Settlement Counsellor

Catholic Social Services is currently recruiting for a contract (40 hours per week), Settlement Counsellor in Red Deer that speak the Dari or Pashtu languages.
This is a contract position that ends March 31, 2024.

**Job Summary**:
As a Settlement Counsellor, you work directly with new immigrants and refugees supporting a smooth transition into life in Canada. You evaluate client needs and develop service plans using a case management model. Through your career, you have developed strong interviewing and assessment skills, along with expert knowledge of community resources. As a strong collaborator, you develop partnerships with other service providers, clients and cultural communities to build on the strengths in newly arrived families. You are an insightful teacher of basic life skills (transportation, employment, health care, etc.) and have honed your coaching and counselling skills to maximize success for the clients you support.

**Job Duties**:

- Assess client’s needs and determine the types of services required and develop a service plan.
- Respond to the assessed needs by providing services or referrals for service to meet critical needs (e.g. shelter, food, finances, health, education, parenting, safety, language) as well as assistance in understanding how to access mainstream services if necessary, provide clients with practical information and cultural and social orientation to life in Canada; provide or obtain interpretation and translation support as needed.
- Advocate on behalf of clients with institutions, employers, landlords, schools, etc.
- Plan and coordinate settlement related activities and programs for groups of newcomer clients.
- Conduct case management meetings to ensure that clients’ needs are met.
- Assist in the production and delivery of orientation and outreach materials and sessions for the designated population.
- Establish networks with other Settlement Counsellors, community groups and centres, faith communities, cultural organizations, schools, day cares, etc.
- Collect client feedback (e.g., distribute surveys, workshop evaluations, etc.) to track outcomes of settlement services.
- Documentation, including client files, reports, and statistics.
- Understands funding requirements and expected service targets.

**Education and Qualifications**:

- A related Degree/Diploma in a Human Services discipline
- 2 years of experience working with newcomers to Canada
- Proficient with computer software including Microsoft Office and have the ability to learn new programs
- Certification through AAISA is considered an asset
- Clear and Current Drivers Abstract
- A vehicle and valid class 5 driver's license - requirement to transport clients in your personal vehicle
- Proof of Vehicle Insurance showing $2 million liability coverage
- Proof of Vehicle Registration for insured vehicle
- Vulnerable Sector Check from local RCMP or city police detachment
- Child Intervention Record Check
- In addition to English, you are required to be fluent in either the Pashtu or Dari languages

**What We Offer**:

- The salary for this position begins at $55,686.96 and is based on qualifications and experience
- Flexible benefit options when eligible.
- Work within a highly collaborative, team-oriented organization, where your ideas are heard, and you can see your impact daily.

**About Catholic Social Services**:
CSS is an established Agency that is guided by faith to care for and bring hope to people in need with humility, compassion and respect. With more than 50 years of service delivery, Catholic Social Services is one of the largest multi-function social services agencies in Canada, with more than 1800 staff, and hundreds of volunteers delivering 130+ programs throughout Central Alberta.

“As a Catholic social services agency, we are guided by faith to care for and bring hope to people in need with humility, compassion and respect.”

Our values are at the core of everything we do
- Humility: We acknowledge with gratitude our human abilities and limitations. We demonstrate humility by doing the best that we can with the resources that we have.
- Compassion: We respond to people in need with love. We demonstrate our compassion by caring for people without judgment and without condition.
- Respect: We demonstrate our respect by being personally present, open and attentive to those we care for and by honouring their dignity and freedom.

We embrace diversity and offer equal opportunities to all qualified applicants regardless of origin, culture, ethnicity, age, ability, gender identity, and people of faith or no faith.