Vacancy number: 010/IN TOUCH Contract type: Individual entrepreneur contract Location: Zhytomyr region Work format: offline Execution period: 2 months.
Organizational context of the work: Public Organization “NGO “In Touch Ukraine Foundation” is looking for an expert who can perform the role of a social worker in the interdisciplinary mobile team for the project “Restoring access to medical services in communities of Zhytomyr region” within the framework of the project “Innovations to overcome the HIV/AIDS epidemic” for 2 months.
The project is implemented by NGO “NGO “In Touch Ukraine Foundation” in the region with the support of the USAID project “Building a resilient public health system”, funded by the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by Pact in partnership with the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) and the European Institute of Public Health Policy (EIPHP).
The project aims to provide medical and psychosocial assistance to remote settlements of Zhytomyr region (Olevska, Slovechanska, and Narodytska communities).
The goal of the USAID Project “Building a Resilient Public Health System” (2022-2027) is to strengthen the capacity of the Government of Ukraine to prevent, detect, and respond to public health threats, ensure the performance of critical public health functions in crisis periods, protect the health of all Ukrainians, including vulnerable and marginalized groups, and expand and provide mental health services to populations affected by war.
The IMT is a multidisciplinary team of professionals who provide the population of the community with medical care, mental health services, psychosocial support, which is as close as possible to the client’s location of residence (presence). IMT consists of a doctor (doctors), a nurse/paramedic, a social worker, a psychologist, and a driver.
Functional Responsibilities:
- Conduct client registration.
- Provide initial stage screening guidance to clients (instruct on questionnaire completion, etc.).
- Assess the needs of individuals/families for social services.
- Provide consultations on addressing client needs and/or problems.
- If necessary, refer or inform clients about psychologists and/or other providers of psychosocial services.
- Conduct initial assessment surveys of domestic violence cases and/or gender-based violence cases.
Requirements for the Social Worker/Social Work Specialist are detailed below.
Requirements:
- General secondary education, vocational and/or higher education in the field of “Social Work,” “Social Pedagogy,” “Pedagogy and Social Work,” or other humanitarian specialties.
- Experience in providing social services to individuals in difficult life circumstances in state or non-governmental services/organizations.
- Completed formal or informal professional training.
- Experience in the field for at least 1 year.
- Ability to work with Excel, Word, Google Drive, Google Docs, Canvas, Figma, CRM systems, Data Check.
- Possession of certificates for skills enhancement or competency development is an advantage.
Professional Competencies:
- Ability to apply theoretical knowledge and skills in real practical situations.
- Ability to identify client needs and problems, analyze them, and jointly develop appropriate assistance strategies with the client.
- Ability to establish quality contact with clients and their families, demonstrate effective communication skills, and active listening skills.
- Ability to plan work, set priorities, and manage time.
- Understanding of legal frameworks and ethical standards in social work and their application in practice.
Interaction Principles with Clients:
- Respect for the dignity of every individual. The social worker of the IMT must treat all clients with respect, without showing any signs of disrespect for the individual.
- Priority of client interests. The IMT social worker directs efforts and all available resources to assist and ensure the interests of each client, taking into account their individual needs.
- Tolerance. The IMT social worker demonstrates a high level of tolerance and sensitivity to various emotional or behavioral manifestations of the client, as well as accepts the client’s circumstances regardless of their previous actions, habits, or any other individual characteristics, such as gender, ethnicity, or nationality.
- Trust and collaboration in solving client problems. The IMT social worker supports and encourages the client’s active participation in addressing their requests, maximally promotes the client’s independence, providing necessary psychosocial and informational support.
- Accessibility of services. The IMT social worker makes every effort to ensure unimpeded access for the client to services, without any discrimination based on gender, age, race, health status, disability, sexual orientation, etc.
- Confidentiality. The IMT social worker provides the client with information on how the confidentiality of their interaction is ensured and outlines exceptions under which it may be breached.
Interpersonal Skills:
- Consultative skills: ability to provide counseling to clients and offer recommendations necessary for the prevention, overcoming, or minimization of negative consequences of complex life circumstances.
- Teamwork: ability to collaborate with other team members and coordinate joint efforts to achieve goals.
- Leadership skills: ability to effectively manage a group and take responsibility in important and/or stressful situations.
Areas of Responsibility of the Social Worker/Social Work Specialist in the Mobile Multidisciplinary Team (MMT):
- Psychosocial support for clients and their families:
- Assessment and identification of client needs, individual consultations, and information dissemination.
- Organizing consultations with psychologists when necessary.
- Identifying the need for medical assistance in low-mobility population categories and organizing such assistance by MMT members.
- Primary assessment of domestic violence and/or gender-based violence cases:
- Identifying signs and responding to instances of gender-based violence.
- Counseling and informational support:
- Clarifying clients’ rights as defined by law, options for receiving assistance from service providers, and the feasibility of receiving such assistance.
- Responding to questions regarding procedures, preventive measures, available services within the MMT’s work scope (conducting initial screening for infectious diseases).
- Organizing public announcements about the MMT’s work.
- Care coordination:
- Determining clients’ needs for social, psychological, and medical support and coordinating appropriate measures.
- Needs assessment and action planning:
- Assessing clients’ and their families’ needs.
- Collaboratively developing individual support and rehabilitation plans based on needs assessment and resources.
- Reporting and documentation:
- Maintaining documentation on provided social services and consultations.
- Inputting data into the electronic client database.
- Preparing reports on work results and recommendations for further care.
- Working with vulnerable groups:
- Organizing and conducting work with clients who have a heightened level of vulnerability, including children, the elderly, persons with disabilities, victims of violence, and those in crisis situations resulting from the impact of complex life circumstances on household life.
- Organizing MMT assistance for the specified population groups.
For participation in the competition, please fill out the application form provided here.
More information about the project can be found here.
You can email additional questions to: in.touch.ukraine.foundation@gmail.com
If you are interested in the competition and ready to become part of the team of the Non-Governmental Organization “NUO ‘In Touch Ukraine Foundation'” in implementing this project, please submit your application form by December 18, 2023 (inclusive).
We will only contact candidates who have passed the initial selection stage for an interview.
Candidates who successfully pass the selection process will be offered a fixed-term contract.