Family Support Worker

**Family Support Worker**

**About The Link: Youth and Family Supports**

For more than 90 years, The Link has helped youth and families on a journey to healing, hope, and better lives. The organization is dedicated to walking alongside children, youth, and families as an inclusive community, strengthening and empowering a sense of being, pride, and purpose. With over 15 diverse programs, The Link has a community of caring staff that work together to provide support through a 24-hour crisis line, youth resource centers, emergency shelters, mobile crisis teams, specialized foster care, healing homes, job readiness supports, and Skills4Life. With a strong foundation within the community and a focus on connection, unity, and compassion, the organization provides a vital link for youth and families in the province of Manitoba.

**SUMMARY**: The Link requires experienced Family Support Workers for a full time positions within the new Supported Visiting Home which will facilitate supervised overnight family visits for children and families involved in the CFS system. The Supported Visiting home will provide a home like setting where family visits can take place for 3-7 days at a time and will have 24/7 staff onsite. Family Support Workers will be responsible for supervising family visits, mentoring and coaching parents, supporting the family to engage in healthy activities and develop a positive parent - child relationship to help the family work towards reunification planning goals. Family Support Workers must work from a person-centered, non-judgmental, trauma-informed, strength-based philosophy. Family Support Workers are also responsible for collaborating across various systems to ensure that outcomes are in the best interest of the youth, and align with the overall mission and purpose of the program.

**PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES**:of the Family Support Workers include, but are not limited to:

- Provide holistic mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual support to families based on the teachings of the Medicine Wheel;
- Establish a trusting relationship with parents and their children;
- Supervise family visits within the visitation home and the community as determined by the guardian agency
- Support parents by way of mentoring, coaching and teaching to parent independently and meet the needs of their children;
- Mentor parents to gain a variety of skills such as: meal preparation, household management, shopping, engaging their children in age appropriate activities, building and maintaining appropriate routines;
- Work with parents and children/youth to problems solve, manage conflict, maintain appropriate boundaries and expectations;
- Support families to learn about their cultural identity and participate in cultural activities and ceremonies
- Provide support and crisis intervention as needed;
- Communicate concerns, needs and observations to Team Lead and House Coordinator
- Perform various administrative duties related to the supervision of family visits by keeping accurate records and reports of each family’s progress;
- Performs general facility tasks, cleaning and cooking chores, and routines;
- Attends staff meetings and training as required;
- Works in collaboration with other teams and external service providers;
- Other duties as assigned.

**QUALIFICATIONS**:

- _Love, Respect, Courage, Honesty, Wisdom, and Humility & Truth_.

**Essential Requirements**
- Post-secondary education or a combination of education, work experience and lived experience may be considered;
- Experience working with families in a supportive manner;
- Experience working with vulnerable children and youth with an array of behavioural needs
- Knowledge of trauma and resilience informed care;
- Strong counseling skills and experience in Relational Care, as well as excellent communication and interpersonal skills;
- Emergency First Aid and CPR Level C;
- Satisfactory Criminal Record Check with Vulnerable Sector Search, a clear Child Abuse Registry Check with acceptable Prior Contact Check outcomes and a clear Adult Abuse Registry check; all completed within the last 3 months.

**Preferred or willing to obtain within the first 3 (three) months**
- ASIST Certificate (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) and/or any de-escalation training prefered;
- Mental Health First Aid & Safe Talk;
- The Link Commit 2 Kids Training;
- Certification in either DLE (The Purposeful Use of Daily Life Events) or TCS (Therapeutic Crisis Solutions).

Accommodations are available for applicants with disabilities upon request. If you are contacted by The Link regarding a job opportunity, please know that you are welcome to request an accommodation at any point in the process. All information received regarding accommodations will be kept confidential.

***Valid driver’s license and use of personal vehicle is a requirement for this position**

**HOURS OF WORK**:Casual - hours are not guaranteed. This position is required to work a variet