Social Welfare Expert - Somalia (QUESTS-MIDA)

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Title: Social Welfare Expert
Duty Station: Various Locations
Duration of Assignment: Varies
Date Posted: 23 Feb 2011
Deadline Date: 9 Mar 2011

Summary:
The Social Welfare Expert will assist individuals, families and groups with social, emotional and financial difficulties to improve quality of life by educating and supporting them and working towards changes in their social environment. He/she will counsel individuals, groups, or families to help them understand problems, define goals, and develop realistic action plans.

Background Information:   
About QUESTS-MIDA
The QUESTS-MIDA project is a UNDP-IOM joint initiative that aims to facilitate the transfer of skills, competencies and knowledge of qualified Somali expatriates to specific institutions within Somalia. A beneficiary institution will host the qualified Somali expatriate and will be responsible to provide a safe and secure work environment, while QUESTS-MIDA will monitor the expatriate while in assignment.                     

About Somalia
Somalia is geographically located in Eastern Africa bordering the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, east of Ethiopia. After 18 years of civil war and without the Central Government, administrative structures have severely eroded capacity, are lacking in formal planning and budgeting, and adequately trained staff. Institutions have very limited infrastructure, salaries or budgets and are under pressure to provide effective policies and strategies that will lead Somalia from conflict to recovery and socioeconomic development. Currently, QUESTS-MIDA has 23 participants in place in Somaliland and Puntland and continues to place experts throughout Somalia.

Activities / Key Results Expected   
Some of the key functions of the Social Welfare Expert will include:
? Collect information about individuals or clients, using interviews, case histories, observational techniques, and other assessment methods.
? Develop a social welfare scheme that is aimed at making the poor self-sufficient through small grants and loans.
? Closely work with international and local NGOs who are providing social services like health and education.

Develop strategic and operational plan to establish livelihood projects that are aimed at reducing poverty among the inhabitants of the city
? Prepare and develop evaluation reports
? Assisting in providing service to the wounded and the handicapped
? Organization of vocational training workshops for the unemployed in collaboration with line ministries and other non-profit organizations.
? The Social Welfare Expert will assist individuals, families and groups with social, emotional and financial difficulties to improve quality of life by educating and supporting them and working towards changes in their social environment.
?   Counsel individuals, groups, or families to help them understand problems, define goals,     and develop realistic action plans.

Target Outputs (Measurable Results)   
?  Report on the number of people who visit the the Institutions for help.
?  Report on  the number of new projects proposed
?  Report on the number of people helped out of poverty

QUESTS-MIDA Requirements   
?  Baseline needs-assessment report.
?  Work plan: A work plan will have to be developed with the Supervisor during the first month of assignment which will provide clear and time bound activities to successfully implement the outputs of the assignment.
?  Interim and Final Reports: Progress reports will be submitted by the participant quarterly and a final report at the end of the assignment.

Ability to identify and relate to problems faced by individuals and the society.
?  Ability to deal with stress and effectively manage time.
?  Ability and skills in risk management.
?  Excellent communication ?oral and writing, projects planning, implementation and evaluation

Qualifications   
 Master Degree in Social Work or Psychology Social work, Psychology, Socio-psychology or related field
 At least 5-8 post graduate experience.

Salary:
Under the direction of the SIDP and in consultation with the beneficiary institution, it has been determined that the salary level for this position be the following:
(This will be determined by QUESTS-MIDA based on qualifications (VI) and level of the assignment (X).

Security and Insurance Modalities;
Health insurance, including evacuation due to medical emergency, will be provided by the project. However, experts will be requested to provide a recent medical certificate stating that they are physically well and apt to work in a hardship area in Africa.
Please note that neither IOM nor UNDP,  according to the contract, will be responsible for the security of the qualified Somali expatriates. The host beneficiary institution will be responsible for the security of the individual.
Before leaving the country of residence and upon arrival in Nairobi or in Somalia, the qualified Somali expatriate will receive a pre-departure briefing including security advice and cultural background.

How to apply:
All applicants must apply online through the QUESTS-MIDA website. To start the application process, the applicants are required to register an account with the QUESTS-MIDA website. Go to login and register as a user, then fill the form and create a password to enter in the applications section. Short-listed candidates will be informed of the status of their application. If you encounter any problems when applying, please send an email to quests-mida@iom.int.