Indigenous Child/youth Services Worker

**INDIGENOUS CHILD AND YOUTH SERVICES WORKER**

**1.0 FTE, 12 Month Contract, Pembroke Office**

**Department**:
Child Welfare

**Accountability**:
Restorative Practice Supervisor

**Location**:
Lodge at 464 Isabella Street, Pembroke, Ontario

Family & Children’s Services of Renfrew County is a multi-service agency committed to providing preventative, protective and socially inclusive services and programming that empower and strengthen everyone. We are focused on cultivating a team-oriented work environment where everyone thrives. Our goal is to develop and strengthen collaborative partnerships to increase availability, accessibility and quality of care to surrounding communities.

Our agency commitments include: moving forward Anti-Oppressive Practice, French Language Services and working alongside the Indigenous Communities.

**GENERAL OBJECTIVES**:

- The Indigenous children/youth services worker will have lived experience and in-depth knowledge of the history, policies, culture and demographics of Canada’s Indigenous communities
- The indigenous children/youth services worker position ensures that indigenous children in care are provided with culturally appropriate support services sufficient to ensure growth and connection to culture.
- This unauthorized position will provide culturally responsive system navigation support for eligible children and youth. This position will help to resolve issues that impact children and youth’s outcomes, by strengthen relationships among societies, indigenous communities, school authorities, and community partners in order to improve the outcomes of eligible children and youth.

**GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES**:

- The indigenous children and youth services worker provides services to all indigenous children and youth coming into the care of the agency, through enhancing the adjustment and cultural connection of the child in care.
- The child and youth worker manages the child/youth file through consultation and collaboration with the child and youth’s family and community; in conjunction with coordinating case planning through collaboration with the authorized Child and Family Protection worker.
- The position has regular face-to-face contact with the resource parent(s), provider(s) and child/youth with a view to assessing the strengths of family care and the development of the child/youth.
- The Indigenous Child and Youth Services Worker will coordinate supports for children and youth receiving services as well as build informal and formal support networks and connections. They will collaborate with indigenous communities, educators, society workers, and other key partners.
- The position will supervise access orders on the assigned caseload. The position is designed to support decision making within the child protection context and to ensure that child protection decisions are well informed regarding the progress and development of children in Interim Society Care.

**DUTIES PERFORMED ON A REGULAR BASIS**:

- Maintains an assigned caseload of children in care and ensures consistent and regular face-to-face contact and support with the assigned child/youth and foster parent(s).
- Ensures that case planning includes development and implementation of recordings and culturally significant plans for care according to Ministry Standards. For those children/youth in Extended Society Care, plans and recordings are submitted to the supervisor for review. For those youth in Interim Society Care, the assigned protection worker must also be engaged in order to ensure the alignment of the child/youth’s plan within the context of the biological family.
- Maintains files as per agency standards including case notes, recordings, plans for care, etc.
- Develops and facilitates culturally centered supports and groups for children/youth in care and community.
- Establishes positive, collaborative working relationships and linkages among indigenous communities/schools/school boards/school authorities, and community service providers.
- Provides system navigation support for eligible children and youth to access educational services and supports in a culturally responsive and timely manner.
- Ensures face to face private contact with children and youth which satisfies the Agency’s ‘Best Practice’ requirements and all Ministry Standards.
- Facilitates access to specialized external resources and services that are determined to be necessary to meet the individual child/youth’s needs. For children/youth in Interim Society Care, this is to be completed in consultation with the assigned protection worker.
- Participates as a member of the Restorative Practices Team and receives case assignments from assigned management staff.
- Ensures that children/youth have the opportunity to have contact with their biological family supervised as per court order. For those children/youth in Interim Society Care, this is responsibility is shared with the assigned protection worker.
- Deliv