Family Support Worker

**FAMILY SUPPORT WORKER - NIPIGON, ON.**
**_Permanent, Full Time (33.75 hours/week)._**

The Family Support Worker provides support to the Child Protection Workers in the Nipigon District Office in their work, with the primary focus being scheduling and facilitating supervised access. Provides a wide range of social service support functions that are instrumental in contributing to therapeutic plans and programs for individuals, families, children, and youth receiving services from the Nipigon District Office. This assistance to families and/or children and youth involved with the Agency is supportive, educative, and empowering. This work is ideal for individuals interested in rural social work, a changing and challenging work environment, and who enjoy working from a collaborative, strength-based perspective. Excellent training and professional development opportunities and a supportive work environment are provided, in addition to a generous salary, pension and benefits package.

**Position Requirements**:

- Child and Youth Worker Diploma or equivalent combination of education or experience.
- Contribute to a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion with a commitment to the elimination of disparity and disproportionality in service outcomes.
- Thorough knowledge of the stages, processes, and milestones of normal physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development of children from birth through adolescence, and ability to differentiate normal development from developmental delays precipitated by trauma, maltreatment, family violence and other environmental factors.
- Demonstrated understanding of the major risk factors related to child maltreatment (e.g., domestic violence, substance abuse, mental health illnesses).
- Demonstrated understanding of the dynamics of attachment of children to their parents, extended family members and to significant others.
- Demonstrated ability to engage and develop a trusting relationship with parents, children and youth receiving child welfare services.
- Demonstrated ability to be creative, flexible and to work collaboratively with children and their caregivers, Agency case workers, and community collaterals.
- Demonstrated understanding of the importance of strengthening and maintaining connections between a child and those with whom the child has experienced a meaningful and beneficial relationship while a child is in placement.
- Travel within the District as required.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
- Effective organization and planning skills to prioritize tasks.
- Demonstrated understanding of the types of permanency on the permanency continuum and the appropriateness for different children and families, and the importance of concurrent planning, through collaborative case planning and placement decisions.
- Strong observation skills related to parent
- child interactions in a family home environment, or during an office or community access visit. Able to assess immediate risk concerns to self and/or child during these interactions, and to respond in an appropriate and safe manner.
- Demonstrated ability to think critically and evaluate key parenting behaviour using all relevant information, to present a balanced assessment of parenting strengths (safety/protective factors) and challenges (risk/danger factors).
- Possess knowledge of, and experience in, the provision of parenting intervention strategies via feedback, coaching and collaborative goal setting with family members, consistent with a strengths-based approach.
- Strong time management skills and ability to work effectively under pressure.
- Proven ability to work as an integral member of a team.
- Reliable vehicle, safe driving record and valid G Driver’s License.
- Upon offer of employment, submission of a Current Criminal Records Check (Vulnerable Sector), deemed satisfactory to the employer.
- Demonstrated effective written communication skills; able to document information in a clear, concise, and accurate manner.

We thank all applicants; however only those considered for an interview will be contacted.