Family Resource Worker

Purpose Statement

Reporting to the Family Resource Services Supervisor, the Family Resource Worker (FRW) is responsible to maintain, strengthen and promote healthy family functioning as well as child safety and to carry out the mandate of the Child, Youth and Family Services Act in accordance with the prescribed guidelines and regulations. The FRW provides support and coaching to children, youth and families according to an approved plan of service and task list to support positive outcomes in child safety, permanency and well-being.

Main Duties And Responsibilities

Support to Children and Families:

• Provides short term, specific goal focused support, mentoring and coaching to families (biological, foster and kin) to enhance skills and enhance the safety and well-being of the child
• Meets with the referring case manager to discuss the strengths and -worries of the family which create danger for a child.
• Identifies SMART goals and trajectories with the family and CPW
• Implements the intervention strategies identified with the family by use of appropriate professional skills and techniques including child management, healthy parenting skills, life skills, coping mechanisms, social skills, anger management skills, communication skills, problem solving techniques, nutritional guidance, household management skills, financial skills, co-parenting strategies.
• Report child protection concerns to the FRW supervisor
• Supports children and youth with personal and physical care including medication administration, crisis response, advocacy, liaising with other staff and collaterals, 1 to 1 supervision
• Support and assist youth in building communication skills, behaviour management, emotional regulation, and other daily life skills
• Maintain documentation of work with children as required.
• Provide crisis intervention and de-escalation skills when required
  
  

Group Facilitation

• Develops, implements and facilitates groups including training on a variety of topics to youth and caregivers which includes topics such as but not limited to: parenting, life skills, financial literacy, independence, anger management and bullying.
• May facilitate groups along with other community organizations such as Public Health, Social Services, and Keystone etc.
• Facilitate Network building and Network conferences
  
  

Family Visiting

• Facilitates positive and meaningful family interactions by providing coaching and support to achieve goals of the case plan including areas such as parenting skills, coping, anger management, child development, healthy attachment and meeting the child’s basic needs
• Meets with the parent either before or after the visit to review the visit and provide feedback
• Family contact takes place in a safe place (family home, community, foster home, kin home, agency office)
• Ensures the safety of the child during the access visit and takes action to intervene if necessary
• Report child protection concerns to the FRW supervisor; maintains contact logs which include copies of all handouts given to parents.
  
  

Youth Support

• Provides time limited support to youth in care with a focus on independence, financial literacy and permanency· Time limited and goal oriented one to one support in the resource home or community
• Being available to respond to crisis situations that will focus on stabilizing, enhancing, and maintaining family relationships.
• Provides independence support to VYSA and CCSY population through building and strengthening lifelong connections, achievement of developmental assets that support independence and positive transition to adult living.
• Collaborates with child welfare team around transitions into VYSA and CCSY support.
• Ensures all documentation is completed within ministry and agency standards.
• Drafts and completes VYSA and CCSY agreements and explains agreement to youth.
• Provides youth with connections in the community for independence related to finances, employment, education, physical and emotional well-being.
• Builds strong partnerships and shares opportunities for learning and seamless transition of services with community service providers.
  
  

In Collaboration with the Case Manager may Support Network Building and Network Navigation:

Using technology, file research, genograms, family research tools and interviews, the FRW will:

• Seek out network members to share responsibility in the development of safety plans and trajectories in complex high-risk situations where an urgent and rapid response is required including in situations of access planning, repatriation of youth from OPR, adolescent admission prevention, identification of kin for removals building on existing relationships.
• Promote stability for children and youth.
• Provide viable alternatives to admission to care.
• Enable continuity of relationships between family / community members and the child/youth.
• Maintain the integrity of children and youth’s connections to aboriginal and other relevant cultural groups.
• Engage the extended family and community services in a wrap around intervention approach to support families to raise adolescence and meet their needs without admission to care.
• Group facilitation including facilitate, lead and support the family and network led conferences to reinforce and clarify planning around danger statements and safety goals in planning for access, repatriation of youth from OPR, repatriation of children from care to kin.
• Coordinate with the case manager to develop, implement and facilitate group network conferences.
• Preparing participants to explain the conferencing agenda and ground rules and to ensure safety, as well as expected outcomes
• Completing the Conference Plan and trajectories, distributing it to participants and entering it into the Child Protection Information Network
• Coordinating and facilitating follow up planning meetings including documentation and distribution. Conduct thorough reviews of relevant case files to assist in identifying family members or other key people in the child / youth’s natural network.
• Conduct interviews with a child / youth’s caregiver, relatives, community members and the child/ youth.
• Use all available technology and resources to identify, contact and build a network of support for a family, child or youth.
• Collaborate with members of the child welfare team to ensure that all relevant information relating to the search for Kin is shared and explored.
  

Administration

• Completes all Ministry and agency documentation, including contact logs, closing reports within required timeframes.
• Completes court papers and legal documentation including affidavits as required by the agency and/or the Court.
• Prepares for and acts as a witness in family and criminal court matters.
  
