Job Title: Community Resiliency Worker 

Program: Family Support Office 

Hours of Work: 0.5FTE (18.75 hours per week)
Salary: $ 26 / hr
Start Date: July 1, 2024 
Length of Contract: Up to 12 month contract 
Probationary Period: 3 months
Location: MFRS FSO, 13030 - 97 St., Edmonton, AB T5E 4C6

MFRS is committed to increasing diversity in our organization and inclusion in our organizational policies and practices. We continue to learn, unlearn, and expand on practices that will align our organizational culture with our principles.

Summary of Position and this Work:

This position is part of an innovative model of practice linking settlement to social inclusion. As part of a team, this position will provide holistic support to these families in the following areas: 

1. Responsive Family Support: The Broker will proactively build relationships with Senior participants and their family members, explore their needs and strengths, and in response, offer support to access services in a number of areas such as -  family wellness, mental health, health, language, finances, employment, education, housing and community programs.
2. Group Facilitation: The Broker will also facilitate mutual support between families in the community, guided by their needs, strengths and aspirations.  They will facilitate weekly sessions with the Seniors to help improve daily English proficiency as well as facilitate other workshops, topics and speakers as determined by the interests and needs of the participants. Weekly sessions will foster a sense of community between the participants to provide them with a network of peer support in their new home country. We hope this work provides all members of refugee families with a settlement process that meets their holistic needs and, in the long-term, enables them to live in Canada with maximum opportunities for a healthy, independent, and prosperous life. 

• Support with Food Insecurity: The Broker will also coordinate weekly trips to the food bank and with the help of volunteers, sort and create food hampers for the Senior participants at each weekly session. Food bank trips will focus on nutritional and culturally relevant staples that will supplement the participants regular groceries in order to enhance a healthy lifestyle and enhanced nutrition profile.

This position reports to the Family Support Office Director.

The position is primarily situated out of the Family Support Office which is a ‘community hub’. It is a place where families are served by the team to learn together, have joyful gatherings (family and community activities). 

What’s the Best Part of this Job?

The best part of this job is being part of a team to co-create a model to support refugee families with complex challenges and focus on their strengths in a human centered way. This work requires the person in this position to be relationship oriented and able to respond in a solution focused way. 

What can you expect to do as a Community Resiliency Worker?

• Connect and build trust with community members who have been referred to FSO 

• Support the families in identifying and addressing their strength and challenges as newcomers
• Work alongside families to create relevant “pathways” to achieve their full potential
• Assist the families in nurturing strong familial relationships as well as parent child relationships within a bi-cultural and intercultural context. 

• Offer specialized navigation and trauma-informed and responsive support services to participants and their families involved with complex systems (i.e. health, children’s services, legal needs)
• Advocate for the client with different stakeholders (government, community services, etc.) and in different forums 
• Bridge cultural distance and differences along with language gaps between families and other service providers
• Support families to develop and design their own strategies to meet their needs that build upon their strengths 
• Attend meetings and training sessions for staff development. 
• Report, document, and maintain client records/files as needed and assessing team members’ accuracy of record keeping and supporting their development in this area
• Regular planning, debriefing and follow up 

Knowledge:

• Direct experience working with refugee families with complex needs and strengths
• Training in or extensive knowledge of holistic family support and casework tied to refugee families with complex pre and post-migration reality
• Deep insight into the lived experience of vulnerable refugee families from Afghanistan or nearby regions
• Degree/diploma in the social sciences, social work or other human services field is an asset or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• Knowledge of diverse resources available to families both within the community as well as formal systems like health care, social services or children’s services
• Knowledge of how to facilitate group work in a community development approach, building upon their strengths and taking group members’ direction in programming
• Having training in First-Aid, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or pre-natal support would be an asset but is not required

Skills and Experience:

• Good oral and written English, Dari and Pashto skills. 
• Ability to build relationships with families from diverse areas and backgrounds, and use this as a starting point to identify their needs and strengths
• Ability to mentor others and team members in developing their skills and assets
• Refer families appropriately to caseworkers, services and/or supports 
• Able to use Microsoft Office and learn new computer programs for tracking work activities
• Strong interpersonal skills and a great team player.
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills

Personal Qualities:

• Openness and commitment to shifting one’s practice from “Broker or worker-led” to “family-driven” whereby support to the family is guided by the unique strengths and needs of the families
• Commitment to finding ways to working with others, both within the Family Support Office team and with other colleagues in the community services sector and formal services sectors (i.e. health, education, children’s services) 
• A desire to seek to understand others’ perspectives and respond in an appropriate and respectful manner
• Capacity to be aware of and manage one’s own reactions (including emotional triggers) to complex situations of families. 
• Thrives with changing and dynamic job duties that change from day to day and in settings outside of the office environment
• Passionate about supporting families new to the Canadian context, with self-directed and creative initiative to helping these families meet their full potential

Other:

• Have a valid driver’s license and a car for work.
• Have the ability to work flexible hours, including occasional evenings and weekends 
• Ability to lift up to 25 lbs
• Requires a police security check and child welfare check.

If you are interested:

Please submit your complete résumé to:  HR@mfrsedmonton.org 

We thank all applicants but only those shortlisted for an interview will be contacted. 

Please submit your application by June 21, 2024 at 11:59 PM MST.