Requisition ID: req59273 Job Title: Child Protection Officer Sector: Child Protection Employment Category: Fixed Term Employment Type: Full-Time Open to Expatriates: No Location: Kakuma, Kenya Work Arrangement:In-person Job Description The IRC in Kenya operates in Kakuma and Hagadera refugee camps, Turkana for the host community programming and Nairobi for urban refugee programming delivering integrated health, nutrition, livelihoods and protection services. The region faces high rates of unemployment, child malnutrition, adolescent pregnancy, and harmful traditional practices. The organization addresses systemic gaps in child malnutrition, protection risks, and adolescent reproductive health, with a focus on community-based solutions, capacity and systems strengthening. The IRC's integrated approach strengthens community health systems and promotes child wellbeing through structured follow-up, adolescent-friendly services, and community engagement. Scope/Job Purpose: Under the direct supervision of the Protection Manager and with technical support from the child protection technical team, the Child Protection (CP) Officer will serve as a focal point for integrated child protection programming in Kakuma refugee camp. The role will emphasize structured post-discharge follow-up for malnourished children, adolescent-friendly SRHR services, mitigation of harmful traditional practices, and integration of child protection within health and nutrition services. The CP officer will facilitate safe identification and referral of at-risk children, promote child participation, strengthen integration of child protection in health and nutrition services, and support awareness-raising, psychosocial support for children at risk and parenting support efforts. This role requires close collaboration with service providers and community stakeholders to uphold standards, procedures, and principles of child protection across sectors. Duties and Responsibilities: Program Planning, Development, and Implementation: + Conduct and support situational assessments and data collection to inform integrated child protection, nutrition, and health programming in Hagadera/Kakuma. + Contribute to the development and adaptation of child protection strategies, including structured post-discharge protocols, standard operating procedures, and referral pathways for high-risk infants and adolescents including adolescent mothers. + Coordinate child protection referrals to appropriate child protection providers (governmental or NGOs) ensuring timely and safe access to services for at-risk children. + Be positioned in health and nutrition centers to facilitate the safe identification and referral of children at risk, working collaboratively with frontline professionals. + Strengthen the knowledge and skills of health, protection and nutrition professionals in key Child protection concepts, including risk identification, child safeguarding, referrals and psychosocial. + Conduct joint awareness and learning sessions with health and nutrition professionals to promote shared understanding of child protection responsibilities. + Identify caregivers for parenting support and deliver sessions to health and nutrition staff to improve their understanding of child development and supportive caregiving practices. + Promote child participation by organizing regular consultations with girls and boys of different age groups and using their feedback to inform protection strategies and awareness content. + Engage male and female caregivers through structured discussions to identify key protection concerns and collaborate on solutions. + Conduct assessments on the relationship between child malnutrition, adolescent pregnancy, and increased risk of child labor, exploitation, and abuse, and work with stakeholders to design preventive responses, including linkages to MAMI support and adolescent-friendly SRHR services. + Develop and disseminate awareness materials focused on key risks such as family separation, female genital mutilation (FGM), gum mutilation, and herbal intoxication, informed by community and child consultations. + Lead and support community awareness activities, including norm-shifting dialogues, with active participation from local leaders, caregivers, and youth to address harmful practices and promote child safety. Program Liaison, Coordination and Networking: + Maintain effective communication and working relationships with relevant stakeholders including Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, Department of Children’s Services, children, families, community leaders, health, nutrition staff, and implementing partners. + Represent the CP focal point role in coordination forums and inter-agency meetings within the camp. + Facilitate regular meetings with communities, children, and partners to coordinate child protection actions and promote shared responsibility. + Collaborate with sectors including health, nutrition, education, protection, GBV, and livelihoods to integrate child protection into broader service delivery. + Provide guidance and informal support to community-based actors involved in child protection promotion, including social workers and community volunteers. Monitoring and Reporting: + Ensure timely documentation and reporting of cases identified, services offered, referrals, consultations, training, and awareness activities. + Monitor trends, feedback, and gaps from community consultations, especially from children, and incorporate them into programming and reporting. + Prepare weekly, monthly, and quarterly updates and reports on child protection activities, community feedback, and inter-sector coordination outcomes. + Support key recommendations on child friendly access to social services and access to justice for children. + Document the challenges, emerging trends, innovations, best practices and success stories for learning and advocacy. Qualifications + Bachelor's degree in social work, Child Development, Psychology, Public Health, or related field. + Minimum 3 years of experience in child protection programming in humanitarian or development settings. + Strong advocate for child rights + Strong commitment to advocating for children’s protection and safeguarding + Demonstrated experience integrating child protection with health and nutrition services. + Knowledge and experience in adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) programming. + Familiarity with harmful traditional practices within the areas of operation such as gum mutilation and herbal intoxication, and strategies to address them. + Experience working with community-based CP mechanisms and positive parenting programs. + Strong facilitation, coordination and training skills with diverse stakeholders including CHPs and health workers. + Excellent communication skills and ability to engage children, caregivers, and community leaders. + Proficiency in data collection, reporting, and use of feedback for program improvement. + Knowledge and understanding of child protection case management systems and processes, broader protection (women empowerment, GBV and general protection) is an added advantage + Fluency in English and Swahili; knowledge of local language spoken in Kakuma is an asset. Please note:This position is contingent upon funding approval.