Special Educator

GUPW  runs two multidisciplinary Early Childhood Development centers and a physiotherapy center under the UNICEF supported program in partnership with “Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP)”. The The purpose of this job announcement is to select a qualified Special Educator for a vacant post through a competitive process. The center service offered for of all children residing within Ain Al Helweh camp and surrounding regardless of nationality. 

1. Key tasks and responsibilities of Special Educator:

• Follow up children with special needs and learning difficulties from 3 to 18 years old.
• Follow up children upon receiving referral from specialists, doctors, and colleagues at the center, review children medical history and asses their condition and needs using standardized and validated Special Education tools. Assessing children's development and levels to identify possible disorders and different types of learning difficulties.
• Assessing communication environments; and social factors contributing to the emergence, maintenance, and aggravation of the disorders. Creating and monitoring Intervention plan to help reduce or eliminate the aggravating social factors
• Writing assessment reports for each child.
• Develop a treatment plan with specific goals and tasks that will help them meet those goals.
• Coordinate with the rest of multidisciplinary team in the center when the case needed multidisciplinary intervention as needed, to develop intervention plan accordingly through the group meeting with other specialists individually and/or at cases plan group meeting
• Collaborate with all the staff and specialists who are also taking role in the intervention plan of the same child
• Follow up various cases reported with learning disorders
• Oversee and treating various conditions which fall within domain of special education
• Ensure promoting participation of parents in sessions (observation, training and practicing)
• Educate caregivers about how to help care for and accommodate them. This might include training caregivers to apply techniques provided by the therapist as needed between sessions
• Assist in preparing and delivering awareness session for caregivers on child development and other mental health topics
• Provide family orientation after every session and meeting caregivers for guidance or to give them instructions as needed.
• Conduct visits to kindergartens if needed, meeting with teachers or principles if needed to deliver recommendations about a child followed in the service.
• Permanent guidance (giving instructions, and information about the children) for the front-line staff in contact with the child.
• Managing a caseload taking account of priority cases, waiting lists, referral, and discharge of service users.
• Writing and maintaining confidential case notes, reports, and session’s logs
• Assess progress against goals and prepare reports on children progress in writing
• Participate in team meetings with the supervisor and other team members, presenting review, treatment plans, challenges, assessments, and new children’s presentations
• Maintain contact with social workers to update on any changes in schedules or re-organize children`s treatment plan and follow up as needed.
• Work under supervision of the Technical supervisor and Project Coordinator responsible for the daily functioning of the center and the follow-up of the overall progress of the project
• Other skills:
• Be able to work with general education teachers to ensure proper implementation of the individual intervention plan IEP and confirm that accommodations for the student are being met
• Communication skills:  Be able to effectively relay instructions and communicate verbally and in writing with all stakeholders taking part in childcare, be able to listen to children and caregivers to help meet their needs.
• Compassion and patience:   with the ability to motivate children.  Be able to help them and caregivers and setting realistic and achievable goals, encouraging, creative and flexible, without discouraging them. 
• Analytical thinking skills: Be able to have a variety of validated treatment methods from which to choose and make informed decisions about what might be best for a case.
• Good computer skills for detailed record-keeping and familiarity with assistive technology devices
• Flexible and responsive to program challenges