Social Worker

**Job Description - SOCIAL WORKER - II (Justice Centre Program)**
**Hours**: 37.5 hours per week
**Status**: Fixed Term Contract
**Duration of Contract**:11 months

**Union/Non**: This is a unionized position

**Position Summary**:
The Social Worker - II in Justice Centre program will focus upon service delivery to clients accessing Justice Centres in Toronto.

Justice Centres move justice out of the traditional courtroom and into a community setting by bringing together justice, health, and social services to address the root causes of crime, break the cycle of offending, and improve community safety and wellbeing. Justice Centres hold individuals accountable for their offences while connecting them to services that reduce the risk of re-offending and supports victims, their families, and communities harmed by crime.

The recent consolidation of all Toronto cases, including cases for all youth charged in Toronto Region, within the Ontario Court of Justice Toronto (OCJ-T) courthouse has heightened the need to provide multi-sector supports for justice-involved youth from priority neighborhoods, with an additional focus on racialized and vulnerable youth given this population’s increased risk of both criminal offending and victimization. In collaboration with the Ontario Court of Justice and the Toronto Northwest Justice Centre, a re-envisioned broader OCJ-T Youth Justice Centre community-court model will respond to escalating levels of violence across the Toronto Region while increasing access to justice for youth in marginalized communities.

Through the Project, all youth aged twelve (12) to seventeen (17) years old charged in the Toronto Region would have access to wrap-around and culturally relevant supports, services, and programming in their communities to directly address risk factors, break cycles of offending, and interrupt escalating violence.

This position aims to provide quality, trauma informed care to clients, while working to increase equitable access to justice for high-risk, marginalized, and vulnerable youth and their families across the Toronto Region. The position will work collaboratively with other service partners to disrupt escalating offending and violence exhibited by youth through wrap-around, culturally relevant, and community-based supports, services, and programming; and improve cross-sector outcomes for all youth to promote community safety and wellbeing.

Social Worker will maintain the standards of practice approved by the profession. The worker ensures that clients and their families are provided care in accordance with the policies, procedures, standards and regulations inherent to the position, Youthdale’s practices, and the Youth Justice Criminal Act (YCJA).

**Accountability**:
This position reports directly to the Chief of Psychiatry

Supervises: Social Worker Students

**Corporate Responsibilities**:

- Fosters positive interpersonal relationships while representing the Agency at various community tables. This will also include other staff, residents, and visitors, outside agencies, government officials and related professional associations.
- Maintains and adheres to organizational policies and procedures.
- Ensures Legislation requirements around documentation are being followed
- Attends to work on a regular and consistent basis.
- Adheres to Occupational Health and Safety Policies.
- Embraces equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging, encourages teamwork and complies with all applicable regulatory and legislative requirements.

**Responsibilities**:

- Independently conduct bio-psycho-social assessments, youth forensic needs assessments, and provide evidenced based regular individual, family, and group therapy sessions with clients. Modalities to be used include Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, short term therapy, and psychoeducation.
- Attend administrative and clinic team meetings and trainings within Youthdale and with various community partners involved in the Justice Centres.
- Attend and provide evidence in court proceedings as required. Participate in discussions related to justice inclusive of round-table planning and updates.
- The individual will assist in communicating participation requirements to family members and clients;
- Complete required documentation including assessments, standardized tools, session notes, treatment plans, and disclosures to CAS in a timely manner (if applicable).
- Liaise with clients and their parents/guardians as well as other professionals such as school personnel, probation workers, and Children’s Aid workers.

**Qualifications**:

- A Masters of Social Work (MSW) or equivalent education is required.
- Minimum 3 years of relevant post qualification experience within youth forensic and justice involved settings in the role of RSW; minimum 7 years of experience working within social services
- Membership in good standing with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW)
- Hav