Intake and Support Services Worker

**Reports to**:_Direct Services Manager_

**Please make sure to submit a cover letter along with your resume describing how your experience relates to the position of Intake and Support Services.**

**About us**

St. Mary’s Home is a not-for-profit charitable organization serving the Ottawa area and beyond. SMH has continuously and responsively served pregnant youth in Ottawa since 1933. Specialized residential and community support services are provided to marginalized young pregnant women (ages 12-25), young parents and their children. The approach is holistic, grounded in a strong commitment to strengthen and build upon the personal resilience of each individual.

**Position Summary**:
The Intake & Support Service Worker implements intake, assessment, system navigation and outreach support with youth who are pregnant or parenting at SMH. With a parent/infant attachment focus, this role provides goal-specific services to a SMH participant caseload through participant-centred, strengths-based, and trauma-informed practice; while providing the SafeCare program at SMH.

SafeCare is a brief, evidence-based, child welfare program for parents and their children under the age of 5. It focuses on addressing various risk factors for neglect, abuse, and unintentional injury through three modules Health, Safety, and Parent-Child Interaction. The program is an outreach-based program, delivered in participant’s homes.

**Responsibilities**:
**Intake and Service Support Coordination**:

- Conduct intake assessment with potential participants;
- Complete needs assessment and implements a goal-focused plan of care;
- Maintain comprehensive, accurate, and up-to-date documentation, including record keeping, client files, reports and service coordination and case closure documentation;
- Complete appropriate internal and external referrals based of participant identified needs in their plan of care;
- Establish and maintain positive rapport with the participants;
- Support participants in crisis situations access to appropriate resources;
- Ensures participant services are consistent with best practices, agency standards, and evidence-based approaches
- Complete monthly written reports to the Direct Service Manager outlining key outcomes and goals;
- Participate in ongoing participation assessment and evaluations;
- Participate in ongoing professional development as required by SMH.

**SafeCare Program Delivery**:

- Complete training and engage in SafeCare’s ongoing certification process to become a Certified SafeCare Provider (training is provided);
- Provide SafeCare to participants within the community on an outreach basis;
- Provide the SafeCare program from an attachment-focused lens, supporting the parent-child dyad in fostering secure attachment;
- Ensure safety for the dyad in all areas of service delivery;
- Demonstrate skills needed to implement healthy attachment practice, including sharing expertise with support centre and residential staff to increase knowledge and skills around attachment;
- Work within a small team of SafeCare providers to implement the program, ensure program fidelity and excellence, and the ongoing success of the SafeCare program.

**Community Interface**:

- Maintain knowledge of, and liaise with community resources for service coordination and community awareness of SMH programs and services;
- Participate in promotion SMH programs and services
- including provision of presentations, network building activities, and attending relevant community meetings where necessary;
**Other duties as assigned.**

**Qualifications**:
Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Diploma for Social Service Work, or related equivalent experience.

**Knowledge and Skills required**:

- Experience in system navigation, intake, and/or social service support related to addictions, mental health, family violence and/or trauma issues and infant mental health;
- Intake and needs assessment skills with group facilitation expertise;
- Demonstrated knowledge of attachment, program planning, coordination and evaluation skills, knowledge of infant mental health and parent/child attachment;
- Understanding of issues facing for pregnant and/or parenting youth and knowledge of relevant resources;
- Understanding of person-centred, strengths-based, and trauma-informed approaches to practice;
- Empathy, compassion and enthusiasm when working with young parents;
- Ability to set goals and get results within a pre-determined timeline and ability to multi-task, work independently with flexibility in accepting work assignments
- Effective time management, decision-making and organizational skills
- A good team member and supportive of interdisciplinary practice with the ability to work effectively with colleagues and clients;
- Demonstrated knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite
- Excellent interpersonal, and communication skills.
- The Centre is building its bilingual (French/English) capacity and excellent French Language profic