Youth Case Worker

<p>We need a Youth Case Worker to support the Organization's efforts&nbsp;towards&nbsp;providing progressive support to LGBTQI2S youth in our Youth Services Centre and in our Transitional House in Downtown Toronto.&nbsp;You&rsquo;re&nbsp;a team player with critical thinking and&nbsp;problem-solving&nbsp;skills, who manages&nbsp;change effectively in an ever-changing environment.&nbsp;You have extensive experience as a Case Worker supporting marginalized individuals on a 1 on 1 basis, facilitating workshops, &amp; advocating for their needs.</p>

Toronto, ON

Friends of Ruby

Friends of Ruby (previously Egale Youth Services) was founded by Egale Canada in 2014 to meet the needs of LGBTQI2S youth in Toronto. To date, we have supported more than 900 youth, and prevented over 470 mental health crises and visits to hospital emergency rooms, saving nearly $300,000 in health care costs. At the Friends of Ruby's drop-in space, LGBTQI2S youth (16-29 years old) find meals, activities, support groups, and community. We offer barrier-free one-on-one counseling, support with gender identity and sexual orientation, and help to access housing, health care, and employment. http://friendsofruby.ca/

keywords: who we are,the opportunity,who you are,develop and maintain,coordinate and create,collaborate,facilitate and support,manage,liaise and advocate,ensure needs are met,support health protocols,education,knowledge and experience,further knowledge,conflict management,communication,additional requirements

