Social Worker

**Status**: Full
- time

**Location**: St. Catharines, Ontario

**Open Date**: May 16, 2025

**Closing Date**: May 30, 2025

The position of Social Worker is established to enhance child and family participation and quality of life by providing support to children with identified needs and their families through assessment, support and counselling, case management, education, and advocacy.

A Social Worker may be assigned to one or more services. These include interdisciplinary preschool or school aged services and/or other specialized services such as Physiatry Clinic and Home and Vehicle Modification Clinic.

As an employee of the Centre, you will be part of a community dedicated to creating a welcoming and supportive environment for the children and youth we serve. We are a place where families are at the heart of all we do. Join a team that makes a real difference in the lives of children and youth every day.

**Key responsibilities include**:

- _**Assessment**:_ The Social Worker assesses the needs of children, and their families. Through meeting with the family the Social Worker obtains back-ground information concerning the child and family to determine their strengths, needs and concerns. Assessment may include the use of formal testing tools. The Social Worker may also participate in interdisciplinary screening with the child/family and as part of the assessment process.
- _**Treatment Planning**:_ On the basis of the assessment, the Social Worker collaborates with the child/family, teacher, school, other therapists, and others who may be involved, to identify goals and to establish an appropriate treatment plan to achieve the goals.
- _**Intervention: Support and Counselling**:_The Social Worker provides follow-up for the child and family after the initial assessment to assist in the development of service plans; empower clients in effective coping, decision making, problem solving, and communication around the needs of the child and family; offer appropriate groups, grief support, and crisis intervention; and may attend various clinics with the child and family.
- _**Intervention: Case Management/Service Coordination**:_ The Social Worker assists the child and family to obtain all required services and funding in a coordinated manner. This will involve liaison with the family, the centre services involved, and external service providers. This may also involve advocating on behalf of the child and family to be eligible for and obtain required services. In order to ensure effective communication among the various participants, the Social Worker may be required to schedule and facilitate meetings among appropriate participants from time to time. Intervention may be provided in various environments; through a variety of service delivery options (e.g., individual, group, parent education, home programming) on a direct or indirect or consultative basis and either in a single service or as part of an interdisciplinary team process.
- _**Supervision**:_ SWs may be requested to supervise SSW’s as part of their regular workload and in doing so, must adhere to the policies established in the OCSWSSW position statement for Supportive Personnel, October 2007. SWs may also be requested to supervise students or volunteers.
- _**Education**:_ The Social Worker provides education for children and families related to their specific needs. This may include topics such as social skill development, self-esteem, parenting and behaviour strategies, and negotiating the system of services available. Education may be provided on an individual or group basis. Through conferences, lectures and other training the Social Worker will keep current in new approaches and research.

**Health and Safety**

The Social Worker will comply with the duties assigned to Workers as per Section 28 of the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act.

**Key Relationships**:
The Social Worker is concerned with the effectiveness of all relationships that affect the Centre. The following are particularly significant to the position:

- **External**_
- Children, and their families and other caregivers
- Regulated professionals involved in the care of the child/family such as physicians, public health personnel, nurse practitioners
- Teachers and Educational Assistants in all school and child care systems
- Staff of Community partner agencies and programs
- Vendors and suppliers of equipment and services being considered for use by clients
- Staff at relevant government offices/branches that are responsible for approval and/or provision of client specific funding, services or equipment
- Case managers at HNHB LHIN
- **Internal**_
- Staff at all levels in the organization

Qualifications and Skills:
The minimum specifications for an incumbent will include:

- Registration as a Social Worker with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers
- **Knowledge/Skills**:_
- A sound understanding and skill in the practice of social work