Crisis Support Worker

**JOB OPPORTUNITY: CRISIS SUPPORT WORKER (Full-Time Permanent Position)**

Youthdale Treatment Centres is a fully accredited Children’s Mental Health organization with a mission to provide children, adolescents and their care-givers access to the best available psychiatric care and support, restoring hope, and helping individuals reach their full potential.

Youthdale is looking to fill the position of Crisis Support Worker to join Crisis Support Team (CST). The Crisis Support Team (C.S.T.) is a multi-disciplinary team providing crisis services for clients up to the age of twenty-four residing in the Toronto and surrounding area. The crisis support worker assesses all requests for assistance in terms of both the risk that the youth’s behaviour presents to himself/herself or others and the ability of the youth’s support system to manage him/her safely. The worker consults regularly with a psychiatrist and has psychiatric backup at all times.

Additionally, crisis team members provide support to the Acute Support Unit, Transitional Psychiatric Unit and the Transitional Age Unit when required to ensure a safe and secure therapeutic environment. All C.S.T. members will abide by the policies and procedures of Youthdale Psychiatric Crisis Service and other such guidelines established by the Ministry of Community and Social Services and the Ministry of Health.

**Location**: Inpatient Units (227 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON)

**Hours**: 37.5 hours per week

**Position Status**: Full-Time Permanent

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

**Rate of pay**:$25.3338 per hour

**Reports to**: Crisis Support Team Coordinator

**Also Reports to**: On-call Psychiatrist regarding clinical matters

**Responsibilities**:
**Intake, Admissions and Case Management**

Crisis Support Team members will function as the intake to the psychiatric crisis service by:

- Being readily available and responsive to all telephone requests for service pertaining to adolescents from the community i.e.: youth, families, and mental health professionals or youth support systems.
- Developing a plan for intervention in consultation with the on-call psychiatrist; formulating and supporting short-term treatment strategies in conjunction with the youth’s primary agency (in case of youth not admitted to either of our three psychiatric units.); arranging clinical consultations.
- During the process, the CST supports youth and their families by getting updates and facilitating ongoing safety planning.
- Providing service navigation support to ensure involvement of a community mental health agency for the clients if there is not one already involved as a case manager.
- Following all crisis protocols to monitor or clarify the outcome and providing any further assistance in meeting case disposition goals.
- For every bed request, numerous collateral calls are made with the various community agencies.
- Process appropriate bed referrals by:

- Presenting them at the daily prioritization meeting and
- Consulting with the on-call psychiatrist and the Crisis Coordinator or their designate.
- Facilitate the coordination of the admission by ensuring all necessary clinical and policy paperwork is completed before and during the admission-this includes the Crisis Continuum Plan (CCP), Behaviour Profile and Medical Screening Tool and ensures a safety plan is developed.
- Conduct CAFAS assessment.
- Input all case conferences, admissions and transfers in CYSIS.
- Act as the liaison between family and the unit, coordinate and attend meetings pertinent to the case management process, as required, and ensure that a discharge pathway is established.
- Liaison with internal departments (residence, outpatient services, ISSP, and CIFT); prioritization for all three units-all it entails.
- Facilitate and attend Review Board hearings: corresponding with legal counsel and outside parties throughout the process.

**Mobile Crisis Assessments**
- Attend as soon as possible and where appropriate as this is a voluntary service, to provide a mobile assessment to understand the youth’s level of risk to self or others and the ability of their support system to manage him/her safely and obtaining clear information about the presenting situation and the precipitant.
- Consult and safety plan following all assessments.
- Assessments can take place in a variety of settings such as the youth’s home, school, hospital etc.

***General Administration**
- Participate regularly in meetings dealing with clinical matters and team or agency business; notes in case management and any follow up calls that need to be done afterwards.
- Attend clinical on each unit daily— promotes clear communication between all parties regarding any case management issues.
- Participate regularly in group and individual supervision with the Crisis Coordinator Record intake information, interventions, assessments, and follow-up activities for all client contacts; record collateral calls; arrange