Mid Level

Overview: <p><strong>Who we are</strong></p> <p>Friends of Ruby is a registered charity dedicated to the progressive well-being of LGBTQI2S youth through housing and social services. A trusted source of counselling and tangible solutions such as crisis intervention, warm meals and housing support. We offer multiple programs and support groups, including dedicated spaces for Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and Trans youth. Since 2014, Friends of Ruby&rsquo;s front line workers have met with and supported over 900 youth, averting almost 500 mental health crises.</p> <p>Friends of Ruby is a welcoming space for LGBTQI2S youth. We believe that every person is a gem - perfectly unique and precious - and we go above and beyond to ensure that the youth who come to our doors feel embraced, accepted and empowered with the social and wellness tools they need to thrive.</p> <p>This is a mission that is a genuine part of who we are as individuals and as an organization. If you are a member of the LGBTQI2S community and/or an active ally for equality, diversity, and the needs of our community&rsquo;s youth, please consider joining us as a Youth Case Worker.</p> <p><strong>Who you are</strong></p> <p>We are looking for&nbsp;a&nbsp;member of the LGBTQI2S community&nbsp;Case Worker to support the Organization's efforts&nbsp;towards&nbsp;providing progressive support to LGBTQI2S youth in our Youth Services Centre and in our Transitional House in Downtown Toronto.&nbsp;</p> <p>You&rsquo;re&nbsp;a team player with critical thinking and&nbsp;problem-solving&nbsp;skills, who manages&nbsp;change effectively in an ever-changing environment.&nbsp;You have extensive experience as a Case Worker supporting marginalized individuals on a 1 on 1 basis, facilitating workshops, advocating for their needs and making connections with internal and external resources.&nbsp;</p> <p>You&nbsp;appreciate&nbsp;an opportunity to collaborate and harness the&nbsp;knowledge&nbsp;of&nbsp;LGBTQI2S&nbsp;youth with&nbsp;lived&nbsp;experience&nbsp;of&nbsp;hardship,&nbsp;marginalization,&nbsp;homelessness,&nbsp;mental health challenges,&nbsp;with&nbsp;rich experiences and knowledge to offer.&nbsp;</p> <p>You&nbsp;have an understanding of&nbsp;substance use, mental health and harm reduction gained through direct experience working with marginalized individuals, providing support through an anti-oppressive,&nbsp;anti-racist,&nbsp;strengths-based, client-centred&nbsp;and trauma informed lens, preferably to LGBTQI2S youth.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>We&rsquo;re looking for someone who can work effectively with staff, participants, partner agencies and government agencies to address service inquiries, requests and/or complaints, apply verbal de-escalation and crisis prevention techniques in defusing potentially volatile situations.</p>
Responsibilities: <p><strong>What you will do</strong></p> <p><strong>Case Management&nbsp;</strong></p> <ul> <li>You will conduct initial and ongoing assessment of participant youth needs and revise the plan of care as required</li> <li>You will conduct intakes, service planning and discharge plans for all participants.</li> <li>You will support youth in all areas of community social need including housing, shelter, employment, education, welfare, medical issues, mental health issues, legal/financial assistance, immigration/refugees/newcomer support etc; advocating for adequate service, treatment models and resources &nbsp;</li> <li>You will manage the City of Toronto Shelter system for intake and discharge processes and ensure effective screening criteria is applied equally to all applications &nbsp;&nbsp;</li> <li>You will coordinate inter-disciplinary services for Friends of Ruby residents and services at the drop in making referrals based on appropriate match between youth&rsquo;s needs and available resources</li> <li>You will create, monitor and update specific housing plans for every participant, supporting each of them moving from transitional housing into suitable community setting</li> <li>You will work collaboratively with youth to address their full range of needs by establishing short-term and long-term intervention goals for each youth using strengths based, client centered, anti-oppressive, harm reduction, youth development approach &nbsp;</li> <li>You will facilitate groups and workshops on subjects such as housing, employment, social assistance, life skills, and system navigation &nbsp;</li> <li>You will develop a comprehensive participant discharge plan to address ongoing support needs, crisis contact information, and additional resources to support as required  &nbsp;</li> <li>You will recognize crisis&nbsp;and provide appropriate intervention as needed while avoiding power struggles and modeling effective problem solving and conflict negotiation skills</li> <li>You will ensure the facility and services adequately meet the physical, social and development needs of participants; and the protection of&nbsp;each individual&rsquo;s&nbsp;health, safety, comfort and well-&nbsp;being</li> <li>You will support the implementation of all the City of Toronto and Ministry of Health protocols towards COVID 19 measures and ensure protocols and guidelines are being&nbsp;followed</li> <li>You will develop and maintain professional and trusting relationships with youth that encourage positive social and emotional development.</li> <li>You will support participants who need to be re-housed to select, rent and move into the new housing with the assistance of support workers in the house, and you will maintain a Housing Locator inventory.</li> <li>You will work collaboratively with Residential Housing Workers, Drop In Support Workers and Clinical Counselors to ensure wrap-around supports for each youth.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Community Relations</strong></p> <ul> <li>You will lead and participate in consultation services and case conferences with service providers to discuss care plans and service needs &nbsp; &nbsp;</li> <li>You will advocate with referral agencies when appropriate to facilitate referral for identification of client needs</li> <li>You will seek opportunities to be involved in and contribute with partner agencies and community sectors</li> <li>You will connect with formal and informal supports, peer support, professional services, and resources to promote their recovery, improve their quality of life, and reduce the likelihood of relapse.