Family Engagement Worker

**Mission: Empowering Teen Parents to Succeed**

**Vision: Teen Parent Families Thrive and Enrich our Community**

**Job ID: 22-015TERRA**

**Family Engagement Worker**

**Job Overview**:
As a Family Engagement Worker, you work with young families to support the development of positive parenting skills, strengthen the parent-child relationship, and connect families to community resources. Through home visits and community outreach, participants are supported to make healthy choices and to develop their capacity to effectively meet the needs of their children. Family Engagement Workers also work collaborative with their peers to deliver group programming that supports the creation of a positive community for young parents in Edmonton.

A typical day starts at our West Office to review your schedule and confirm your home visits. Before going to your first visit, you stop by the Clothes Closet to grab a clothing hamper for the family you are visiting and add a book that you can leave with the family. The home visit focuses on engaging in activities that support serve-and-return interactions and has time throughout to offer resources and support for the challenges faced by the young parent. After lunch, you stop in at one of three Terra sites across the city to complete paperwork before picking up a dad and child and taking them to their check-up appointment. After dropping them off at home, and promising to send dad some employment resources, your day comes to an end.

**Job Conditions**:
This is a full time position (35 hours/week) with flexible hours to work 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday, and some evening and occasional weekend based on the needs of families and staff and to support programming. The position will be working out of the Terra main office located at 10320-146 Street.

**Key responsibilities**:

- Provide ongoing support to children and families through home visits, telephone calls, and other support strategies
- Assist families to connect with community resources and build a strong connection with their community
- Work with families to identify priorities and develop action steps
- Advocate for families in crisis, assisting with problem solving, communication skills, decision-making skills and goal planning to increase their confidence in meeting the needs of their children and family
- Coordinate referrals and assessments to other community resources for families and seek opportunities for collaboration with community agencies
- Complete documentation including the progress on client goals.
- Adhere to Terra’s policies and procedures and to the professional code of ethics of applicable professional associations
- Participate in self-evaluation, peer evaluation and volunteer and student evaluation
- Expand personal sensitivity and knowledge regarding different cultures

**Qualifications/Requirements**:

- Post-secondary diploma or degree in Human Services, Education, or Special Education
- Experience providing outreach support services through home visitation
- Experience providing life skills coaching and training
- Experience working with low income and marginalized participants, including people facing multiple barriers

**Knowledge and Abilities**:

- Ability to work with families from diverse cultural backgrounds and develop positive, effective, professional rapport and relationships with youth
- Knowledge of issues associated with people impacted by mental illness and substance abuse
- Knowledge of referral services and supports within the Edmonton community and/or the ability to research and connect with community resources
- Understanding and knowledge of the issues pregnant and parenting young people face

**Other requirements**:

- A valid driver’s license and a reliable vehicle with 2 million liability insurance
- Current clear Drivers Abstract
- Ability to work flexible hours
- Current First Aid certificate
- Clear Criminal Record Check and Child Intervention Check that are dated within 90 Days of the start date

**Core Behavioral Competencies**

Terra values are core to the organization. We strive to hire individuals who possess these behavioral competencies at all levels of the organization.
- **Personal Leadership**: Practices inclusion, communicates openly and effectively, demonstrates self-awareness
- **Productive Relationships**: Develops networks, collaborates, develops self and others
- **Results Focus**: Applies outcomes-based problem solving and systems thinking, demonstrates evidence-informed decision making
- **Service Excellence**:Practices innovation, facilitates a culture of learning, demonstrates continuous improvement
- **Program Planning; **design, plan, coordinate, facilitation of groups
- **Finance; **manage allocated financial resources for program delivery
- **Communication skills; **excellent both written and oral; evidenced in grant writing and reporting to funders
- **Community Relations; **well-developed engagement skills, strong networking