Child Safeguading Coordinator
Position Circumstances
- Career Category: Child Protection, Social Work, Health / Medical - Psychology, Law
- Schedule:Full-time
- Salary: Negotiable
Reports to : Deputy National Director
Duty Location : National Office, Phnom Penh
The Child Safeguarding Coordinator is responsible for leading and strengthening child safeguarding systems across SOS Cambodia to ensure that all children are protected from harm and abuse. The role supports the implementation of safeguarding policies and practices across institutional and community-based care models, in line with SOS Cambodia’s National Strategic Plan 2026–2028, national regulations, and donor requirements. The Coordinator works closely with program, HR, and management teams to build safeguarding capacity, manage incidents, and promote a safe, accountable, and child-centered organizational culture.
Key working relationships
- Internal
- Deputy National Director: strategic guidance, oversight, and escalation of safeguarding issues
- Program Quality Team: alignment of program standards, quality assurance, and monitoring
- Project Managers: implementation of safeguarding systems at the field level
- HR & OD Team: integration of safeguarding into recruitment, performance management, and staff conduct processes
- MEAL Team: coordination on monitoring, reporting, and learning related to safeguarding risks and trends
- Finance and Operations Teams: coordination on risk mitigation, compliance, and controls related to safeguarding
- Safeguarding Focal Points: technical support, supervision, and capacity building at the site level
- External
- Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation (MoSVY) policy alignment, compliance, and coordination
- Local authorities and child protection networks referrals, case coordination, and follow-up
- Donors and partner organizations safeguarding compliance, reporting, and audits (as required)
- Community leaders and service providers strengthening community-based safeguarding and referral pathways
Duties & Responsibilities:
- Safeguarding leadership and system strengthening
- Lead the implementation and continuous improvement of SOS Cambodia’s Child Safeguarding Framework across all programs and locations.
- Ensure safeguarding systems are effectively embedded in Family Like Care, Small Group Homes, Kinship Care, Family Strengthening Programs, childcare, kindergartens, and community-based services.
- Support alignment of safeguarding practices with the National Strategic Plan 2026–2028 and evolving program models.
- Policy implementation and compliance
- Ensure consistent application of SOS Child Safeguarding Policies, Codes of Conduct, and related procedures.
- Monitor compliance with national child protection laws, MoSVY guidelines, and donor safeguarding requirements.
- Review and update safeguarding tools, guidelines, and SOPs as required.
- Capacity building and awareness
- Design and deliver regular safeguarding training and refresher sessions for staff, caregivers (including mothers and youth leaders), volunteers, and partners.
- Support onboarding, safeguarding, and orientation for new staff and community-based actors.
- Strengthen staff and caregiver understanding of reporting mechanisms, boundaries of behavior, and risk prevention.
- Incident management and response
- Coordinate the management of safeguarding concerns, allegations, and incidents in line with SOS Incident Management and reporting procedures.
- Ensure timely reporting, documentation, referral, and follow-up of safeguarding cases.
- Support case review processes and ensure lessons learned are translated into system improvements.
- Maintain confidentiality and survivor-centered approaches at all times.
- Risk assessment and prevention
- Lead regular safeguarding risk assessments at village, community, and program levels.
- Identify emerging risks related to community-based care, kinship care, self-help groups, and off-site services.
- Work with program teams to develop and monitor risk mitigation plans.
- Monitoring, quality assurance, and reporting
- Conduct safeguarding monitoring visits and compliance checks across SOS Cambodia locations.
- Contribute to internal audits, donor reviews, and external assessments related to safeguarding.
- Prepare regular safeguarding reports for senior management, including trends, risks, and recommendations.
- Coordination and cross-functional collaboration
- Work closely with HR&OD to ensure safeguarding is integrated into recruitment, performance management, and staff disciplinary processes.
- Coordinate with Program Quality, MEAL, and Finance teams to ensure safeguarding considerations are integrated into planning, budgeting, and reporting.
- Support the Project Managers in strengthening local safeguarding focal points and structures.
- Community-based safeguarding
- Support the integration of safeguarding into community-based care models, including Kinship Care, Family Strengthening, and Self-Help Groups.
- Promote child participation and safe feedback mechanisms for children and caregivers.
- Strengthen referral pathways with local authorities and child protection actors.
- Any tasks assigned by the line supervisor.
Expected Profile of Candidates
Qualifications:
- Bachelor's Degree in Social Work, Psychology, Child Protection, Law, Education, or a related field
- Master's Degree is preferred
Skills & Knowledge:
General & Technical Skills
- Minimum 5–7 years of experience in child safeguarding, child protection, or related roles, preferably within NGOs or child-focused organizations.
- Strong knowledge of child safeguarding standards, case management, and prevention approaches.
- Experience working with community-based programs is highly desirable.
Soft Skills
- Strong understanding of child rights, safeguarding principles, and ethical practice.
- Ability to manage sensitive cases with professionalism, discretion, and empathy.
- Practical experience in training facilitation and staff coaching.
- Strong coordination, communication, and reporting skills.
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively across teams and locations.
- Willingness to travel regularly to project sites.
