Psychologist

Role Purpose

The purpose of this assignment is to provide safe, ethical, child-centred, and trauma-informed psychological and psychosocial support within the Ministry of Social Affairs (MOSA) Juvenile Protection Division.

The role holder will be seconded to MoSA and based within the Juvenile Protection Division, where they will work in close coordination with MoSA’s Juvenile Protection division and relevant personnel.

They will deliver immediate psychosocial and psychological support for children and their caregivers through Psychological First Aid (PFA) and basic helping skills, while integrating psychological support within child protection case management, including psychosocial assessments, emotional stabilization, supportive counselling, and structured referrals.

The role holder will also provide technical guidance, capacity building, and coordination to MOSA child protection and social workers (National Coordinator, Coordinators and Case managers) ensuring all interventions align closely with the National Child Protection Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in Lebanon.

The psychologist is not expected to provide long-term specialized psychotherapy unless otherwise formally agreed and supported through appropriate supervision and legal frameworks.

The role holder is not expected to provide long-term specialized psychotherapy unless otherwise formally agreed and supported through appropriate supervision and legal frameworks.

In the event of a major humanitarian emergency, the role holder will be expected to work outside the normal role profile and be able to vary working hours accordingly.

Child Safeguarding

Level 2 - the responsibilities of the post will require the post holder to have and direct regular contact with or access to children or young people.

Scope of Role

• Reports to: Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Specialist and is seconded to the MOSA.
• Staff reporting to this post: None
• Dimensions: N/A

Key Areas of Accountability

Integration with the Juvenile Case Management Services

• Provide technical psychological support and guidance to social workers within juvenile case management processes;
• Support social workers in understanding psychosocial, emotional, behavioral, and mental health dimensions affecting children, adolescents, and caregivers; particularly in contexts of family adversity and potential exposure of children to developmental trauma and any related topics.
• Conduct specialized psychosocial assessments for identified case management cases when needed, for care planning and service provision purposes.
• Submit psychological assessment reports and briefings to the juvenile judges depending on the case and its requirements.
• Participate in multidisciplinary social workers case discussions while respecting confidentiality and informed consent principles;
• Support the development of holistic care and case action plans integrating psychosocial considerations;
• Provide supportive interventions and emotional stabilization for beneficiaries experiencing distress;
• Support safe identification and referral of high-risk cases requiring specialized mental health, psychiatric, protection;
• Provide technical coaching, guidance, and consultation to social workers on safe communication and psychosocial support approaches;
• Maintain confidential documentation and ensure ethical management of case information in respect to MOSA CP information management system
• Support risk assessment related to severe distress, trauma exposure, behavioral concerns, self-harm risk, violence exposure, or family-related concerns according to established protocols;
• Contribute to strengthening multidisciplinary and child-centered approaches within MOSA services.
• Develop and adapt guidance and tools to enhance collaboration between the psychologist and the Juvenile Division Department.
• Participate in regular supervision and coordination meetings between MOSA social worker Psychologist and MHPSS Specialist
• Report on monthly activities that need to be shared with MOSA and SCI and include measurable indicators
• Strengthening coordination between MHPSS and juvenile case management service15 to 20 active case load per psychologist as a maximum capacity depending on the risks and needs
• Obtain informed consent and assent from beneficiaries, where applicable, while ensuring and Ensure confidentiality and the safe and ethical management of beneficiary information.;

General

• Comply with Save the Children and MOSA policies and practice with respect to child safeguarding, anti-harassment, code of conduct, health and safety, equal opportunities, data protection and other relevant policies and procedures.
• Comply with MoSA laws, regulations, and policies

Qualifications

• Master’s degree Advanced degree in Clinical Psychology or Mental Health Counseling
• Valid license to practice from Lebanese Order of Psychologists (LOPsy)
• Fluency in written and oral English and Arabic

Experience and Skills

Essential

• Minimum 5 to 6 years of professional experience in psychological support, MHPSS, and counselling
• Experience in protection-related programming, working with children, adolescents, vulnerable groups, within case management systems;
• Experience in psychosocial assessments, supportive counselling, and referral management;
• Ability to work within multidisciplinary teams;
• Strong communication, interpersonal, and documentation skills;
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and manage sensitive cases ethically.
• Psychologists should have separate clinical supervision independently of Save The Children

Desirable

• Strong understanding of child protection, safeguarding, and trauma-informed approaches; inter- agency standards, and guidelines in MHPSS
• Preferably to have experience working with governmental and non-governmental organizations
• Excellent communication skills, ability to work under pressure.
• Excellent problem-solving skills, creativity and flexibility

Additional Job Responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.

Equal Opportunities

The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI Equal Opportunities and Diversity policies and procedures.

Child Safeguarding

We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

Fraud Prevention

The role holder is expected to uphold high standards of integrity and transparency, and will have access to financial, operational, or programmatic resources that require strict compliance with SCI’s Anti-Fraud and Corruption Policy. This includes responsibility for preventing, identifying, and reporting any suspected fraud, corruption, or misuse of resources in the course of their work.

Safeguarding Our Staff

The post holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI anti-harassment policy.

Health and Safety

The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI Health and Safety policies and procedures.