Delegated Social Worker

**Delegated Social Worker**

Kw’umut Lelum currently has Delegated Social Worker positions available and is looking for individuals who are skilled at working inclusively and respectfully, with Indigenous children and families. Practice can include Intake Child Safety services, Guardianship services or Resource services stationed out of our North (Nanaimo), or South (Duncan) offices.

The successful Applicant will have/be:

- A collaborative social work practitioner with excellent interpersonal and self-management skills;
- Ability to mentor others and work effectively as a team player;
- Possess knowledge of, and are willing to work and learn about First Nations cultural values and protocols and incorporate into the child safety process;
- The ability to inspire and promote strength based intake, assessment and family planning practices;
- A degree in Social Work with the requisite balance of training and experience;
- Previous experience providing delegated services, and/or child protection services, and possess knowledge of family court proceedings preferred;
- Eligible to receive full child safety delegation;
- A strong performance appraisal from your current or most recent supervisor/agency;
**Purpose of Positions**:
Under the direction of the Delegated Team Lead, and in accordance with legislation and the Aboriginal Operational and Practice Standards Indicators, and Kw’umut Lelum policies and procedures; the Delegated Social Worker provides services mainly involving culturally sensitive and culturally focused, child and family services.

**Job Duties and Responsibility Summaries**:

- **Child Safety Social Worker**:_
- Receives, assesses and responds to concerns of child abuse and neglect by interviewing parents, children and youth, assessing strengths and needs, inquiring with appropriate agencies developing safety plans, and determining if children or youth are in need of protection. Subsequent actions may include referrals to community services, offering voluntary support services, providing ongoing support services or more intrusive actions that involve moving the child to an in care or out of care placement and/or court processes.
- Collaboratively develops and implements plans by identifying client needs, establishing long and short term goals and resources to support the children and families.
- Ensures the ongoing management of cases by monitoring progress towards goals, coordinating services, consulting with other service providers, examining the terms of the contract and making referrals to other agencies.
- Prepares documentation for court, files documents and ensures legislative requirements are addressed and timelines for serving notice follow the Rules of Court.
- Prepares clients for court by explaining the purpose, ensuring client has access to legal counsel, informing the clients of other witnesses and explaining expected court behaviour and appearance.
- Prepares and presents evidence for Family Court, determines admissible evidence, instructs legal counsel regarding the type of court order sought, prepares for hearing, negotiates times and witnesses for hearing and presents testimony.
- **Guardianship Social Worker**:_
- Facilitates alternative processes for dispute resolution. Collaboratively engages families in determining appropriate processes (e.g. family group conference, mediation etc) then arrange, implement and participate in the selected process; assess and ensure that the resulting plan addresses child safety.
- Acts as the legal guardian of children in care by assessing the child’s strengths and needs regarding permanency, identity, placement, health, legal, education/social recreational activities and self-care/independence skills.
- Develops Family Plans with the purpose of reuniting the child with the family, and/or develops an alternate permanency plan for the child/youth as well as coordinates and monitors any community service for the family.
- Provides services to the family such as assistance with parenting skills or preparing parents for adoption placement.
- Develops and supervises the comprehensive plan of care by ensuring the child and caregiver have input into the plan, informs the caregiver of their responsibilities, monitors the placement and provides assistance and guidance with addressing the child’s difficult behaviours.
- Provides support to children in care by assisting the child with entry into care, placement and permanency issues; ensures the rights of the child are being met in accordance with legislation and policies; provides consent for child activities; ensures the child’s birthdays and other significant events are celebrated and oversees all payments.
- **Resource Social Worker**:_
- Receives requests from both Agency and Ministry of Children and Family Development social workers for placements of children being brought into care.
- Recruits and recommends for approval families suitable as foster parents, leveled family care homes or