Team Leader, Foundations Program

As we serve vulnerable youth, all employees working for Covenant House Vancouver must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Proof of vaccination status will be required prior to your start date.

**About Covenant House Vancouver**:
Since 1997, Covenant House Vancouver has provided relentless support for youth experiencing, or at-risk of experiencing, homelessness. We provide support to young people age 16 to 24 who have experienced a wide range of early life and ongoing, complex trauma; including physical, sexual and emotional abuse and neglect. Our purpose is to serve all youth, with absolute respect and unconditional love, to help youth experiencing homelessness, and provide a safe and supportive environment for all youth in need.

**The Impact A Team Leader In The Foundations Program Can Make**:
The VCH Foundations Program is a residential stabilization program where we work with the principles of immediacy, sanctuary, value communication, structure and choice. You will demonstrate absolute respect and unconditional love to youth that will support them to know their worth.

The VCH Foundations Program is a safe and non-judgmental environment where youth are supported to address every aspect of wellbeing - physical, emotional, and spiritual. You will supervise and support a team of youth workers to provide services from an attachment-based, harm reduction, culturally relevant, and trauma-informed model of care. You will have the opportunity to lead a team in building transformative relationships with youth and reduce the risks of street homelessness and substance use. Through relentless engagement, the CHV continuum of care connects with youth where they are at because we feel it should be “one size fits one” when it comes to supporting young people.

**How You Will Contribute**:

- Greet and welcome youth accessing CHV services, assess and respond to their immediate needs, and provide them with practical resources including food, clothing, and shelter
- Initiate, develop and maintain relationships with at risk youth 16-24 years of age
- Work collaboratively with other staff to assist youth in identifying attainable short and long-term goals, strategies for meeting these goals, and an action plan for implementation
- Responsible for direct implementation of Covenant House philosophy and policies as they pertain to residential care
- Assign shift responsibilities and duties
- Coordinate intakes, assessments, discharges
- Ensure quality of youth files and documentation
- Manage crisis intervention including critical incident debriefing
- Facilitate team meetings including shift change
- Supervise youth workers on shift utilizing reflective supervision model
- Ensure adherence to and role model Covenant House principles and core values
- Ensure safety and security of clients, staff, and property

**Who We Are Looking For?**:
**Education and Experience**:

- Diploma or degree in related social service or relevant experience with harm reduction principles.
- Degree or Diploma in Social Work, Social Services, Child and Youth Care, or a related field. Or, relevant experience working in a similar capacity with a strong knowledge of harm reduction principals.
- Minimum 2 years experience in a supervisory role within similar setting
- First Aid & Non-Violent Crisis Intervention is an asset
- Evidence of compliance with the Province’s immunization and tuberculosis control programs is required

**Skills & Abilities**:

- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
- Familiarity with at risk youth and youth homelessness
- Familiarity with issues related to substance use
- Familiarity of Harm Reduction principles and practices
- Familiarity with Indigenous Cultural Safety
- Ability to maintain professional boundaries
- Leadership and team building skills
- Basic computer skills
- Working knowledge of Trauma Informed Practice

**Why Work For Us? Would You Like To**:

- Be part of a team that makes a difference in the lives of youth in need
- Work with a multidisciplinary team of youth workers, social workers, clinical counsellors, mentorship and life skills coordinators, outreach, and housing workers
- Work safely with low youth to staff ratio
- Have generous Health & Dental Benefits, including a health spending account, substantial counselling benefits, employee assistance program, excellent vacation, personal and sick leave
- Attend an array of exciting team bonding exercises throughout the year
- An inclusive team that welcomes innovative ideas and creativity

**Diversity, Equity & Inclusion**:
Covenant House Vancouver is a secular organization that welcomes and serves young people from all backgrounds. While the international federation to which we belong was founded in the 1970s by members of the Catholic Church, we are not aligned with any specific faith traditions.
- Persons from groups marginalized due to race, ancestry, colour, religion/spiritual beliefs, or place of origin;
- Persons with visible (physi