Social Worker

Do you love animals as much as we do? Join us and you can make a difference every day

Toronto Humane Society finds new homes for thousands of animals and helps keep families together. However, Toronto Humane Society is more than an animal shelter. We are an educational resource and support system, a leading voice in animal welfare and accessible care. Toronto Humane Society is a center of excellence, a space where best practices and boundary-pushing knowledge exchange meet with unyielding optimism and a love for animals to create something special. Toronto Humane Society is like no other.

**Working at Toronto Humane Society**:
At Toronto Humane Society, we are drawn together by our **purpose**. The power of the Human-Animal Bond, it’s a bond like no other, and it’s the reason we get up in the morning. If you love animals as much as we do, you understand why we work so hard to provide the best life possible for the animals in our care and the people who bond with them. It’s our expertise at every step of the journey, combined with the love and support provided by people in our community that complete the circle.

At Toronto Humane Society we recognize that the field of animal welfare and the challenges it presents are ever changing. Because of this, we encourage and support our staff, volunteers, foster parents and other stakeholders to continue their **learning** journey. We believe that a commitment to learning and growing daily is the only way we will ever achieve our mission, not just as an organization, but also as individuals. In order to learn, we must be comfortable in the unknown, be able to take measured risks, and when we fail - be ready to accept it as an opportunity for growth. We want our people to continually develop and expand, finding creative ways to increase both our impact and theirs.

**Job Summary**
The Social Workers, will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day activities of the Urgent Care program, supporting the offsite popup clinics, assisting the Pet Parent Support Network Program, providing support to families accessing care through Public Veterinary and/or Shelter Services, and providing support for pet loss grief.

The Social Worker will provide crisis intervention, emotional support, and decision-making assistance for pet parents accessing pet services. The role will serve as a liaison between pet parents and veterinary teams to ensures effective communication and will play a key part in connecting distressed pet parents with internal and external referrals for comprehensive family support. The Social Workers will be responsible for coordinating and managing cases in the Urgent Care program as well as serve as the main contact for follow-up from Community-Based popup Clinics. The Social Worker holistic approach contributes significantly to the well-being of animals and their families. This role may also work closely with the Director, Social Work on other initiatives.

**Main Duties/Responsibilities**

**Urgent Care Program**
- Assess for safety, including facilitating safety and crisis plans for all members of the family.
- Provide short-term support (the duration of the foster period, up to 6 months) to meet the individual’s immediate/priority needs and assist in service navigation and connections to longer-term support options.
- Coordinate and facilitate the placement of animals throughout the fostering term.
- Serve as contact for Foster Parents, providing ongoing animal matching, as well as assistance, coaching, and moral support to foster families.
- Ensure the health and wellbeing of animals in foster care, including but not limited to preparing all animal-related supplies throughout the foster term.
- Record using the appropriate documentation system.
- Train and provide support to volunteers participating in THS Urgent Care program.
- Support and mentor social work students.
- Follow policies and procedures to ensure adherence to standards.
- Prepare reports as required, presenting findings and recommendations.
- Other Duties as required in the day-to-day operation of this program.

**Pet Parent Support Network**
- Provide service and support to the public through verbal and written communication.
- Provide support for any elevated concerns or issues related to program services.
- Train and provide support to volunteers participating in THS Pet Parent Support Network.
- Maintain a high level of confidentiality in all interactions.
- Refer pet parents to internal and external resources as appropriate.

**Lead Off-Site Popup Clinic Initiative**
- Coordination of follow-ups with pet parents for scheduling and obtaining additional services from the Public Veterinary Service Team and/or the Public Training Team.
- Supporting administrative aspects of Off-site pop-up clinics.

**Public Veterinary Clinic Support & Shelter Support**
- Engage with individuals and families as requested by veterinary team to assess needs and support effective communication.
- As