Young Parent Navigator

The purpose of this position is to provide expertise working with pregnant and parenting youth between thirteen to twenty-four years of age and their children. This position provides ongoing case management, coordination and delivery of supports to pregnant and parenting youth and their children to achieve positive parenting outcome which will include: case management planning and coordination of multidisciplinary services including health, nutrition, education, parenting, psychosocial development, life skills, economic self-sufficiency and housing. Under the direct supervision of the Program Manager, the Young Parent Navigator will reflect best practices as defined by BCS Policies and Procedures.

**Position Responsibilities**
- Initiate contact with referred young person;
- Visit young person at an agreed upon location which could include the family home, Banyan site or community setting;
- Complete an intake within a specified time frame after the initial referral which includes strength-based assessments and identify areas of support needed in the areas of health, nutrition, education, parenting, psychosocial development, life skills, risk management, economic self-sufficiency and housing;
- Work with/perform standardized assessment tools;
- Create a safety plan when required;
- Request information from collateral contacts as required with young person’s consent;
- Establish and design Intervention plans using young person identified goals including summaries of presenting issues utilizing a multi-systemic strengths-based approach addressing areas of needs and risk identified;
- Ensure residents’ medical needs and prenatal care are being met by attending medical appointments as required and/or reviewing medical reports to ensure follow up for appointment is completed;
- Establish a trusting relationship with referred young person and/or families utilizing compassionate care principals and youth engagement approaches;
- Your skills include the ability to make behavioral observations, and monitor emotional, physical and mental well-being in young persons based on understanding stages of development and stages of pregnancy.
- Provide emotional support, coaching/counselling accessing Banyan internal resources as indicated in the individual treatment plan;
- Assist young person in navigating/connecting with resources and system navigation; such as housing, healthcare, mental health supports, and children’s services
- Demonstrate advocacy to remove barriers to service for young person with schools or other collateral service providers;
- Teach self-navigation and advocacy skills to young person; preparing them to be strong partners with service providers
- Coordinate community connections for specific knowledge expertise, ie Public Health
- Provide case management support as required for young person’s assessment, goal setting, advocacy, referrals, facilitating case reviews and case conferences
- Facilitate positive parenting, child behaviour management strategies, life skills self-esteem, emotional regulation or other identified topics in 1:1 and group setting;
- Support Young Parent staff to run educational groups as required
- Expand opportunities for young person and family engagement in the community
- Respond to crisis calls by providing support to young person and/or their families;
- Assist in finding shelter, housing for young person
- Support budgeting with young person trying to ensure expenditures remain within finances;
- Responsible for modeling pro-social behaviour and challenging through both formal and informal interaction a young person’s/and/or parents’ anti-social attitude;
- Engage in and demonstrate concrete problem solving and skill building and demonstrate and reinforce clear alternatives to antisocial styles of thinking, feeling, and acting;
- Establish and maintain positive working relationships with community partners, such as Hamilton/Niagara area Probation Services, Hamilton/Niagara Police and Fire Services, Hamilton/Niagara Children’s Aid Society and Catholic Children’s Aid Society, the Hamilton/Niagara School Board and Catholic School Board and other Hamilton/Niagara Community Service partners;
- Complete on-going file notes regarding client contacts, assessments, conferences, incident reports, and other reports or file notes assigned in CIS
- Assist in data collection of pre and post testing, and any other research driven data collection as directed;
- Administer quality assurance surveys from parents/guardian, youth and collateral service providers;
- Participate and/or provide ongoing training.
- Responsible and accountable for ensuring a safe and healthy workplace for themselves and colleagues by committing to working in a safe manner, reporting hazards and injuries, utilizing all necessary safety equipment and protocols and at all times complying with all relevant Health and Safety policies, procedures and legislations.
- All incidents, accidents, and other