Vacancy Domestic Safety Advisor Saba

Saba is a Caribbean Island and is also the smallest special municipality (Public Entity) of the Netherlands. The island is characterized by its beautiful nature, the volcano Mount Scenery (which is the highest point within the Kingdom of the Netherlands at a height of 887 meters), a particularly beautiful underwater world and its inhabitants.

Saba became a special municipality within the Netherlands after the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles on October 10th, 2010. Currently, about 1900 inhabitants (including several hundred medical students) live on an area of ​​13 square kilometers on Saba. 

This beautiful island is looking for a Domestic Safety Advisor

The context

The Island Government of Saba is known for its stability and aim in maintaining good relations with the Netherlands while striving to achieve widespread and sustainable results in the various domains. Within the organization, people work together on the further development of the island. Our colleagues work on infrastructure (airport, harbor, water management), public works, planning, solid waste collection and processing, tourism, community development, health care, agriculture, HRM, ICT, finance, communication, civil affairs, legal advice, and various policy areas. In total, there are about 190 employees.

The Saba Island Government works on more self-reliance and economic development, with a focus on sustainability, accessibility, poverty eradication and improving the quality of life. In the recent period, the government has worked on projects such as the renovation of the airport, separation of solid waste (recycling), facilitating of a healthy lifestyle, improvement of social facilities, training, and education of civil servants in, among other things, project management and policy writing.

The position

You will work at the Department of Community Development. This department is working intensively together with the other departments and partners on the island towards a more integral approach to social development and aims to bring the level of social care on Saba to a higher level. The Domestic Safety Coordinator will be a part of a team of social workers, project leaders and a policy advisor who are addressing various social issues on Saba. 

The Profile

As Coordinator for Domestic Safety, you will guide and collaborate with your direct colleagues throughout the PES organization regarding problems regarding violence and abuse in the familial sphere.  You are focused on a comprehensive approach with service providers to manage the response to domestic violence and child abuse through the provision of information, advice, support, and guidance to the appropriate services in order to sustain coordinated, systematic and integrated service responses from prevention to treatment to aftercare.

Your main task will include

• Reviewing and adjusting documentation of existing agreements, protocols and procedures.
• Initiating proposals for improving the policy on Domestic Violence and Child Abuse, in line with national developments/legal changes.
• Hands-on case management and chairing meetings in situations of Domestic Violence in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, such as Police, ZJCN, Court of Guardianship, Social Workers, etc.
• Being the main point of contact and source of information for domestic violence and child abuse related matters throughout the PES organization.
• The further implementation and strengthening of island wide approaches against Domestic Violence (including the finalization of privacy and reporting agreements among stakeholders and identifying specific needs for further development of services.
• Coordination of a reporting focal point and shelter.
• Setting up and managing a Domestic Violence hotline for reports based on existing plans.  
• Coordinating island wide campaign on prevention and reporting of Domestic Violence incidences, according to already approved action plan.
• Advising Director and Executive Council on strategies, policies, and actions to be undertaken.
• Monitoring, evaluating, and documenting the progress of the approaches on Saba and reporting on the progress at local and national levels. 
• Supervising and guiding 1 staff member. 

As a person, you are

• Socially engaged and involved with the current situation of Saba. You are actively motivated to make a difference.
• Independent and resourceful, demonstrating strong communication skills.
• Honest and able to do your work as transparent as possible and with compassion in a small community such as Saba.
• Able to effectively prioritize and organize your work.
• Approachable, flexible, having a listening ear, proactive, consistent.
• Able to build a network within a short time and maintain these relations to strengthen collaboration between partners.
• Stable and able to stand your ground in difficult situations where a viable solution is not always available. 
• A team player that focuses on establishing professional connections and being cooperative.

Skills

• Socially engaged and involved in with the current situation of Saba or a surrounding island.
• Motivated to make a difference by analyzing complex problems and/or situations and overseeing the possible solutions and managing the consequences.
• Able to balance both coordination and practical tasks, such as policy advice and consultation in cases of (suspected) violence and abuse, in line with a multidisciplinary approach.
• Able to develop new and innovative ideas by thinking outside the box and incorporating new information.
• Independent and resourceful with strong verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills.
• Able to supervise efficient, effective, and safe workspaces and processes for colleagues.
• Able to build and maintain a network and take the initiative to fulfil and strengthen a connecting and collaboration role between various parties, partners, and organizations on the island and in the region and establish substantive connections between the different projects.
• Stable and firmly present in difficult situations where a viable solution is not always available.
• Result-oriented and capable of keeping an easy overview and working systematically so that you can communicate objectives and with active management help others achieve the intended results.
• Aware of your role in the complex regional administration and administrative force field in relation to social partners on the island and in the region, and can act effectively in this.

What you offer

• HBO+/Academically qualified in a relevant field.
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in the field, including demonstrable familiarity with addressing Domestic Violence and Child Abuse cases.
• Experience with case management (including responses to crisis, interventions, formalization of support services for victims of Domestic Violence and Child Welfare will be considered a plus.
• Knowledge of and affinity with the field of gender-based violence and child abuse, and are aware of important recent theories and developments.
• Sound knowledge and understanding of relevant legislation and policy related to Domestic Violence on the BES and in the Netherlands.
• Experience and affinity with the relationship between policy development and program execution.
• Experience in the administrative context and considerations that this theme entails.
• Excellent command of English, Good command of Dutch and Command of Spanish is preferred.
• An affinity with the Caribbean and understanding of the local situation and culture.

Profile

Capable of strategic thinking and handling high demand crisis management situations. Child, family, and team focused, flexible, compassionate and organized with solid experience in achieving quality outcomes for children, women and men impacted by domestic violence and abuse.

Commitment

You are prepared to commit to our organization for an extended period of time, and you are willing to establish yourself on the island.

We offer

Apply

If you are interested in this position, you are kindly invited to submit your application letter and CV in English (if desired, also in Dutch) no later than Friday, September 29^th, 2023, to [email protected]. For more information about the position, please contact the department Head Rosalyn Johnson via email: [email protected].