  

Relationship Management

• Demonstrates behaviors, actions and attitudes that are consistent with BGCFS’s vision, mission and values.
• Ensures effective and professional communications with all internal/external contacts.
• Develops and maintains collaborative relationships at all levels in order to build trust and confidence in the services provided.
• Establishes positive relationships with key stakeholders, internal and external to the BGCFS such as other agency staff, community groups, foster homes and volunteers.
• Shares information according to privacy and/or confidentiality guidelines.
• Ensures appropriate communication with appropriate manager at appropriate time.
• Respects ethnic, spiritual, linguistic, familial and cultural differences.
  
  

Team Building

• Develops a respectful and professional working relationship with team members, while working collaboratively, sharing experiences and lessons learned.
• Actively participates and engages in supervision with their supervisor on a regular basis.
• Actively participates and engages in team and staff meetings, service training sessions and other meetings/sessions as required.
• Works within and supports the team and works to ensure family and organization needs are met, including coverage when required.
  
  

Other Related Activities

• Demonstrates excellent crisis intervention and de-escalation skills when required.
• Identifies, promotes, and supports the use of community resources to assist children and their families.
• Research new intervention strategies and techniques, medical information, and other areas to update knowledge and skills.
• Knows and adheres to all applicable BGCFS policies, procedures, and relevant administrative practices.
• Strives to meet or exceed all accountabilities and achieve continuous quality improvement and excellence in all activities and outcomes.
• Participates in mandatory learning/education to maintain and update skills and knowledge whenever deemed necessary.
• Implements new procedures and controls deemed necessary by management.
• Assists in the training and orientation of peers.
• Work in compliance to Occupational health and safety Act.
• Participates on internal and/or external committees as required.
• Participates in special projects and performs other duties as required.
  
  

Qualifications

Knowledge, Education, Experience, Skills and Attributes:

• Child and Youth Worker Diploma or other relevant 2-year community college program or equivalent required.
• Minimum of 1 year child welfare experience in a Children’s Aid Society or children’s social service agency preferred.
• Solid knowledge of CAS programs and services.
• Solid knowledge of legislation, regulations and standards governing child welfare, including CYFSA and its regulations and Ministry standards.
• Solid knowledge of behavioral modification, parenting, engagement and child development theory and practice.
• Excellent crisis intervention skills.
• Solid knowledge of industry software applications including CPIN.
• Satisfactory Police Records Check is required.
• Valid Driver’s License and access to a reliable motor vehicle with appropriate business class liability insurance is required.
  
  

General Skills And Attributes

• Good ability to use MS Office applications (e.g. Word, Excel).
• Solid written, oral communication and interpersonal skills providing constructive, meaningful and timely interaction with all levels of staff.
• Ability to think analytically with attention to detail in the presence of frequent interruptions.
• Excellent understanding and commitment to quality service and best practice.
• Detail-oriented.
• Accountable for own actions and decisions, making decisions within the scope of the position and referring issues/problems/events to the supervisor as required.
• Flexible, adaptable and responsive to change.
• Ability to deal with highly sensitive and personal information in a confidential manner.
• Solid ability to analyze information, problem-solve and make good decisions/recommendations.
• Self-directed with a solid ability to organize, plan, prioritize and multi-task.
• Solid written documentation skills that are clear, thorough, concise accurate and timely.
• Ability to work with and meet tight timelines.
  
  

Efforts And Working Conditions

• Work is primarily performed in the community, often in the service user’s home.
• Regular hours of work may be scheduled on any day including days, evenings and nights when required to support children and youth 1-1.
• Intermediate periods of sitting and computer/phone use.
• The incumbent has the freedom to move about or change position at will.
• Ability to multi-task.
• Absorbs and interprets information from multiple parties on a regular basis.
• Required to listen to and reconcile multiple points of view being discussed/presented.
• Frequent interruptions.
• Frequent travel within the BGCFS region.
• May be exposed to potentially hazardous environments including driving conditions, volatile situations, and visits to client’s homes.
• Occasional lifting of children or heavy objects may be required.
  
  

Disclaimer

The preceding position description has been designed to indicate the general nature, level and scope of the work performed by this position. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to this position. Proof of COVID-19 Vaccination is not a pre-requirement of employment at this time; however, it is recommended. Should Public Health requirements change in the future all employees would be required to provide proof of vaccination.

BGCFS Commitments

We are committed to a selection process and work environment that is inclusive and barrier free. Accommodation will be provided in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code. Applicants need to make any accommodation requests for the interview or selection process known in advance by contacting the Human Resources Department at [email protected] . Human Resources will work together with the hiring committee to arrange reasonable and appropriate accommodation for the selection process which will enable you to be assessed in a fair and equitable manner. We are committed to promoting a culture of belonging and inclusion in an environment that is both physically and psychologically healthy and safe.