KOUDMEN SENT LISI - Family Case Worker

KOUDMEN SENT LISI - Family Case Worker The St. Lucia Social Development Fund (SSDF) is seeking a suitably qualified person to fill the position of Family Case Worker of the Koudmen Sent Lisi Programme. a) BACKGROUND The Government of Saint Lucia (GOSL) has successfully pursued the reform of the social protection system, by undertaking a number of initiatives which aim to strengthen the system. Under the leadership of the Ministry of Equity, Social Justice and Empowerment (MoESJE), Saint Lucia is positioned to improve social protection services across Saint Lucia. The Ministry completed its review and update of the country’s Social Protection Policy, a process which resulted in the National Social Protection Policy 2022-2030 (NSPP 2022-2030). A key objective of the policy is the reduction of poverty, vulnerability, and deprivation in the overall population and among individuals belonging to life-cycle groups. Additionally, a Strategy for Graduation from Social Assistance in Saint Lucia (GS 2022-2030) was also developed which provides the Ministry with a framework for providing services that will enable increased economic inclusion and empowerment among poor and vulnerable households. This framework will allow for the more efficient implementation of the Koudmen Sent Lisi (KSL) programme which started in xxx with an aim to support indigent households, in the hope of rendering them non poor and no longer in need of the Public Assistance Cash Transfer Grant. The Koudmen Sent Lisi (KSL) is a flagship programme being implemented by the Saint Lucia Social Development Fund (SSDF) in collaboration with the Ministry of Equity, Social Justice and Empowerment and other social partners, with the aim to provide comprehensive multidimensional support to poor and indigent families, in order to elevate them out of poverty. The programme is being relaunched and will involve a harmonisation with the Public Assistance Programme. The KSL will also serve as the main graduation support initiative for the Ministry of Equity and by extension the Government of Saint Lucia. The Family Case Workers (FCSs) are critical to the effective implementation of the programme. Eligible candidates are invited to indicate their interest in serving as a Family Case Worker, to undertake the targeting, counselling/mentoring and other case management functions required to effectively implement the KSL. b) SCOPE OF SERVICES The Family Case Worker (FCW) shall be responsible for providing or securing socioeconomic, physiological, and psychosocial support that are required by participating households in order to facilitate the attainment of the goals in their graduation plans. The FCW will also be required to visit assigned families on a regular basis, and work in collaboration with several partners. Consequently, the responsibilities of the FCW will include, but are not limited to: 1. Conduct socioeconomic and psychosocial investigations of programme beneficiaries by applying all the requisite data collection tools (whether for intake, monitoring or evaluation), to ensure that the requisite data is available to assess the needs of beneficiaries/households, and inform the delivery of targeted interventions/services to said beneficiaries/households. 2. Facilitate the application of the KSL approach to empowerment by engaging families in goal setting, providing the needed mentorship and referral services throughout the intervention period. 3. Manage the action plans developed for the beneficiary families/households by working with them to facilitate compliance with the programme’s co-responsibilities and in turn the attainment of desired results that will render them non poor. 4. Support the monitoring and evaluation of the programme to allow for documenting experiences of beneficiaries and for reporting on project successes, challenges and setbacks. 5. Reinforce life skills and healthy lifestyle concepts taught to beneficiary families/households by creating interaction opportunities to highlight the value of life skills and living a healthy lifestyle, in order to improve beneficiary families’/households’ ability to make key decisions, manage stress, communicate effectively and effectively manage assets for better quality of life. 6. Maintain relationships with key stakeholders from other programmes (state or non-state) that beneficiaries are referred to for additional support. Maintain proper referral records and network to improve the pool of referral services where necessary. 7. Enable activities that will meet the care needs of beneficiary families/households where necessary, by promoting positive childhood development and elderly care. This may also include the teaching of various exercises to children by using tools that help develop fine motor skills, strengthen coordination and reaction time, improve social and emotional development, promote collaboration and relationships, and language development in order to facilitate the child’s/children’s development into well rounded productive individuals. 8. Provide a range of psychosocial support services and interventions to beneficiary families/households of the programme through regular interaction, dialogue on challenges and encouragement in order to support improved emotional health. 9. Facilitate training programmes for beneficiary families/households by delivering the approved training material in order to facilitate behavioral change for better family and community living. 10. Coordinate all the necessary logistics for training programmes and or community outreach activities for beneficiary families/households. This includes mobilization of participants, securing venues with quality services, selection and confirmation of participation of key resource persons, source materials such as stationery and audiovisual equipment, and ensure that the requisite catering and transportation arrangements are confirmed in order to ensure that the training is executed. 11. Support communication and advocacy activities of the programme. 12. Prepare and submit weekly and monthly quantitative and qualitative reports in a prescribed format by compiling all activities and observations during the period, in order to ensure the effective monitoring of the programme. 13. Perform such other duties as may be assigned by the management of the Saint Lucia Social Development Fund. c) SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE: 1. Knowledge of Social Legislation relating to children and families. 2. Good knowledge of Social Work and or Counseling Theory and Practice. 3. Understanding of Safeguarding for children and vulnerable adults. 4. Assessment and crisis intervention skills. 5. Commitment to work with a multi-disciplinary team and record of accomplishment in community based work. 6. Demonstrated level of maturity to cope adequately with the problems and challenges encountered in the field. 7. Ability to conduct research and analyze data. 8. Excellent report writing skills. 9. Stakeholder networking and mobilization skills 10. Ability to speak English and Creole fluently. 11. Proficient in the use of Microsoft word and excel programmes. d) CONDITIONS 1. Normal work hours Monday to Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 2. Required to work beyond the normal working hours. 3. Required to remain current on developments in Social Work. 4. Travelling allowance will be paid in accordance with approved rates. 5. Required to exercise a high degree of integrity, confidentiality and professionalism in the conduct of duties. 6. Office accommodation and institutional support will be provided by SSDF. 7. Required to demonstrate a high level of political acuity. 8. Salary and benefits are in accordance with that stipulated in the terms and conditions of employment. e) EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS The Family Case Worker should have a minimum of the following qualifications: (a) A Degree or commensurate qualifications in Social Work with a minimum of two (2) years’ experience relevant to the role of Family Case Worker. OR (b) An Associate Degree or commensurate qualifications in Social Work with a minimum of five (5) years’ experience relevant to the role of Family Case Worker. Deadline for applications for the posts of Family Caregivers is 4:00 p.m. 10th November, 2023 Completed application forms should be submitted to the: Executive Director, Saint Lucia Social Development Fund, Colony House John Compton Highway P.O. Box Choc 8180 Castries, St. Lucia E Mail: info@slusdf.net Only suitable candidates will be acknowledged. Please be advised that only the candidates with the best qualifications and experience will be short listed for interviews. Therefore, candidates who meet the minimum qualifications and experience may not be considered for an interview.