Counsellor (Paediatric) Wits RHI

Main purpose of the job:

• Responsible for case finding and ensuring the linkage of HIV infected children and adolescents clients to treatment, care and support at the facility
• Mobilise and recruit index patients at the facility level and ensure that their children are tested for HIV
• Establish support clubs for children, adolescents, parents and caregivers.
• Support testing campaigns and events within the supported district

Location:

• Tshwane – Pretoria

Key performance areas:

• Ensure that all HIV-infected children and adolescents from communities or facilities are linked to care at a health facility and started on ART if applicable
• Providing facility HIV testing services to clients in line with DoH policies and guidelines
• Promote HTS and disclosure for children and adolescents, including case finding through HIV-infected adults and children, the KidzAlive and Flipster models and focus on specific entry points (e.g. IMCI, EPI, Family planning, adult chronic areas)
• Ensure that all HIV positive paediatric patients and adolescents from the respective facilities and communities are linked to care and started on ART
• Provide support for community HIV testing events
• Support establishment of after school testing services
• Provide assistance in setting up booking, referral and tracking system
• Carry out health education to clients on HIV, ARVs, Adherence to ART, Viral load monitoring, TB screening, etc. through clinic support groups; for clients linked back to care
• Support paediatric and adolescent Quality Improvement projects at selected facilities
• Distribute IEC material about HIV/TB and other related programmes
• Support rapid return of patients with poor results and link to community tracing
• Link patients failing treatment to adherence support
• Establish paediatric and adolescents support clubs
• Work closely with Psycho-social QIA or PSS Mentors in the provision of training on support group resources
• Promote utilisation of Help Lines for psychosocial challenges
• Strengthen referrals by helping to build awareness of community-based programmes
• Support the strengthening of linkages to CHWs/CBOs for newly initiated children and adolescents
• Assist in establishing relevant Support Groups for Children, Adolescents and Caregivers
• Provide group education where appropriate to children, adolescents and caregivers
• Attend programme-related meetings and training
• Compile a daily list of Paeds and adolescent clients who miss their follow-up appointments for ART
• Contact all Paeds and adolescents on the missed appointment list weekly
• Make telephonic attempts to contact the client or next of kin if the client cannot be contacted
• Investigate the reasons for missing appointments and counsel appropriately
• If the client cannot be contacted telephonically, contact the WBOT or other community-level worker or organisation to do a home visit
• Explore all Wits RHI and Department of Health options to trace the patient
• Compile progress reports on follow up of missed appointments
• Refer clients who missed appointments for advanced counselling to PSS teams
• Ensure that clients who have missed an appointment are rescheduled for their appointment on the routine clinic booking system
• Assist facility staff in the facilitation of support groups for paediatric and adolescents newly diagnosed with HIV
• Take ownership and accountability for tasks
• 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 participating in ongoing training and development activities such as forums, conferences, policy setting workshops etc.

Required minimum education and training:

• Grade 12
• Basic HIV Counselling Certification and skills
• Computer literacy

Required minimum work experience:

• Minimum 1-year experience in Paediatric and Adolescents Counselling and Testing
• Good communication and presentation skills
• Ability to network with various stakeholders
• Fluent in English and other local languages

Desirable additional education, work experience and personal abilities:

• Sound technical knowledge of paediatric and adolescent recruitment and case finding
• Experience facilitating Youth Care Clubs or support clubs
• Linkage to care interventions for children and adolescents an advantage
• Driver’s licence

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 and complete your registration on Ditto Hire (our application tracking system) to enable and protect you as a candidate to accept the new POPIA terms and conditions. This will then create your permanent profile with which you can apply for all jobs as advertised by AJ PERSONNEL. However, you may remove your profile from AJ PERSONNEL when you are no longer in the job market.
• AJ Personnel is fully POPIA Compliant.
• 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: 19 April 2022.
• 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.
• 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: Our Client, WHC - RHI, maintains mandatory Covid-19 requirements, and as such only Covid-19 vaccinated incumbents will be considered for positions.

Please note:

• AJ Personnel is only responsible for advertising the advertisement on behalf of their client Wits Health Consortium.
• AJ Personnel does not have any salary or other information regarding the position.