Development of work-place policies on trauma healing (AFSC South Sudan Pilot Program)

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Background

The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is a Quaker organization that includes people of various faiths who are committed to social justice, peace, and humanitarian service. AFSC promotes nonviolent approaches to conflict resolution. As such, we seek to promote the transformation of cultural and societal norms, values, and behaviors to reject violence, with Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, and Stewardship as our values.

South Sudan Pilot Program

AFSC is implementing a trauma healing for enhanced peace building pilot program in South Sudan for a period of two years. The program aims to contribute to quality trauma healing processes for peaceful co-existence in South Sudan by ensuring that Peace builders of 8 CSOs/FBOs are sufficiently supported to care for themselves as well as others. AFSC purposes to achieve this commitment by conducting a series of activities aimed at building the capacity of peace builders in secondary trauma, development and operationalization of work-based trauma policies as well as conducting advocacy for buy-in by other peace building organizations. Peace builders whose capacity has been enhanced will be expected to be healed of their trauma, cascade their training to other peace builders and support them to deliver psychosocial support to the target communities.

AFSC would like to conduct:

I. A one (1) – day sensitization on the development of work-place policies on trauma for 19 staff, 10 Managers of 10 partner organizations and 3 AFSC staff.

II. A Three (3) – day training on the development of work-place policies on trauma for the 29 participants and 3 AFSC staff.

The training will be held virtually and is expected to cover the following areas:

• Developing knowledge about the processes and structures required to develop and operationalize policies relating to trauma healing within an organization
• Designing tools and strategies to implement and operationalize a trauma informed approach into the organizations daily work.
• Recognizing the prevalence of trauma and trauma situations within the organization and developing inclusive response mechanisms to adequately support affected staff.
• Improving the attitudes towards an institutionalization of the policies on trauma to prepare the work environment for change.
• Developing work plans and time schedules for each organization on development of the workplace policy on trauma and healing

The objectives of the consultancy are as follows:

• Conduct a one-day online sensitization on the development of workplace policy on trauma for 29 participants and AFSC staff.
• Plan and execute a 3-day virtual workshop on the development of workplace policy on trauma healing.
• Provide a concise step by step guide on the development and implementation of work-based policies on trauma for the participants.
• Conduct a pre & post training assessment of the participants.
• Prepare a Final training report.
• Support the AFSC project team remotely as a content expert in reviewing developed policies.

The training workshop should meet the following minimum criteria:

• Increase knowledge and capacity of the participants to participate and successfully take lead in the policy development and application process.
• Support the participants in developing a road map for the development of organizational work-place policies that normalizes secondary trauma in the workplace.
• Engage the participants in practical simulations and scenarios to develop the experience for handling challenges and obstacles to the policy process.
• Encourage participants to critically examine already existing functions and structures within their organizations and what input they can develop to support the adoption of policies on trauma.
• Encourage and facilitate group problem solving including identifying the problem, generating alternatives, selecting a solution, implementing the solution, and conducting a follow up.
• Provide participants a set of organizational policy development reference materials that should include guidelines for policy development and a participants’ Resource Package including the workshop training notes.

Participants and Training dates

There will be a total of 29 participants from AFSC’s South Sudan partner organizations and 3 AFSC staff. The one-day sensitization workshop will be held on 9^th February 2021 and the 3 days training will be on 10^th -12^th February 2021.

Applicant Requirements

• Masters-level training in policy research and development, psychology or clinical social work.
• Experience in policy development in trauma and trauma healing preferably in a post-conflict setting.
• Excellent training and supervision skills, including virtual hosting and training.
• Demonstrated success working in collaboration with multiple organizations, international experience and knowledge of NGOs in developing countries
• Knowledge of South Sudan context
• Fluency in spoken and written English.