Mission:          Empowering Teen Parents to Succeed

Vision:             Teen Parent Families Thrive and Enrich our Community

Job ID:             23-018

As a non-profit organization that has been serving pregnant and parenting teens in Edmonton for 50 years Terra is recognized for its leadership, innovation and collaboration.  Annually more than 1,000 young parents and their children benefit from a comprehensive range of services. Through the compassionate work of the staff, we help parents and children to develop and reach their full potential by recognizing and responding to their unique and individual needs. Terra staff are guided by the Code of Honour which supports, respects, and celebrates our families and staff (https://terracentre.ca/what-is-terra/careers/).  If you share our values and support our mission and vision, please consider joining our team. 

Job Overview:

Reporting to the Supervisor of Collaborative Services, the Starting Point Family Engagement Worker is a blended position supporting participants in the home visitation program and the program intake process. This position engages participants in exploring their own parenting style while building capacity to effectively meet the needs of their children and build healthy attachments. This is done through a goal-oriented case management programming model facilitated within the participant's home and in the community setting. This position is responsible for completing intake sessions and supporting the participant in connecting with the program that best fits their needs.

Job Conditions:

This is a full-time position working 35 hours/week primarily between 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, however, hours of work will vary based on the needs of the position and agency. This may include working 1 – 2 evenings each week and occasional weekends. The position will be working out of the Terra West office location (10320 146 Street).

Key responsibilities:

Ability to create a positive and welcoming experience and reputation at Terra for participants and external agencies by: 

• Representing Terra in the community and interagency functions as a positive ambassador and promoting the mission, vision, and values of Terra.
• Participate in community events and present on the work that occurs at Terra.
• Identify the needs and goals of families and refer/connect them to appropriate resources to support them in their parenting goals before they are assigned a Family Engagement Worker.
• Serve as a strong advocate on behalf of Terra and its young parents.
• Seek opportunities for collaboration and other methods of working cooperatively with other community agencies and partners to meet the needs of participants. 
• Develop and maintain an effective community referral network and resource base.

 Foster strong relationships within families by: 

• Provide ongoing support to children and families through home visits, telephone calls, and other support strategies.
• Assist families to connect with other relevant community services and build a strong connection with their community.
• Work with families to identify priorities and develop action steps to address those priorities in their individual and family lives.
• Advocate for families in crisis, assisting with problem-solving, communication skills, decision-making skills, and goal planning to increase their confidence in meeting the needs of their children and families.
• Coordinate referrals and assessments to other community resources for families who require further support. 

Ensures services align with program outcomes by capturing results and celebrating achievements for each family: 

• Maintain participant files in full compliance with policies and procedures.
• Acknowledge the attainment of participants' goals, milestones, and/or efforts toward their achievement. 
• Collect outcomes, measure data, and complete evaluation activities as required.

Ensures professional skills used to provide services and supports to participants reflect best practices by engaging in a process of continuous learning and professional development: 

• Adhere to Terra’s policies and procedures and to the professional code of ethics of applicable professional associations.
• Work to build an integrated service team and consult with the team as needed to ensure participant needs are addressed.
• Consult with the supervisor as needed to ensure participant needs are addressed. 
• Participate in ongoing professional development and the performance review process.
• Conduct interaction with participants in a professional manner, maintaining healthy professional boundaries in all participant interactions.

Qualifications:

Knowledge and Abilities: 

• Post-secondary diploma or degree in Human Services, Social Work, or Child and Youth Care Work
• Minimum of three (3) years’ direct experience working with adolescents in a community-based service or equivalent experience
• Understanding and knowledge of the issues young people face when pregnant and parenting
• Experience in public speaking, home visitation, case management, and group facilitation
• Ability to work with families from diverse cultural backgrounds and develop positive, effective, professional rapport and relationships with youth

Other requirements: 

• A valid driver’s license and a reliable vehicle with 2 million liability insurance
• Current clear Drivers Abstract
• Ability to work flexible hours
• Clear Criminal Record Check and Child Intervention Check that are dated within 90 Days of the start date
• Current Suicide Prevention/Intervention Training Certificate
• Current First Aid Certification

Core Behavioral Competencies

Terra values are core to the organization. We strive to hire individuals who possess these behavioral competencies at all levels of the organization.

• Personal Leadership:Practices inclusion, communicates openly and effectively, demonstrates self-awareness 
• Productive Relationships: Develops networks, collaborates, develops self and others
• Results Focus: Applies outcomes-based problem solving and systems thinking, demonstrates evidence-informed decision making 
• Service Excellence: Practices innovation, facilitates a culture of learning, demonstrates continuous improvement 
• Program Planning; design, plan, coordinate, facilitation of groups
• Finance; manage allocated financial resources for program delivery
• Communication skills; excellent both written and oral; evidenced in grant writing and reporting to funders
• Community Relations; well-developed engagement skills, strong networking

Intention Statement

Terra recognizes that it operates within a society and systems shaped by white supremacy and colonization and institutionalized discrimination and the exclusion, exploitation, and marginalization of Indigenous, Black, and people of color.

Terra strives to understand and be accountable for how white supremacy continues to impact its work at an organizational and systemic level and to address harm; implicit and explicit biases

Our intention is:

To build a foundation of awareness, knowledge, and skills to be an anti-racist organization. To respond to systemic racism that creates barriers and inequality in the workplace and in society. To be an organization that embeds the principles of equity and anti-oppression to everything it undertakes. 

Our goal is to actively promote diversity, equity, and inclusion through an antiracism lens through policies processes and practices.

Compensation: The starting salary for the position is $45,000 - $47,857 a year depending on experience and expertise. There is an opportunity for yearly increases in salary based on job performance. Upon completion of a probationary period, we offer a comprehensive, competitive, extended health benefits package including RRSP contribution. Staff have three weeks of vacation, and, in addition, the agency is closed between Christmas and New Years.

As a learning organization, Terra supports ongoing professional development among employees through formal training, informal mentoring, and personalized growth plans.  Terra is continuing to grow our programming and there are anticipated opportunities for further professional growth within the agency.