources as planned and verify compliance with organizational guidelines, rules and regulations and standards of ethics and transparency.
• Support in designing, launching, and conducting CP studies and evaluations.
• Draft donor reports and project proposals.
• Liaison with other UNICEF sectors, FOs, and programmes as per the needs of the CP programme.

3. SUPPORT MENTAL HEALTH AND PSYCHO-SOCIAL SUPPORT (MHPSS) PROGRAMME INITIATIVES

• Strengthen the capacity of Psychosocial Counselors, DSS officials, and Para Psychosocial Counselors (Social Workers) in mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) through targeted training and other relevant activities.
• Design and manage MHPSS programs that address mental health needs and provide psychosocial support to children and their families.
• Conduct thorough assessments to identify specific mental health and psychosocial needs, particularly among vulnerable or crisis-affected populations.
• Tailor MHPSS interventions to align with the specific needs, cultural context, and available resources of the target community.
• Develop and maintain a robust referral network for individuals needing advanced mental health services, ensuring timely access to specialized support.

4. ADVOCACY, NETWORKING AND PARTNERSHIP BUILDING

• Build and maintain partnerships through networking and proactive collaboration with sub-national, national, and international organizations, community groups, and other critical partners and civil society.
• Reinforce cooperation through engagement, empowerment and self-determination and pursue opportunities for greater advocacy to promote UNICEF mission and goals for child rights, social equity, and inclusiveness.
• Collaborate with internal global/regional CP partners to harmonize, link and/or coordinate messaging to enhance CP outreach and contribution to programmatic outcomes.

Minimum requirements:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in one of the following fields is required: social work, social and behavioral science, sociology, anthropology, psychology, education, or another relevant technical field. Social Work preferred.
• Work Experience: A minimum of two years of professional experience in one or more of the following areas is required: child protection, social work, social development, programme planning, public advocacy, or another related area.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset.                                                           Experience in both development and humanitarian contexts is an added advantage.
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language or a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others

Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their candidate profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in the Applicant system in order to be considered.  The information submitted will be used for administrative purposes, salary/step determination and conditions of employment. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be accepted for applications that have already been submitted for this position.

How to apply

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