Job ID: 306199

Counsellor - Helpdesk Raipur

Counsel to Secure Justice

Location: Raipur, Chhattisgarh

Apply by: 20 Nov 2026

Relevant Sectors

Human Rights, Law, Migration, Conflicts, Justice

Social, Gender, Education, Youth, Child

Counsel to Secure Justice (CSJ) works to expand access to justice for children and strengthen child protection systems by integrating a restorative approach. Established in April 2012, CSJ’s work spans legal and psychosocial support to child sexual abuse survivors since 2013, mental health support, restorative and access-to-justice support for children in conflict with the law, and capacity building of institutional and grassroots child protection stakeholders. CSJ has worked in Chhattisgarh since 2020 in partnership with key child protection and juvenile justice stakeholders, including UNICEF, the Chhattisgarh Police, and the Department of Women and Child Development. Its work in the state has included strengthening child protection and juvenile justice systems, capacity building, diversion, psychosocial support, restorative practices and rehabilitation of children in conflict with the law.

About the Project

CSJ is implementing a Juvenile Justice Helpdesk in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, to strengthen access to socio-legal guidance, case-related support, psychosocial care, rehabilitation and reintegration for Children in Conflict with the Law (CiCL). The Helpdesk will work closely with the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB), Observation Home, District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), Child Welfare Committee (CWC), District Child Protection Unit (DCPU), Special Juvenile Police Unit (SJPU), and other relevant stakeholders. The programme strongly emphasises?psychosocial support, emotional well-being, restorative practices, family strengthening, rehabilitation, and reintegration?for children in conflict with the law. The Counsellor will provide individual and group support, facilitate restorative and transition processes, follow up with children and families, and build the capacity of institutional and programme staff.

Position Overview?

We seek a competent and committed Counsellor-Helpdesk Raipur to work with the CSJ team on its Chhattisgarh project. The Counsellor will provide counselling and psychosocial support to Children in Conflict with the Law, with a focus on emotional well-being, trauma, behavioural concerns, coping mechanisms, relationships and rehabilitation. The role will involve?individual counselling, group workshops, restorative processes, home visits, family follow-up, transition and reintegration support, documentation and case tracking. The Counsellor will also work closely with the Observation Home and CSJ team to identify children requiring psychosocial support and develop appropriate interventions.

The Counsellor will support the implementation of restorative practices, including identifying children suitable for restorative processes, conducting preparatory sessions, facilitating processes and providing follow-up support. The role will also contribute to staff capacity building on topics such as trauma-informed care, child protection, case management, restorative practices and reintegration.

Job Responsibilities

Counselling & Psychosocial Support: Provide individual counselling, psychosocial support, structured interventions and regular follow-up for Children in Conflict with the Law. Provide appropriate referrals for specialised mental-health or clinical services beyond the project's scope; the Counsellor will facilitate referrals and follow-up.

Case Tracking: Maintain the counselling case dashboard, document interventions and prepare counselling reports.

Restorative Processes: Identify children for restorative interventions, conduct preparatory sessions, facilitate restorative circles, and use restorative process tools in conversations with children and work on rehabilitation plans.

Transition & Reintegration:?Support transition and reintegration circles, follow up on rehabilitation plans and connect children with relevant support services.

Family Engagement & Home Visits:?Conduct home visits and family follow-up to support children's transition, family strengthening and reintegration.

Workshops & Group Activities:?Design and conduct workshops and group sessions with children and communities on relevant psychosocial, emotional well-being, child protection and restorative themes in the Observation Home and with staff.

Monitoring Workshop Outcomes:?Develop and use pre/post assessments, follow-up tools and case studies to monitor the effectiveness of workshops and interventions.

Observation Home Coordination:?Work closely with the Observation Home and staff to plan and implement psychosocial, restorative and reintegration interventions.

Capacity Building:?Develop and facilitate training for OH/institutional staff on trauma-informed care, child protection, case management, restorative practices and reintegration/transition processes.

Team Coordination:?Work closely with both Social Workers to integrate counselling, legal, rehabilitation and reintegration support for children.

Documentation:?Maintain the dashboard of children counselled, track children's progress, document sessions and processes, and contribute to reports, case studies, and other project deliverables.

Child Safeguarding:?Maintain confidentiality and ensure children's safety, dignity, privacy and well-being throughout all counselling and programme processes.

General Programme Support:?Participate in training, team reviews and other programme activities and undertake responsibilities assigned by the supervisor.

Qualifications & Experience

Postgraduate degree in Counselling, Psychology or a related discipline

2-3 years of experience working in the child protection sector;?

Experience of working directly with Children in Conflict with Law (CiCL) will be preferred.

Knowledge and familiarity with restorative justice and practices preferred;?

Understanding of child rights and laws in India;

Experience of working with Children in conflict with law would be appreciated;

Demonstrated commitment to vulnerable sections of society;?

Proficiency in MS Office;

Ability to work with diverse and multi-disciplinary teams;

Excellent time management and organisational skills;

Outstanding verbal and written communication skills in English and Hindi;?

Detail-oriented and efficient;

Skills & Competencies

Strong counselling and psychosocial support skills.

Ability to build trust and rapport with children and adolescents.

Strong understanding of child development and psychosocial needs.

Ability to work using trauma-informed, child-centred and restorative approaches.

Strong knowledge/familiarity with restorative justice and practices.

Strong group facilitation and workshop development skills.

Ability to conduct sensitive home visits and family follow-up.

Ability to identify appropriate referrals and support service linkages.

Strong documentation, case tracking, and reporting skills.

Ability to train and provide handholding support to institutional and programme staff.

Empathy, patience, and a non-judgmental approach.

Ability to maintain confidentiality and professional boundaries.

Ability to work collaboratively with Social Workers and liaise with government stakeholders such as Observation Home staff and JJBs.

Excellent time management and organisational skills.

Outstanding verbal and written communication skills in English and Hindi.

Detail-oriented and efficient.

Reporting

The Counsellor will be part of the Juvenile Justice Helpdesk team and will work under the supervision of the Programme Manager/designated programme supervisor. The Counsellor will work closely with the two Social Workers, Observation Home staff and other CSJ programme staff, as well as relevant service providers and child protection stakeholders.

Travel: The role will require home visits, family follow-up, institutional visits, stakeholder coordination, community-based workshops and other field-based programme activities in Raipur as required.

Candidates from underrepresented and marginalised communities are encouraged to apply.

To apply, send your resume to careers@csjindia.org with the subject line “Application for Counsellor - Helpdesk”.