Child Development Specialist

**Navigate Complexities. Create Change. Together. **This is our purpose at CUPS. Our unique integrated approach to care empowers people to work holistically to create and achieve goals that support their well-being and builds readiness to navigate and access support in the community. As a formative presence, we work together to build better systems and a stronger community.

Clients depend on us, supporters trust us, and partners count on our collaboration. We do not take this responsibility lightly - we are accountable for our words, our actions, our relationships, and most importantly, ourselves. Through a compassionate lens, we afford every person dignity in their interactions with us. We proactively seek opportunities for continuous learning with open minds and transformative spirits. Through our culture, rooted in our values, we will achieve our purpose and ambition.

The **Child Development Specialist **is responsible for providing hands on, child development focused support for families engaged with CUPS Family and Child Development Centre and in the community. The Child Development Specialist will create and guide the implementation of social skill and behaviour development plans with families to enhance emotional wellness and engagement in healthy behaviours from a trauma-informed lens. This role will assist families through education and hands-on support in navigating various child diagnoses and developmental delays and provide strategies to promote optimal child development. Working closely within a multidisciplinary team this role will assist in bridging supports and strategies between home environment and community settings. This position is key in reducing risk factors from having an adverse effect on child development and preventing child maltreatment.

**Duties**:

- Create, provide and role model recommendations through knowledge of child development to support the implementation of development plans and interventions.
- Collaborate with the Family Development Centre team including but not limited to Child Development Coordinators, Play Therapist and Speech and Language Therapist, to ensure that parenting strategies are in line with the developmental needs of the children engaged.
- Observe and assess child’s abilities, interests, strengths, and areas of development that may need additional support.
- Complete relevant development assessments
- Within area of practice, provide recommendations and assist in coordination of specialized care required for children 12 and under within own caseload and as resource for team members
- Liaise with multidisciplinary team to ensure consistent, effective and streamlined support for families
- Develop and facilitate child focused classroom programming and group-based sessions for parents, including but not limited to brain development, social/emotional development, and practical parenting skills
- Collaborate with parents, external partners, community agencies, and health providers in fulfilling family needs and advocate for children and families as needed to obtain required supports
- Engage with families, community partners and CUPS colleagues in a variety of settings including CUPS site, community agency sites, client homes and other community spaces
- Provide warm referrals to internal and external programs for most appropriate intervention and support based on child and family needs
- Provide culturally aware support to CUPS clients and families, celebrating the diversity of clients and being aware of power dynamics of privilege and oppression that may be present

**Areas of Leadership**:

- Offer consultation, expertise and support to FDCD Team on complex Child Development case
- Provides respectful, integrated & trauma-informed care by assisting families where they are at, guiding growth & change in alignment with client created goals
- Operate in synergy with CUPS internal departments, sharing information with colleagues and providing warm referrals to clients for internal services to best support client goal achievement
- Facilitate a healthy and safe work environment through learning and enacting all CUPS health & safety protocols while maintaining an active awareness of clients and colleagues
- Create an approachable, caring and trauma-informed environment for clients, guests and colleagues
- Respect client dignity by ensuring confidential client information is handled with the utmost care and respect in alignment with Health Information Protection Act and CUPS privacy protocols & values
- Promote a culture that reflects CUPS Purpose, Ambition and Values

**Stakeholder Relations**:

- Develop and maintain collaborative and accountable working relations with internal CUPS colleagues to strengthen communication flow and cross-program understanding
- Work closely with colleagues supporting child development
- Create professional and effective relationships with external agency colleagues to support the effective flow of information to support