Manager, Family Reunification at RefugePoint

Worldwide, there are now over 60 million forcibly displaced people – the highest number ever recorded. Of those, approximately 20.2 million are refugees who have fled their home countries as a result of conflict and violent persecution. Of the 20.2 million, over 11 million have been refugees for more than 5 years and some as long as 60. The average length of refugee exile today is 17 years, a time-span that has increased over the past two decades due to the intractability of many conflicts. In Sub-Saharan Africa, where RefugePoint focuses its efforts, there are more than 3 million refugees fleeing violence and persecution in the Congo, Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, and other countries experiencing conflict and instability. The most vulnerable refugees include, among others, women at risk, survivors of torture, and orphans and other minors separated from their families. Without long-term solutions, these refugees will remain in desperate situations for decades, living in overcrowded refugees camps and urban areas, unable to rebuild their lives in dignity and peace. Founded in 2005, RefugePoint’s mission is to provide lasting solutions for the world’s most vulnerable refugees. We address the critical and unmet needs of those who fall through the cracks of humanitarian assistance and have no other options for survival, with a focus on women, children, and urban refugees.

Position overview

This position requires the highest degree of professionalism and ethical commitment to conduct a mapping and needs assessment on family reunification and subsequently implement a needs-based Family Reunification Program in Kenya.  The position will largely be based in RefugePoint’s office in Nairobi, Kenya, with a roving component to Dadaab and Kakuma Refugee Camps to address identified family reunification needs.

Core Responsibilities: 

Mapping and Needs Assessment 

• Conduct a preliminary family reunification needs assessment to determine the scope of need, trends in countries of origin and family reunification countries. This will include but not be limited to working with UNHCR and partners in Nairobi, Kakuma and Dadaab areas, accessing the proGres database, and gathering input from the refugee community to identify a comprehensive list of potential clients who may be eligible for family reunification, as well as meeting persons of concern and conducting focus groups;


• Undertake a mapping exercise of current family reunification actors in Kenya, including NGOs, IOM and representatives of third countries and develop key contacts and support in the creation of referral pathways;


• Based on the findings of the needs assessment and mapping exercise, and in conjunction with the Program Coordinator Third-Country Solutions (3CS), create systems and build networks and partnerships for the identification and referral of children and spouses for family reunification.  This will involve working closely with community leaders, structures, partners, interlocutors and third countries;


• Where applicable, work with the Program Coordinator 3CS to cultivate and formalize relationships with legal assistance providers and establish a framework and system of referral for legal support;


• Support in the development of a work plan in conjunction with the Program Coordinator 3CS and draft a framework for Family Reunification Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).  The SOPs will include a fraud mitigation plan to identify, respond to, and mitigate fraud and child trafficking, as well as measures that focus on reducing the likelihood of family reunification becoming a pull factor;


• Undertake any other activity deemed necessary by the supervisor.

Family Reunification Casework

• Work closely with the Program Coordinator 3CS to identify and screen cases of children-at-risk as well as vulnerable adults with family ties that meet the family reunification criteria per established guidelines and based on the scope of the program;


• Communicate with the children/families and manage their overall expectations for family reunification, as well as explain the possible timelines and uncertainty of family reunification applications.  For cases under IRAP, the Manager will hand over the cases to them for full case management on the legal side.  For cases outside IRAP’s scope, the Manager will liaise and collaborate with organizations, UNHCR, lawyers and other parties including government entities who are facilitating the family reunification process.  In both instances, the Manager will support the cases with any documentation or information needed;


• When needed, conduct Best Interests Assessments (BIAs) or Best Interests Determination (BIDs) for children who may be eligible for family reunification, or make the appropriate referral for BIA/BID.  In instances where children do not meet the FR criteria, the Manager will assess and make resettlement referrals as appropriate;


• Conduct case management for cases under family reunification processing by facilitating documentation and communication with embassies, with the Family Assistance Programme/IOM/embassies/UNHCR abroad, etc.;


• The Manager will work closely with partners to help bolster family reunification identification and coordination, especially as it relates to children at-risk; this would include managing email enquiries, receiving referrals from partner organizations, liaising with UNHCR to provide travel documents and liaising with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) where required;


• Apply a trauma-informed approach in all aspects of program development and implementation;


• Any other tasks deemed necessary by the supervisor;

Staff Supervision

• Depending on funding and program direction, the Manager will supervise, mentor and technically support staff of the Family Reunification Program to ensure high quality, efficient and professional processing of family reunification applications and assessments; Review child protection assessments and other family reunification applications in line with the Family Reunification SOPs to ensure quality and full compliance with integrity safeguards;


• Provide feedback to staff with a view to improve and strengthen the quality of applications and assessments;


• Provide technical support to program staff for quality assurance, conduct coaching and training and strengthen case processing capacity within the unit;


• When needed, Support the RefugePoint-UNHCR Collaboration Project through training of new Experts and when needed, conduct missions to UNHCR operations to provide family reunification casework or other technical support;

Documentation and Reporting 

• In conjunction with the supervisor, develop a system for tracking, case management and documentation of all cases identified and processed for family reunification; this can include contributing to the development of a family reunification database or the incorporation of family reunification activities into RefugePoint’s existing client databases;


• Prepare weekly reports on family reunification activities;


• Contribute to the drafting and validation of the Family Reunification Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) with a strong fraud mitigation plan to identity, respond and mitigate fraud and child trafficking, and prevention of family reunification as a pull factor;


• Document best practices;


• Creating and modelling systems for NGOs and other civil society actors to support refugee access to family reunification”.


• Proactively identify and escalate ideas for program development;

Field Building 

• In conjunction with the supervisor, support RefugePoint’s activities towards field building in family reunification. This will involve but not limited to providing training, coaching, shadowing and sharing learning and best practices with program partners and NGOs to support the development or strengthening of family reunification systems and programs;


• Working specifically with Refugee Led Organizations (RLOs) and refugee-focused Community- Based Organizations (CBOs) to strengthen their capacity to set up and implement family reunification programs through training, coaching and shadowing;

Requirements

Required Qualifications 

• University degree (equivalent of a BA/BS) in Law, Political Science, International Relations or another related field;


• At least two years of work experience in the relevant field (e.g. assisting refugees in a registration, Refugee Status Determination [RSD] or resettlement context, child protection including BIA/BID, case advocacy, legal aid provider to asylum seekers; refugee protection and durable solutions, community-based protection, case advocacy and management, communication with affected populations, etc.);


• Past experience working with and interviewing children of various ages and/or conducting BIA/BID; experience with alternative care and/or comprehensive case management for children at-risk preferred;


• Basic knowledge of family reunification programs in Europe, the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand and/or a strong interest to work closely with these programs;


• Excellent drafting and analytical skills;


• Ability to work effectively in stressful situations and in hardship locations;


• Demonstrated knowledge of Refugee law, Human Rights Law and ability to apply the relevant legal principles;


• Ability to assess and to identify protection risks of individuals and groups, and family reunification needs, as demonstrated in past assignments;


• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively in teams;


• Strong research (in particular in relation to country of origin information) and analytical skills;


• Experience in delivering training and capacity-building on refugee protection;


• Experience in liaising and building relationships with governmental and non-governmental partner organizations, including Embassy officials and representatives;


• A high degree of cultural sensitivity and ability to adjust to change;


• Self-motivated and able to work with a high degree of autonomy.


• Ability to maintain confidentiality and adhere to safeguarding standards;

Desired Attributes 

• Social competence skills, diplomacy and integrity;


• Ability to deal with conflict situations;


• Flexibility and good understanding of the situation of refugees in Kenya

Special Requirement

• Police clearance certificate

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