Job Title: Relief Residential Child & Youth Worker
Start Date: as soon as possible
​Hourly wage: $25.00
Vacation: 4 weeks/year 8% pay on each pay
Office Location: Trail, BC and Castlegar, BC 
Communities Served: Regional (Trail, Nelson, Castlegar, & surrounding areas)

​Application Deadline: currently open
Send resume and cover letter to: 

 Freedom Quest’s Short-Term Stabilization residence, “Eagle House” and Long-Term Specialized residence, “Freedom House”, are home to up to 2 young people who may have multiple diagnoses, come from unstable family backgrounds, and may have been exposed to a range of risk factors including neglect, physical and sexual abuse, and prenatal exposure to drugs and/or alcohol. This 24/7 staffed home is a place where children/youth can find safety, stability, and care from a group of adults who are trauma and attachment-informed, culturally humble, actively engaged, strengths-based, client-centered, and motivated to support them in moving towards their self-identified goals.
 
When applicable, it is also a place where families can experience non-judgement and unconditional positive regard as they work to maintain a relationship with their young person and/or work towards reconnecting and rebuilding relationships that have been disrupted.

The Relief Residential Child & Youth Worker is responsible for the tasks below.

Worker/Youth Relationship Building

• Actively works to get to know each child/youth better and to gather information about their needs.
• Maintains transparency and honesty in their relationships with children/youth.
• Is available to children/youth – physically and mentally, for comfort and protection.
• Provides culturally safe and appropriate support to Indigenous youth and their families in alignment with Indigenous cultural core values such as trust, reciprocity, and respect.
• Has fun and embraces spontaneity when interacting with children/youth.
• Models secure attachment behaviours.
• Communicates the limits to confidentiality early in their relationship with each child/youth.
• Ensures healthy professional boundaries are maintained in their relationships with children/youth.
• Transports and accompanies children/youth to appointments and community outings.
• Creates opportunities for each child/youth to have choice in what is happening in their day-to-day lives.
• Whenever possible, eats meals with children/youth.
• Considers each child/youth’s biological age, developmental stage, and other factors when interacting with them.
• Finds/creates opportunities to say “yes” to children/youth in their day-to-day lives.
• Maintains care and unconditional positive regard when communicating boundaries, implementing consequences, de-escalating harmful behaviours, and when saying “no”.
• Promotes and makes available to children/youth the agency’s bi-annual client satisfaction survey.
• Provides updated information about child/youth needs to the Residence Coordinator on an ongoing basis and in a timely manner.

 
Safety, Cleanliness, Health, and Wellness

• Ensures the safety and well-being of each child/youth.
• Ensures that each child/youth’s physical needs are met by performing duties such as:
  • assisting with basic physical hygiene,
  • preparing meals,
  • administering medications (as required and in accordance with established policy, guidelines, procedures and instructions), and
  • cleaning the home.
• Alerts the Residence Coordinator about any home/workplace hazards and or damage.
• Organizes and maintains a clean work/home environment.
• Performs first aid as needed and in accordance with First Aid Certifications.
• Completes minor household repairs.

 
Care Plan Support

• Provides care to children/youth with mild to exceptional support needs, including children and youth with behavioural challenges, in alignment with each child/youth’s Care Plan.
• Strengthens each child/youth’s skills in a socially and culturally appropriate manner by establishing daily routines and activities in accordance with their individual Care Plan.
• Participates in children/youth’s Care Circle meetings, assessments, goal/strategy setting, and program planning to support the creation and maintenance of the Care Plan (where appropriate and as directed by the Residence Coordinator).
• Appropriately delivers or enables strategies established in child/youth’s SHSS Service Plan and Care Plan.
• Provides trauma-informed care (through behavior management, attachment-based, relational or other appropriate evidence informed modalities) to children/youth on a one-to-one and/or group basis in alignment with each child/youth’s individualized Care Plan.
• Provides emotional support and crisis intervention to children/youth, which may include non-violent physical interventions, in alignment with each child/youth’s Care Plan and in accordance with provided training.
• Communicates with team members around Care Plan progress to avoid unhelpful repetition and to thoughtfully “pick-up where others left off”.
• Makes use of evidence-based models such as Motivational Interviewing as children/youth move through the Stages of Change.
• Communicates, collaborates, and consults with supervisors if/when a Care Plan needs adjusting.

