Competition Number: 1512

Date Posted: October 5, 2021

Job Type: Full time position

Application Deadline: Until Filled

The Family Centre has a strong reputation for providing quality services basing our work on research and evidence based practices. We pride ourselves on providing leading edge training and strong, reflective supervision. Our intention is to create a healthy organization that is intelligent in its response to community issues and intentional about our respectful treatment of each other. We have a strong focus on Trauma Informed Care for the communities we support, as well as our staff teams. The Family Centre strives to hire a diverse team of employees, reflecting the diverse communities we support.

MISSION:

The Family Centre exists to support families and children to help them flourish and to help people engage with one another to promote healthy, safe, and economically viable communities.

VISION:

Healthy families in healthy communities.

THE ROLE:

The Family Centre is currently hiring energetic individuals interested in working with children and families as a part of the Family Capacity Builder Program. The Family Capacity Builder (FCB) provides support to families from the Family Support Services program. The service is most typically utilized by families who have children living outside of their parent/guardian’s day to day care. Families experiencing this separation require extensive support to maintain family attachment. Family Capacity Builders often provide travel supports for family time for children between their current placements and their family homes. In addition, Family Capacity Builders provide in-home support during family time to ensure safety, model attachment, and empathy during this often-difficult experience. FCBs help to guide guardians/parents to expand on the idea of connection by moving beyond scheduled family time to consider how they can maintain connection to their child(ren) everyday by ongoing involvement in their child(ren)’s day to day life (i.e. phone calls, letter writing, attendance at medical appointment, attendance at school events, sharing pictures etc. ). FCBs also conducted Ages and Stages Questionnaires for all children under the age of 5.5 to support healthy child development.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Diploma or degree in Human Services Field, with related experience
• When eligible, application to and maintenance of membership in a professional organization
• Experience working with Children’s Services and CSD beneficial
• Experience working with families from diverse cultures
• Requires knowledge, skills, and abilities to work with people affected by trauma
• Requires knowledge of and competence in delivering trauma informed care
• ASIST Suicide Intervention Training and First Aid-Level C CPR, required within 3 months of start date
• Police Information Check and Vulnerable Sectors Check completed within the last 6 months, applied for prior to position start date
• Child Welfare Intervention Record Check completed within the last 6 months, applied for prior to position start date
• Valid class 5 driver’s licence, reliable vehicle for daily use and liability insurance, as well as a 5 year driver abstract

ATTRIBUTES:

• Strong interpersonal skills to help establish good working relationships with clients and colleagues
• Ability to establish clear boundaries and be sensitive to the individual needs of each family
• Ability to problem solve with a non-confrontational approach
• Reliable and flexible availability
• Excellent organizational skills and detail oriented

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Support parents to create a positive environment for parent/child connection
• Ensure parents have opportunities to actively parent their children while outside of their primary care. This includes, but is not limited to significant and generous access in the environment that most closely resembles home, access to medical appointments, and school appointments etc. 
• Support parents with children in their primary care to learn and practice parenting skills. This includes but is not limited to child development, age appropriate expectations, relationship building, attachment, play, and meeting basic needs.
• Monitor and support healthy child development through the use of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire 
• Teach and model empathy, and emotional regulation through hand over hand support to parents 
• Provide support to families while navigating the complex emotions involved if their children out of their primary care 
• Observe and document family interactions, focusing on strengths, and areas of growth, while ensuring transparency with the family and service team. Ensure proper administrative documentation is completed
• Monitor the ongoing success or challenges inherent in the reunification experience, continue to identify emerging or enhanced strengths, and develop new strategies for additional assets
• Work in collaboration with a Service Team and make recommendations to the service team regarding access between children and their parents
• Maintain a focus on the four areas of connection (relational, cultural, physical, legal) with a focus on trauma and attachment
• Assists the family in connecting to community resources
• Attends staff meetings, service team meetings, trainings and supervision meetings as required

WHAT TO EXPECT:

• Training – comprehensive onboarding/orientation process which includes service specific training, and agency wide core training.
• Feedback – a strong supervision model that provides regular formal and informal opportunities for feedback
• Performance coaching – formal and informal coaching regarding the development of personal and professional growth and development.

COVID-19 CONSIDERATION:

Our vision is healthy families in healthy communities. Accordingly, it is our responsibility to promote the health and safety of all employees, contractors, interns, practicum students, volunteers, visitors and those we serve by reducing the risks of COVID-19 through vaccination as per AHS guidance.

All employees, contractors, interns, practicum students and volunteers hired by The Family Centre after October 15, 2021, will be required to be fully immunized, as per AHS standards, against COVID-19. Should you require accommodation at any point during the recruitment process, please indicate in your application.

COMPENSATION:

The Family Centre is committed to employee wellbeing and development. The comprehensive compensation package offered to employees reflects those values and is competitive within the marketplace.

• $44, 537 to $57, 396 annually
• Manulife Health Benefit Plan
• Wellness Plan
• 3 weeks’ vacation
• RRSP matching
• Ongoing paid training
• Mileage compensation

Please send your resume and cover letter to:

tfcresumes@familycentre.org

The Family Centre thanks all applicants in advance. Only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. If contacted for an interview, candidates will have the option to participate via video call. The Family Centre is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to inclusive, barrier-free recruitment and selection processes, as well as work environment. We will be happy to work with applicants requesting accommodation at any stage of the hiring process.

“When I'm working with the families; when I'm a part of uniting the families; they haven't seen each other for a week and then they are eating together, laughing together. It's so amazing.”