Job Description

Main purpose of the job:

• To work directly with adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) and provide them with youth-friendly support that ensures linkage to care and individualized follow-up of each client throughout the period of care
• The job entails creating demand through awareness of all sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and HIV prevention services, which includes performing health talks at fixed facilities, mobile clinics, and other service points in the community, assisting each client with navigation through the health system pathway, performing individual follow-ups via telephone or other digital channels, and supporting the project with all demand creation and social mobilization activities as required
• Driving the mobile clinic van

Location:

• Mthatha - Eastern Cape

Key performance areas:

• Welcome AGYW clients to healthcare facilities and/or community hotspots, build rapport with potential clients, and ensure a quality and non-judgmental experience
• Ensure AGYW clients at healthcare facilities and/or community hotspots are linked to SRH and HIV prevention services, especially PrE
• Provide information to clients ensuring they have a good understanding of the Project PrEP service offering and their journey within that service offering
• Ensure clients are aware of the projects decentralized service points in the surrounding community and understand how to navigate this system
• Assess each clients needs and navigate them to the relevant service and support - ensure clients understand exactly which services they will be receiving, how long it will take, and how often they need to return for services
• Maintain queues at facilities and/or community hotspots - mobilizing clients in an optimised manner ensuring minimal waiting times while ensuring that those clients in the queue, are as comfortable as possible.
• Provide individualized and group support to retain AGYW in SRH and HIV prevention services (care):

• Be the first face clients see/first point of contact after receiving ANY Project PrEP services.
• Add all clients who engage in ANY Project PrEP services to a client navigation register, keep accurate notes of clients engagement in service delivery
• Discuss and ensure clients understand when they need to come back for services, who they can contact for support or advice, and that they need to expect your call or messages as reminders for follow-up and encouragement on their health journey
• Send a WhatsApp on day 2 (the day after) to every client newly initiated on PrEP and/or who engaged in any other services thanking them for their time, congratulating them on their decision to invest in their health, and reminding them whom they can contact for support
• Make follow-up calls on day 7 to all clients newly initiated on a PrEP method (+sms)
• Make follow-up calls 2 days prior to follow-up visit for any service
• Trace all clients who missed appointments within 24 to 72 hours (SMS, call, WhatsApp, and home visits where possible) and make alternative arrangements with the client to attend a follow-up visit
• Assist clients with diarising their follow-up appointments
• Plan and facilitate follow-up events for Project PrEP (AGYW) clients - support/continuation clubs that enable service delivery, face-to-face support, and a safe space for AGYW
• Provide information to clients on clinics outside of the project geographic footprint that provide PrEP, should the clients be relocating
• Collect accurate data for all services provided and capture and report the data collected timely to facilitate project review and decision-making
• ALWAYS MAINTAIN PATIENT CONFIDENTIALITY (aligned to good ethical practice and POPIA)Provide basic counseling to allay the anxiety of clients and provide accurate information related to SRH
• Utilise IEC materials and other resources to facilitate health talks on comprehensive SRH services, including all PrEP products, and all other related services such as B-Wise, AYFS/Youth Zones, etc.
• Participate in health promotion campaigns, including holiday programs and youth events. These will occasionally occur on the weekend
• Educate clients about the potential side effects of PrEP and other SRH products and what to do when experiencing such effects
• Educate clients about the benefits and details of different PrEP methods and other SRH products, ensuring clients understand the necessity of using such products while they are vulnerable to HIV and other STI infections, as well as unintended pregnancy
• Ensure clients understand that they have the CHOICE as to which HIV prevention (PrEP) method they want to use, if any, and which SRH services they want to engage in - ensure clients understand that they are WELCOME, even if not yet interested in PrEP
• Distribute condoms and relevant IEC materials within the healthcare facility and the surrounding community
• Support with all Project PrEP demand creation and social mobilization services (dialogues, events, etc.)
• Each client navigator is responsible for maintaining their personal client navigator register to ensure follow-up and support for clients in care
• Ensure the safe-keeping and storage of the client navigator register
• Liaise with M&E and ensure that capturing of all data collected is captured and reported timely using approved data collection and reporting tools
• Complete the client navigator register of those navigated, linked to care, called for reminders, and supported through their health journey
• Liaise with the DQIM daily for the generation of clients who missed appointments/Follow-up clients
• Compile reports for all demand creation and social mobilization activity outcomes - share timeously
• Ensure that a sufficient supply of correct data collection and reporting tools are available consistently
• Take ownership and accountability for tasks and demonstrate effective self-management
• Follow through to ensure that quality and productivity standards of own work are consistently and accurately maintained
• Maintain a positive attitude and respond openly to feedback
• Take ownership of driving your own career development by being willing to learn and participating in ongoing training and development activities such as forums, conferences, policy-setting workshops, etc.

Required minimum education and training:

• Grade 12 or equivalent
• Code 10 with PDP Drivers License

Required minimum work experience:

• Experience as a volunteer working in community-related public health structures and projects for a minimum of 6 months
• Previous demonstrable health talks, tracking and tracing experience in a health facility and/or community
• Training in Customer Care will be an additional advantage

Desirable additional education, work experience, and personal abilities:

• Good communication skills and must be able to speak more than one African language, Sepedi/Setswana, Zulu & Xhosa
• Must be able to collect and capture data on different data management systems
• Experience with NGO-related projects
• Clued up with patient flow and a referral pathway within a Public Health System
• Attributes: - must have the ability to be coachable, work independently and as a team member
• Be adaptable, approachable, empathetic, and proactive with good observation skills
• Willing to learn, and experience working with young people, AGYW
• Experience in health-related services
• Skills: - Basic computer literacy
• Knowledge of using standardized registers and tools and the Project PrEP data reporting platform

TO APPLY:

• Only if you do meet the minimum job requirements and experience as mentioned above, you may submit a detailed updated CV.
• Please Apply Online.
• Please take note that the applicants who do not adhere to the above criteria will not be considered for the respective position.
• The closing date for all applications: 07 February 2024.
• Note AJ Personnel is fully POPI compliant.
• Note WHC, in accordance with their Employment Equity goals and plan, will give preference to suitable applicants from designated groups as defined in the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998 and subsequent amendments thereto.

Please note:

• AJ PERSONNEL is only responsible for the advertising of the advertisement on behalf of their client Wits Health Consortium.
• Wits Health Consortium will only respond to shortlisted candidates.
• Candidates who have not been contacted within two weeks of the closing date can consider their applications to be unsuccessful.
• AJ Personnel does not have any salary or other information regarding the position.

AJ Personnel