 
Recreation Participation

• Actively participates in lower and higher-risk recreation activities according to each child/youth’s individualized Care Plan.
• Follows the lead of the Residence Coordinator and/or Recreation Coordinator when engaged in high-risk activities such as canoeing or overnight camping.
• Plans and delivers low-risk recreation activities such as bowling, shopping, eating-out, birthday celebrations, etc.
• Has fun and expresses themselves authentically as they engage in recreation activities.

 
Community Collaboration

• Supports children’s and youth’s community inclusion (e.g. home, school, activities, family, the community).
• Maintains positive relationships with neighbours, visitors, and other community members.
• Fully collaborates with community partners, family members, the funder, and others according to agency policy and under the direction of the Residence Coordinator.
• Builds positive relationships with community partners (e.g., COINS, MCFD, CYMH, primary care providers, emergency care providers, treatment programs, Foundry, clinical counsellors, neighbours, school staff, etc.) to ensure children/youth have access to the resources they need.

 
Training and Competency Building

• Seeks out professional development opportunities.
• Actively seeks supervisor consultation in instances of confusion, uncertainty, and/or concern.
• Is open to constructive feedback and adjusts as needed.
• Fully engages in required training and integrates learnings into their work.
• Upholds a healthy workplace culture that promotes life-long learning, open communication, and constructive feedback.
• Notices when unhelpful workplace patterns are developing and promptly informs the Residence Coordinator or Residence Manager, as appropriate.

 
Administration & Other Duties

• Speaks and writes using a strength-based approach.
• Completes and maintains daily log sheets, Care Plan progress reports, and other documentation using plain language, free of personal judgment, and with an English Language proficiency that allows for clear communication.
• Understands and champions the standards set by CARF for youth residential services. Under the direction of the Residence Coordinator and the Residence Manager, ensures CARF standards and requirements are met resulting in ongoing successful 3-year accreditation of the programs.
• Attends required house meetings, supervision meetings, staff meetings, and agency functions.
• Understands and complies with all agency policies and procedures.

Knowledge Skills, and Abilities

Education/Experience

• A diploma or degree in child and youth care, social work, or related field or equivalent combination of education and experience (2-years combined total is REQUIRED).
• Two years of experience working in a residential setting (ASSET)
• Extensive experience working from client-centred, strengths-based, harm-reduction, attachment and trauma-informed approaches (ASSET)
• Specific training in attachment-based parenting, relationship-based interventions (Trauma-informed practice), behavioural modification, children under 12 years of age with support needs. (ASSET)
• Willingness to engage in life-long learning and self-reflexivity practices to understand Indigenous worldviews and the important role of culture in facilitating healing. (REQUIRED)
• Recognition that colonization continues to impact the health and wellness of Indigenous Peoples. This includes recognizing the role of trauma and offering trauma-informed care. (REQUIRED)
• Strong knowledge of trauma informed services and culturally safe practices. (ASSET)

 
Other Requirements

• MCFD Record Check (inclusive of Vulnerable Sector Criminal Record Check) (REQUIRED)
• Valid FoodSafe Certification (REQUIRED)
• Current First Aid and CPR Certification (REQUIRED)
• Valid Class V BC Driver’s License (REQUIRED, Class IV preferred)
• Clean Driver’s Abstract (REQUIRED)
• Driver Factor Report number lower than 1.5 (REQUIRED)
• Reliable Vehicle (REQUIRED)
• Valid ASIST Certification (ASSET)