Social Worker, Family Advocacy & Support Services

Children are at the front and centre of what we do; they are the foundation of our purpose and the basis for our evidence-driven strategy. Our mission is to transform the lives of children, youth and their families by developing and delivering innovative, research-based mental health and early learning programs. At the Child Development Institute (CDI), we are passionate about helping our communities’ most vulnerable members and their caregivers.

It motivates each of us to face difficult situations while continuously finding the purest joy in play, in silence, in advice, and in the unbelievable strength and resilience of our young clients. Joining us now is a rewarding opportunity to be part of an organization that is built on a legacy of more than 100 years of helping children and families.

Location:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Reporting to the Clinical Supervisor, we are seeking a compassionate Social Worker to join our Here to Help program. Consistent with trauma-informed models of group service, Here to Help is a twelve-week closed group, child witness program, offering mothers and children (ages 4 to 18) a safe and supportive space to share and process their thoughts and feelings related to past experiences of domestic violence.

Each week, group sessions include a family dinner, a family activity and age-appropriate groups for children and mothers. Children and youth will have an opportunity to explore their feelings, learn emotion regulation and understand that they are not alone in their experiences. Mothers have an opportunity in-group to focus on the unique aspects of parenting after abuse and learn strategies to support their children’s challenging thoughts, feelings and behaviours.

As a Registered Social Worker, you are looking for a place to channel your commitment to making a difference in the lives of mothers who have experienced trauma and their children. You want to leverage the expertise of a long-historied organization that operates at the cutting edge of evidence-based treatment for children, youth, and their families, a place where you will be supported in professional development and work-life balance.

Profound purpose. You want to take mothers, children, and youth along a healing journey, guiding them to connect through trauma-informed group sessions. You will play a critical role in developing a treatment plan. You want to be a calming and secure presence, someone who is a caring and steady champion for the well-being of vulnerable clients and parents.

Growth as a Social Worker and as a compassionate human. You want to expand your knowledge, skills, and impact following our evidence-based practices and proven processes. You will be part of in-house professional development opportunities, guided coaching and mentoring. Through cross-functional collaboration, you will gain insights through interactions with other Social Workers, Psychologists, and Child and Youth Workers. You will support practicum students if capacity demands.

• Foster a safe space. With parents and children as your primary client group, you will prioritize comfort and security, empowering your clients to build strong and nurturing relationships. You will work to help mothers process their trauma and more easily interact with their children and each other. You will work with children and youth to understand what they have witnessed or experienced and help repair any disconnection that may occur between caregivers and children after experiences of violence and abuse.
• Administer psycho-social assessments. You will lead intake sessions and closely partner with clients and the multidisciplinary team to develop a clinical formulation. You will gather and review assessments to create an informed, shared, multi-faceted treatment plan.
• Lead evidence-based and evidence-informed group therapy. You will actively lead and participate in the assessment and treatment planning process with clients, monitoring progress toward goals and modifying the treatment plan as indicated.
• Manage case files. You will ensure that service, including intake, assessment, transition and discharge planning, is delivered in a coordinated and timely fashion.
• Conduct ongoing assessments. You will administer child and parent evaluation measures at prescribed intervals and submit data for analysis to inform treatment planning. When identified, you will prioritize and address clinical risk, manage and implement safety plans and recommend referrals to appropriate community mental health treatment and support services.
• Complete reporting. You will comply with agency and accreditation standards, including report writing, treatment planning, participation in ongoing professional development and staff meetings. You will update information systems with accurate data and maintain agency records as required.
• Learn and share knowledge. You will actively participate in and make use of ongoing clinical…