PLEASE NOTE THIS VACANCY IS NOW CLOSED
Are you our new Community Safeguarding Officer? Find out below…
Lyra in Africa
Community Safeguarding Officer
Lyra in Africa Organisation (Lyra) is a registered Tanzanian Non-Governmental Organisation based in Iringa. Lyra’s mission is to create vibrant communities by improving education and income opportunities for girls and women across rural Tanzania. Our main task is to give girls safety from abuse so that they can complete their studies and increase their access to secondary education and economic opportunities. Safeguarding underpins all the work that Lyra does, and we are committed to continually strengthen this area.
As part of this commitment to safeguarding, Lyra seeks to recruit a dedicated, self-motivated and highly organised individual for a Community Safeguarding Officer position, on a part time basis.
Role: Community Safeguarding Officer
Location: Iringa, Tanzania
Preferred start date: 1st September, 2021
Contract: Part time until 30th June, 2022
Reports to: National Director
Travel: Frequent travel to Lyra field locations will be required
Closing Date: 3rd of Sept, 2021
Roles and Responsibilities:
1. Building Capacity
Ensuring that staff, volunteers and new recruits are inducted and trained regularly on all aspects of safeguarding and child protection
Ensuring that Lyra’s Board members are trained regularly in safeguarding and their specific governance responsibilities;
Building the capacity of downstream partners and contractors/suppliers to comply with and implement aspects of Lyra’s safeguarding policy;
Strengthen the Lyra capacity to build awareness and understanding of how they are the safeguarding front of Lyra
2. Strengthening Systems
Ensuring that the safeguarding policy and procedures are regularly reviewed and updated in line with Tanzania laws and best practice, and translated into Kiswahili
Mapping, vetting and regularly updating the services and referral pathways provided to survivors of safeguarding incidents in Tanzania;
Designing appropriate and innovative youth-friendly new tools and mechanisms, including in local languages and that is easily accessible, to improve community awareness of Lyra’s approach to safeguarding and of how causes for concern can be reported;
Develop key safeguarding messages to share with communities that Lyra works with through the Lyra SMS database
Strengthen the systems of how feedback is received and dealt with from Lyra beneficiaries, such as through the Lyra suggestions boxes
3. Handling Cases
Support the Lyra Safeguarding Officers and investigating team to handle and investigate safeguarding incidents, including:
Supporting staff to record safeguarding incidents
Supporting survivors to access emergency medical treatment and/or psychosocial support;
Recording written statements in interviews;
Support the Safeguarding leads in the management of safeguarding cases
Review the structure of how Lyra currently handles safeguarding cases, and make recommendations as to the most effective safeguarding structure going forward
4. Monitoring and Compliance
Ensuring that all cases are properly followed up, actioned and closed in line with the global safeguarding policy;
Maintaining high quality and confidential records, files and logs of safeguarding cases;
Ensuring that the relevant internal staff and Board members are kept fully updated
Carrying out regular spot checks in the field and with volunteers, downstream partners and contractors to ensure that Lyra’s safeguarding policies and procedures are being upheld;
Ensure that safeguarding training is fully embedded across the team, volunteers and partners, and checks are in place to ensure safeguarding policies and procedures are followed in the day to day work of Lyra
5. Reporting:
Reports of safeguarding and child protection activities should be prepared in a weekly / monthly / quarterly basis according to agreed formats and submitted to the National Director
6. Other duties as required
You may occasionally be required to work on weekends and/or public holidays, for which time off in lieu will be granted
Required Experience & Competence:
Minimum (5) years of relevant technical and practical knowledge and experience on child and young people’s safeguarding
Experience working with young people in Tanzania
Experience in developing and implementing organisational child protection or safeguarding policies and procedures
Culturally aware and respectful - curious and sensitive about the cultures in which we operate
Safeguarding experience and knowledge of local context
Knowledge, skills and experience in participatory methods, community development and partnership.
Competent in excel and word and other relevant online packages for this role
Ability to work independently as well as part of a geographically dispersed team
Commitment to Lyra’s mission and values
Fluent written and spoken English and Kiswahili
Desirable
Graduate level degree in social sciences, social work, psychology, development or relevant field of study, or equivalent work experience
Self-motivated, honest, highly responsible, and punctual
A strong network of connections within Tanzania.
Ability to work effectively in multicultural teams with varying expertise, skills and backgrounds
Collaborative team player
Adaptable - able to work in complex, unfamiliar and changing environments
Excellent critical analysis and thinking skills, solution focussed
Positive, energetic, can-do attitude
NB: Lyra in Africa is an equal opportunity employer. Due to the interactive nature required of the role, female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply
Please send in your application by submitting both a Cover Letter and CV to the info@lyrainafrica.org