Overview of role

I am a case worker with Plan International in my hometown community of Ocua, Mozambique. My main job as a case worker is to ensure that children are protected. I identify children in the community that have protection needs and then I carry out a comprehensive assessment of their needs to determine whether they can be registered for case management. I work in collaboration with the family to ensure that the children’s needs are met, while also observing the ethical guidelines and case management principles.

Typical tasks

I identify cases of vulnerable children, assess their needs, develop case management plans, and provide basic psychosocial support. For issues that are beyond my role, I refer them to other service providers, including the police, the World Food Programme or health services. I also work with the community to promote children’s rights.

Training and skills

I have been trained by Plan International on child protection in emergencies and community case management.

Motivation

Seeing how children’s rights were being violated, especially those in Internally Displaced Person (IDP) camps, was one of the things that really pained my heart and motivated me to volunteer. I have a passion for helping others and the IDPs coming from the conflict areas are the ones who need the most support because they are starting from scratch and have lost all their belongings. I hope Plan International continues to work in this area because many children and families are happier due to these interventions. Also, because of the use of volunteers, people are receiving a lot of support. In my community, we estimate that 700 children benefited from our activities just this week.