Social Worker

SOCIAL WORKER

Location: Ankara / Field-Based

Contract Type: Full-time

Reports to: Field Expert

Duration: 6 months with possibility of extension

 

Job Purpose

The Social Worker is responsible for supporting the identification, assessment, referral and follow-up of children who are engaged in or at risk of child labour and their families.

The position contributes directly to the project’s child labour prevention and child protection objectives by identifying protection and social support needs, facilitating access to appropriate public and specialized services, monitoring referral outcomes, and supporting children’s continued access to education and protection services.

The Social Worker will work closely with children, caregivers, schools, relevant public institutions, municipalities and service providers to ensure timely and appropriate referrals. The position will also maintain accurate and confidential case documentation, analyse recurring protection and child labour-related risks, and contribute to programme monitoring and reporting.

 

Key Responsibilities

1. Child Labour Prevention and Early Identification

• Identify children who are engaged in, or at risk of, child labour through outreach activities, referrals, schools, families and relevant community and institutional networks.
• Assess child labour-related risks and contributing factors, including school absenteeism or dropout, household vulnerabilities, working conditions and other protection concerns.
• Support early identification of children at risk and facilitate timely intervention before children enter or remain in harmful forms of work.
• Work with children and caregivers to increase awareness of the risks and consequences of child labour and available support mechanisms.
• Support project activities aimed at preventing child labour and strengthening children’s continued participation in education.

2. Assessment and Case Documentation

• Conduct individual and household-level assessments to identify protection, education, social assistance and other support needs of children and families.
• Document identified child labour and child protection concerns accurately and confidentially.
• Maintain complete and up-to-date case and referral records in accordance with organizational procedures and data protection requirements.
• Regularly review case information and identify changes in risks, needs and referral outcomes.
• Ensure sensitive information concerning children and families is handled in accordance with confidentiality, safeguarding and data protection principles.

3. Referral and Follow-Up

• Identify appropriate services and referral pathways based on the individual needs of children and their families.
• Refer children and families to relevant protection, education, social assistance, health, psychosocial, employment and other specialized services, as appropriate.
• Follow up referrals to determine whether children and families have accessed the required services and identify any barriers to access.
• Maintain accurate referral records and document referral outcomes.
• Escalate high-risk or complex protection cases in accordance with organizational safeguarding and referral procedures.

4. Coordination with Public Institutions and Service Providers

• Coordinate case-level referrals and follow-up with relevant public institutions and service providers.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with relevant Provincial and District Directorates of Family and Social Services, education authorities and schools, municipalities, Social Assistance and Solidarity Foundations (SYDV), İŞKUR and other relevant institutions and service providers.
• Participate in case-related meetings and coordination activities when required.
• Facilitate communication between children, caregivers and relevant institutions where necessary to support access to services.
• Follow established institutional referral pathways and ensure referrals are made in accordance with applicable project and organizational procedures.

5. Education Retention and Reintegration

• Identify children whose education is affected by child labour, including children experiencing absenteeism, irregular attendance or school dropout.
• Coordinate with schools, education authorities and families to support children’s continued participation in education.
• Support referrals and follow-up for children requiring educational reintegration or additional education-related assistance.
• Monitor education-related outcomes of referred children where appropriate.
• Identify barriers affecting children’s school attendance and communicate relevant findings to the Field Expert and programme team.

6. Family Support and Awareness

• Engage with parents and caregivers to identify household-level factors contributing to child labour risks.
• Provide families with information on available public services, social assistance and relevant referral mechanisms.
• Support caregivers in accessing appropriate social protection and assistance mechanisms.
• Conduct or contribute to awareness sessions with families on child labour prevention, child protection, education and available services.
• Encourage family participation in actions aimed at reducing children’s exposure to child labour and other protection risks.

7. Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting

• Maintain accurate records of identified cases, assessments, referrals, follow-up actions and outcomes.
• Regularly analyse case information to identify recurring child labour risks, protection concerns, service gaps and barriers affecting children and families.
• Provide regular updates to the Field Expert on case trends, referral outcomes and emerging protection concerns.
• Contribute to programme monitoring by providing accurate information on child labour identification, referrals and service access.
• Support preparation of periodic programme reports, case summaries and analysis as required.
• Contribute to identification of lessons learned and recommendations for improving child labour prevention and referral activities.

8. Safeguarding and Confidentiality

• Ensure that all interactions with children and families follow child safeguarding, PSEA and do-no-harm principles.
• Maintain strict confidentiality of personal and case information.
• Ensure informed and appropriate communication with children and caregivers throughout assessment and referral processes.
• Immediately report safeguarding concerns through established organizational reporting mechanisms.
• Ensure that the best interests of the child are considered throughout all interventions.

9. Field Coordination

• Conduct regular field visits to schools, households, communities, public institutions and service providers as required.
• Work closely with the Field Expert, Mobile Outreach Worker, Safeguarding Expert and other programme staff.
• Support outreach activities aimed at identifying children at risk of child labour and other protection concerns.
• Participate in project meetings, case reviews and field planning activities.
• Provide field-level information on emerging child labour and protection trends to support programme planning.

 

Required Qualifications and Experience

• University degree in Social Work, Social Services, Psychology, Sociology or another relevant field.
• Minimum 2–3 years of relevant professional experience in social work, child protection, child labour prevention or community-based protection programmes.
• Previous experience in child labour prevention, identification of children engaged in or at risk of child labour, and/or related protection interventions is strongly preferred.
• Experience in case identification, assessment, referral, follow-up and documentation involving vulnerable children and families.
• Experience working and coordinating with public institutions and service providers, particularly Family and Social Services authorities, education authorities and schools, municipalities, SYDV, İŞKUR and other relevant institutions, is strongly preferred.
• Knowledge of child protection, child labour prevention, social assistance, education and referral mechanisms in Türkiye.
• Experience in maintaining and analysing case and referral data is an asset.
• Understanding of child safeguarding, confidentiality, informed consent and data protection principles.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively with children, caregivers and institutional counterparts.
• Ability to prepare clear case documentation, summaries and programme inputs.
• Fluency in Turkish; additional languages relevant to the target population are an asset.
• Ability and willingness to undertake regular field visits.

 

Key Competencies

• Child Labour Prevention and Identification
• Child Protection
• Case Assessment and Referral
• Case Documentation and Analysis
• Public Institution Coordination
• Education Retention and Reintegration
• Family Engagement
• Safeguarding and Confidentiality
• Communication and Interpersonal Skills
• Field-Based Social Work
• Teamwork and Coordination
• Monitoring and Reporting

 

How to Apply

Interested candidates are invited to submit their CV to [email protected], indicating “Social Worker – Ankara” in the subject line. Please note that a cover letter is not required.

 

The deadline for applications is August 27, 2026. However, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and interviews will begin immediately. The vacancy may be closed before the deadline once a suitable candidate has been identified. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

To explore all our current vacancies and other career opportunities, please visit our Careers at Odak ( https://www.odakdernegi.org/tr/odakta-kariyer/) page.

 

Safeguarding Statement

Odak Derneği is committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable individuals and maintains zero tolerance for sexual exploitation, abuse, harassment and any other form of misconduct. The selected candidate will be required to comply with the organization’s Child Safeguarding, PSEA, Code of Conduct, confidentiality and data protection policies. Reference checks and other appropriate pre-employment checks may be conducted as part of the recruitment process.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Odak Derneği is an equal opportunity employer. Applications are assessed on the basis of the qualifications, experience and competencies required for the position, without discrimination on the grounds of gender, age, disability, ethnic or social origin, religion, belief or any other protected characteristic.