Job Description

Job Title:

Youth Outreach Worker

Program:

Youth Services Outreach Team

Reports To:

Youth Services Manager

Position Summary:

The Youth Empowerment Society is a non-profit community service agency offering support and services to youth and their families.

The Youth Outreach Worker works as a member of a team that provides a variety of services to at-risk youth (12-19) and their families in the Core Victoria Area. The Youth Outreach Worker is responsible for face to face contact providing the immediate services and interventions through crisis response, safety assessment and risk reduction services. Much of this position requires working collaboratively in an outreach and community-based capacity.

Duties and Responsibilities:

To perform the job successfully the Youth Outreach Worker must be able to consistently perform each essential duty adequately. Other duties may be assigned.

Youth/Family Engagement and Service Planning:

Work with youth and their families to carry out crisis intervention and support through urgent response, safety assessment and risk reduction to prompt a change in behaviour and/or situation. Interview youth and their families, prepare case histories, and assess problems and strengths. Provide intervention services collaboratively with other community programs. Develop and implement counselling and intervention programs to assist MCFD and youth/families in determining goals and achieving the objectives developed. Facilitate referrals to appropriate community services, including identified medical, mental health, addictions, legal and family services. Provide mediation services, support to foster parents, parental assessments, community development, pre-and post natal support, counselling for high risk parents, counselling for family violence issues and sexual abuse, suicide prevention/intervention, support with grief and loss, and early childhood education. Follow up and evaluates the effectiveness of counselling programs and the progress of youth and their families. Identify newer and younger youth in the Core Victoria Area with maximum diligence and screens them for awareness of possible risk factors. Provide youth who frequent the downtown area with an early awareness of services available and inform them on the lures present downtown. Locate and reunify missing youth with their Social Workers or families. Form mutually respectful partnerships with youth and their family support systems to address any issues and problems they face through parent-teen mediation and conflict resolution to support family stabilization and reunification. Provide behavioural management skills, crisis response, intervention and risk reduction services to best support youth and create a safe and stable environment. Provide crisis intervention and risk reduction for youth and their family support systems when required, especially around issues such as trauma, suicidal ideation, mental health and addictions. Facilitate relations through communication and better understanding among youth who frequent the downtown area, the police, the business community and the general public. Maintain a collaborative and cooperative working relationship with MCFD, other professionals, ministries and the community, including police officers and probation. Provide regular and consistent outreach services to youth and their families as required. Provide support, information, education and referrals to family support systems as appropriate. Identify youth who are at-risk of becoming sexually exploited and refer them to appropriate community services. Participate in integrated case management conferences, as required Set appropriate boundaries and maintains a helping role to meet the needs of the youth or other family member. Demonstrate a level of cultural sensitivity and understanding of the client population. Demonstrate a youth centred strength based approach. Accept the clients' rights to self-determination and individuality and must not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, language, religion, marital status, gender, sexual orientation, age, abilities, socio-economic status, political affiliations, or national ancestry. Maintain a positive conviction about the capacity of people to grow and change. Recognize persons with special needs and makes appropriate referrals. Demonstrate a client centred strength based approach. Act as an advocate for youth and families and promotes empowerment for them to advocate on their own behalf.
Program Development and Administration:

Assist MCFD in providing outreach services and helping to reconnect youth to appropriate care giving systems in the continuum of care. Provide a conduit for businesses that have concerns regarding youth congregating, loitering or panhandling in front of their establishment. Facilitate effective cooperative relations among members of the police force and members of agencies providing social services downtown. Develop effective and cooperative relations with businesses, schools and other stakeholders. Assist youth and families through the judicial process. Help co-ordinate immediate, safe, and secure housing for missing youth. Liaise and share relevant information with MCFD, police, judicial system, families, etc. in an effort to help make knowledgeable, informed choices regarding mutual clients. Monitor and manage own attitudes, behaviours, well being, and professional development in relation to increasingly challenging client populations and complex or sensitive presenting issues such as trauma and abuse. Participate in developing and implementing evaluation systems to assess the effectiveness of intervention. Modifies services and programs as deemed appropriate. Fulfill the requirements of and participates in committees to meet the standards of CARF accreditation as established by agency policy. Maintain accurate reports and ensure all documentation is complete. Provide timely progress reports to MCFD. Attend case management meetings as required by the Youth Empowerment Society. Provide support and assistance to other YES programs. Participate in supervision meetings with Youth Services Supervisor as required. Participate on internal and community committees as required. Manage and submit petty cash expenditures and remittances as required. Fulfill the requirements of health and safety policies, emergency procedures and protocols.
Professional and Personal Qualifications:

The requirements listed below detail the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required to perform the duties and responsibilities of the job.

The support worker will need to demonstrate a good standard in a number of areas listed within the agency's competency framework. The knowledge and skills required to demonstrate these competencies are integrated into the role of this position and is reviewed within the performance recognition and development plan.

Education:

A Bachelor's degree in Child and Youth Care, Social Work or in a related human services field.
Required Experience:

A minimum of 3 years experience (out of the last 10 years) which includes:

Knowledge and experience with high risk youth and their families. Experience working with high-risk youth and families in a counselling or other helping capacity. Experience with community-based programs and related community support systems.
Knowledge:

Well established understanding of child and adolescent development. Well established understanding of youth and family engagement skills, counselling and intervention approaches. Established practice in maintaining appropriate and confidential boundaries and other basic professional ethics. Established practice involving families, foster care system, community, intervention programs, MCFD and other systems in service planning with youth/families. Demonstrated awareness of community resources for youth and families.
Skills and Abilities:

Demonstrated ability to work constructively and cooperatively in a team setting. Demonstrated ability to use basic engagement techniques and evidence-based counselling approaches. Demonstrated ability to work effectively with others in both group and one-on-one settings. Ability to apply professional ethics to the general work situation. Ability to establish and maintain effective collaborative and constructive liaisons/relationships with a variety of individuals and groups, including clients and families, MCFD, other agencies etc. and provide effective community referrals. Maintain timely and accurate documentation, confidentiality and duty to report practices. Prepare and deliver appropriate, clear and concise oral and written communication. Good organization, time and management skills. Ability to perform basic computer and Internet skills.
Conditions of Employment:

The hours of work are 37.5 hours per week Salary is inclusive of all overtime hours The first 6 months of employment constitute a probationary period, at the end of which a performance appraisal is conducted to determine the suitability of the employee for further employment. Must have clearance from the Authorization for Criminal Records Search prior to commencing employment. Must have Emergency First Aid certification. Follows the Code of Ethics, Mission Statement, and Policies and Procedures of The Victoria Youth Empowerment Society and abide by the relevant rules and reporting guidelines as set out by MCFD and other appropriate governing bodies. Must possess a valid driver's license and be in good driver standing as this position will require the use of your personal automobile in the performance of these duties.
Special Working Conditions:

This position is required to work in a stressful environment often dealing with youth and families in crisis situations. This position requires flexibility in work hours (day time to late afternoon). There is moderate exposure to undesirable environmental working conditions which may require certain safety precautions i.e. client aggression, exposure to client health issues, etc. Much of this position requires working collaboratively in an outreach and community-based capacity.
Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $27.50 per hour

Benefits:

Dental care Vision care
Application question(s):

Do you have a personal vehicle for use in this role?
Work Location: In person