</li> <li>You will attend Community Partner information sessions and external meetings and share takeaways with the team to ensure up-to-date best practices for the Case Management team</li> <li>You will research and connect youth to community resources and supports which recognize and can address the unique needs of youth identifying as part of the LGBTQ2IS community</li> </ul> <p><strong>Administrative</strong>&nbsp;</p> <ul> <li>You will maintain accurate clinical records related to caseload and statistical information within legal and ethical professional standards, ensuring confidentiality related to all activities and sensitive information &nbsp;</li> <li>You are comfortable adjusting your hours to meet the needs of the participants and operations of the House and the Drop In</li> <li>You will coordinate internal and external services for the participant and advocate on behalf of the participant to ensure the receipt of appropriate and timely services &nbsp;</li> <li>You will prepare metrics reports per Management&rsquo;s&nbsp;request</li> <li>Distribution of bus tickets and petty cash for participants needs according to agency policies and procedures.</li> <li>You will be assigned the crisis phone on a rotation.</li> <li>Provide spontaneous and operational support for participants at the drop-in center, which may include: addressing participants&rsquo; inquiries, conflict resolution, performing reception duties, supporting with food programming and more.</li> </ul>
Requirements: <p><strong>What you bring to the team</strong></p> <p><strong>The Experience</strong></p> <ul> <li>You have 2+ years experience providing case management to youth related to issues of homelessness, mental health, trauma, transitioning and/or coming out, substance use, family support, trauma, abuse, accessing legal/financial support, housing, employment and education &nbsp;</li> <li>You have 2+ years of experience in crisis support and intervention in shelter or housing settings </li> <li>You have experience working in a not-for-profit, LGBTQI2S community, social justice environment and/or housing/shelter</li> <li>You have the ability to manage conflict, crisis and escalating situations calmly and confidently&nbsp;</li> </ul> <p><strong>The Knowledge</strong></p> <ul> <li>You have knowledge of housing related resources, housing rights issues and the continuum of care for homeless persons &nbsp;</li> <li>You have knowledge of the city of Toronto&rsquo;s social housing and shelter programs, systems and intake software program will be considered an asset &nbsp;</li> <li>Knowledge and experience working with LGBTQI2S youth experiencing marginalization and under representation, racialized communities, newcomers/refugees/immigrant populations, indigenous youth and those living in poverty</li> <li>You have knowledge of the Mental Health Act, Residential Tenancies Act, community agencies, and relevant programs and services &nbsp;</li> <li>You have a demonstrated commitment to social justice, harm reduction, anti-racist and anti-oppression practices, and to strengths-based, trauma-informed, participant-centered practices.</li> <li>Excellent written and verbal communication and organizational skills.</li> <li>Demonstrated ability to work independently and within a team, to problem solve, and to remain flexible and able to adapt within a busy and changing environment.</li> </ul> <p><strong>The Education</strong></p> <ul> <li>You have a degree in Social Work, psychology, or a related program and/or an equivalent combination of education/experience in the social services sector</li> </ul> <p><strong>Additional requirements &nbsp;</strong></p> <ul> <li>Satisfactory clearance under the Vulnerable Sector Police Check Program &nbsp;</li> <li>Must be qualified to legally work in Canada &nbsp;</li> <li>Willing to work at a flexible schedule to accommodate the needs of the youth, working evenings and on occasion weekends, at both facilities in Downtown Toronto</li> <li>Ability to travel to other community-based settings as needed &nbsp;</li> </ul> <p><strong>Who is Ruby?</strong></p> <p>Ruby is a golden retriever, but she is not just any dog. She is a beloved friend and an empathetic listener. If she could, Ruby would tell you about the pain and angst the youth who visit her feel; how sometimes all it takes is a comforting paw and unbounded love to brighten their lives. Ruby would tell you that sometimes, it takes so much more than what she feels she can offer - real crisis intervention, mental health support, tokens for transit, and counselling. That&rsquo;s why Ruby has surrounded herself with a team of incredible people to help her friends.&nbsp;</p> <p>Our Front Line and in-office teams are made up of individuals who are truly dedicated to what we do, excited to be part of our restructuring and growth, and eager to see the impact of our work and the services we provide every day.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Are you ready to make an impact with us?</strong></p> <p>We foster an atmosphere of diversity, belonging, and compassion for others. We come together for staff meetings (remote or in-person), collaborate and support the ideas of others, and provide access to advancement opportunities within our existing and new groups and projects.</p> <p>We are committed to ensuring that members of traditionally marginalized groups, from a broad range of communities, feel empowered to apply for positions within the organization. We recognize that a diverse workforce and volunteer base are critical to accomplishing our mission, and encourage anyone who feels they meet at least 70% of the qualifications listed, to apply. We promise to consider your full potential and application. We understand that everyone is so much more than just the experience on your resume and we encourage participants to include a cover letter sharing your lived experiences to your level of comfort.</p> <p><strong>Statement on Employment Equity and Diversity</strong></p> <p>Friends of Ruby is dedicated to taking proactive steps to overcome historical patterns of discrimination in our society which have created barriers of race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, language, class, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression for some individuals and have resulted in the denial of their full participation in society.&nbsp;</p> <p>Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. If you require an accommodation (including alternate format materials, accessible meeting rooms or other accommodation), please let us know, and we will work with you to meet your needs.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Career Coaching and Job Seeker Resources</strong></p> <p>For candidate support with resume writing, job searching resources, interview tips, and additional support during the process, visit our recruitment partner TalentMinded's coaching portal, to book time with one of their coaches, for free! Visit their portal <a href="https://www.talentminded.ca/we-are-all-in-this-together-coaching">here</a>.</p>