Child Protection Social Worker

AFEL CP social workers labor to ensure the well-being and welfare of children, as well as their families.

The primary duty of the AFEL CP social worker is to protect children from neglect, situations of abuse, and other forms of maltreatment.

They do this by visiting homes in order to investigate allegations of neglect or abuse, providing assessments as a way to determine whether a guardian or parent is fit to provide care for such children, and evaluating whether a child should be permanently or temporarily removed from his/her living situation.

Duties, tasks, and responsibilities

1. Identify children in need of case management who are participating in other activities.
2. Receive high-risk child protection referrals for children in need of child protection case management. Priorities intervention according to risk level.
3. Ensure that informed consent/assent is taken before opening a case.
4. Arrange for psychiatric, medical, and other tests as necessary
5. Assess received cases and take immediate action to address urgent situations.
6. Provide age-appropriate counseling and qualitative psychosocial support to children and their families throughout the case management process.
7. Ensure the child is involved and participates in the establishment of the case plan.
8. Store and file CP data ensuring the confidentiality of the information collected and the services provided according to the minimum standard.
9. Flag all high-risk cases in which judicial intervention is required to the Director and ensure they are referred immediately to UPEL.
10. Produce case reports of quality to be submitted and/or to provide recommendations, especially on alternative care options to UPEL for complex cases in need of judicial intervention.
11. Ensure the utmost confidentiality of case management data and information throughout the case management process, including protection referrals.
12. Receive referrals from different agencies, do action plans, and appropriate responses to each case.
13. Adhere to the principles and guidance of the National CP Case Management SOPs, including mandatory reporting requirements.
14. Conduct home visits on a regular basis.
15. Work on an individual level with the beneficiary and work on the environment (hygiene, safety, work, education …)
16. Refer families to complementary services when conducting family mediation sessions is needed.

Requirements: Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Patience and resilience
• Ability to remain calm in crisis
• Flexibility Initiative
• Strong observation, listening, and analytical skills
• Good organizational skills
• Must be able to plan meetings for a caseload of clients.