Child Protection Officer (Parenting and Social Welfare), Temporary Appointment, 364 days, Manila, 124816nila

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you. UNICEF Philippines is looking for a Child Protection Officer who would provide professional technical, operational and administrative assistance in the programming process for child protection activities for Parenting and Social Welfare.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, a fair chance

UNICEF has been an active partner of the Government of the Philippines and civil society in realizing the rights of every Filipino child, in line with priorities to achieve the SDGs. UNICEF efforts have been focused on the most vulnerable regions identified by the Government of the Philippines Development Plan, particularly in the regions of Visayas and Mindanao. To ensure that interventions are sustainable and scaled up, UNICEF will support both the national and local government units (LGUs) as the main instruments of delivering services and building systems. The level of engagement with government institutions will consider capacities, economies of scale and sector issues.

UNICEF Philippines has two offices. One office is based in Manila and a field office in Cotabato City, the second largest city in Mindanao, Southern Philippines, with some 300,000 population. The city is the regional administrative centre of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and over 80 percent of the population is Muslim. Mindanao is both conflict-affected and prone to frequent earthquakes and typhoons. 

Visit this link for more information on Philippine Country Office: https://www.unicef.org/philippines/

How can you make a difference?

Under the supervision of the Child Protection Specialist, the Child Protection Officer for Parenting and Social Welfare (CP Officer (PSW)) shall provide professional technical, operational, and administrative assistance throughout the programming process for child protection programmes/projects within the Country Programme from development planning to delivery of results. Specifically, the CP Officer (PSW) will support the planning, implementation and monitoring of social welfare and holistic parenting programme at national and sub-national level.  The CP Officer (PSW) will facilitate the regular coordinating with and providing high-level technical assistance to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Regional DSWD and relevant child protection authorities and UNICEF Implementing Partners at sub-national and local level.

The CP Officer (PSW) will have following tasks and responsibilities:

• Support the implementation of key activities in the Rolling Work Plan with the Department of Social Welfare and Development and provide high-level technical assistance to the central DSWD, select regional offices and Local Government Units (LGU) and Civil Society Organization (CSO) partners.
• Support the pilot implementation and scale up of the Department of Social Welfare and Development – Integrated Electronic Case Management System – Primero Child Protection Information Management System (DSWD IECMS Primero CPIMS) and coordinate with the UNICEF Regional Office for East Asia and the Pacific (UNICEF EAPRO Primero Focal Person) and relevant technical officers within DSWD and local government units.
• Support the scale up of the Evidence-based Parenting for Lifelong Health (Masayang Pamilya – MaPa “Happy Family”), a contextualized evidence-based positive parenting program co-designed by the University of Oxford and Ateneo de Manila University, in targeted locations.
• Work closely with DSWD, Child Welfare Council (CWC) and other relevant government authorities in developing and implementing the Parent Effectiveness Program Service Act Implementing Rules and Regulations.
• Support the partnership and implementation of activities with Global Partnership to End Violence against Children, World Health Organization and Australian Embassy and other key partners.
• Support the Monitoring and Evaluation functions for social welfare and holistic parenting.
• Provide support to the Section as required by the Child Protection Specialist and/or the Chief of the Section.

The CP Officer (PSW) is expected to deliver the following during this appointment:

• Monthly progress reports on the results of support activities in the implementation and coordination work with government and CSO partners based on the approved work schedule
• Quarterly progress updates on the status of implementation of the Rolling Work Plan with the Department of Social Welfare and Development including reports on technical assistance provided to DSWD Central Office, Regional Offices and selected LGUs
• Quarterly monitoring reports on the status and progress of case management system pilot implementation rollout plan for DSWD Integrated Electronic Case Management System (DSWD Primero CPIMS)
• Regular updates on the MaPa scale-up implementation and progress on the coordination work with DSWD
• Submission of National Parenting Framework as a result of the consultations with children/parents/caregivers and meetings with DSWD and other relevant government/CSO partners
• Submission of the national framework on strengthening the social service workforce based on the consultations and collaboration as initiated by DSWD and CWC and as guided by UNICEF Regional Office.
• Regular assistance on M&E provided to the Section; key tools for facilitating the monitoring and reporting developed and utilized by the Section.
• Contribute to the ongoing Child Protection Systems Strengthening work

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

A university degree in one of the following fields is required: international development, human rights, psychology, sociology, international law, social work or another relevant social science field.

A MA or MSC in one of the above disciplines would constitute an asset.

A minimum of two years of professional experience in social development planning and management in child protection related areas is required.

Experience working in a developing country is considered as an asset.

Relevant experience in programme development in child protection related areas in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset.

Experience in both development and humanitarian contexts is an added advantage.

Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of Pilipino is required. Knowledge of local dialect is considered as an asset.

How to apply

Qualified candidates are requested to complete an online candidate profile in http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/ by  05 June  2023. Only applications sent through the e-recruitment portal will be considered.

By applying through our Talent Management System (TMS) you agree to our privacy statement which is in line with the Philippines’ Data Privacy Act. You are strongly advised to read carefully through the privacy statement before submitting your application.

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

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.

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.
We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.
UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable male candidates are encouraged to apply.

[If Applicable] Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.