Family Search Advocate

Family Search Advocate (Full-time)

Working with vulnerable youth and their families is more than just a job; it’s a calling!

Make a Difference as a Family Search Advocate at Durham Youth Services.

Are you driven by a passion to make a lasting impact on the lives of at-risk youth and their families?

At Durham Youth Services (DYS), we partner with youth to achieve and maintain lasting solutions to their housing crisis. Our Family Reconnect Program provides trauma-informed, client-centered, and community-based support designed to help at-risk youth reconnect with their estranged family and friends, build connections and establish emotional bonds. It involves using various methods, including DNA testing, to locate and establish meaningful connections for youth who wish to reconnect with family or friends, ensuring they have the support and resources to build these important relationships.

About the Role - You will Change Lives.

As a Family Search Advocate, you will play a crucial role in helping youth find their families, making initial contact, building connections and supporting the youth and their family contacts in establishing and strengthening their emotional bonds. Your role will be both challenging and rewarding as you guide and support youth through the process of reconnecting with their family and friends, ensuring they have the resources and support needed to achieve emotional stability and maintain those connections.

So, What Will You Actually Do:

• Utilize DNA testing to identify potential family connections, assess their viability, and facilitate reconnections. Ensure that the process is handled with sensitivity and respect for all parties involved.
• Utilize a variety of research techniques to locate family members and their contact information.
• Identify and assess potential family or friend connections for viability, safety, and accuracy, and negotiate meaningful emotional connections.
• Coordinate and facilitate meetings between youth and their estranged family or friends, ensuring consensual and safe communication.
• Create and manage client support networks by establishing realistic goals for reconnecting with family and community and offering counselling or crisis support when needed.
• Serve as a liaison between DYS and other community agencies, providing coordination and advocacy for high-risk youth seeking family or community connections.
• Leverage DYS mental health partners to connect youth to qualified mental health/psychotherapy supports to help them process and navigate the psychological and emotional journey of family reconnection.
• Address and resolve issues within established systems and develop creative new strategies for locating and connecting with estranged family and friends.
• Maintain comprehensive records and statistics necessary for accurate reporting and ensure timely and accurate documentation.
• Maintain and promote the highest standards of privacy and confidentiality throughout the process.
• Engage in ongoing education and development relevant to the role and participate in staff and program meetings as required.
• Represent DYS at sector tables and events, as appropriate.
• Participate in general staff meeting and program meetings as required.
• Perform other related duties as required.

At Durham Youth Services, the safety of our staff and clients is our top priority. As a member of our team, you will embrace and benefit from the following:

• Maintain an emotionally, mentally, and physically safe environment for the clients.
• Establish and maintain professional boundaries with clients, staff, students, volunteers, and other community agencies.
• Maintain client confidentiality in keeping with DYS policies and procedures.
• Trouble-shoot and problem-solve; crisis management, de-escalate crisis situations.
• Ensure that a personal safety and emergency plan are in place for each client.
• Follow all DYS and Public Health guidelines concerning the pandemic.
• Follow all DYS policies and procedures.

What Skills and Experience Will Make You Amazing At This Job:

• Strong mediation skills with a demonstrated track record in helping youth and parents reconnect and mediate family barriers.
• Must have “thick skin” and demonstrated competency in de-escalation. You will be contacting people who have not invited that connection, with extremely sensitive/personal information. You will be faced with a wide range of responses, ranging from disbelief to excitement/joy to anger/frustration. To succeed in this role, you must be highly skilled in managing sensitive communication with diplomacy and tact, and to maintain professionalism and compassion when faced with escalated responses.
• You have a “no stone unturned” tenacity and enjoy the challenge of researching until you have achieved your goal.
• This role will be connecting with potential family members outside of their working time. The position works 37.5 hours per week but will frequently require adjusting hours to work evenings/weekends, etc. to meet the needs of youth and the availability of family members. Flexibility with respect to work hours will be essential to success in this position.
• Completion of a college or university program in social work, child and youth care, psychology or other social science or health-related discipline.
• Minimum of two years of full-time work experience with homeless, at-risk, and/or vulnerable youth, including one year in an outreach-related position.
• Knowledgeable in the Family and Natural Supports approach/philosophy.
• Knowledgeable in harm reduction principles as well as how to work with persons who have concerns with substance abuse, mental health, or trauma.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively in a community and with a team of service providers.
• Knowledge of and sensitivity to the life experiences/needs of the youth community and a commitment to a youth-centred approach to this work.
• Demonstrated comfort and ability to work with clients in crisis, and able to de-escalate and manage aggressive behaviours.
• Strong crisis intervention skills.
• Current on new trends that pertain to our participants (addictions, mental health, services, etc.).
• Update any training as needed (CPR/First Aid, Health and Safety, CPI, etc.).
• Have access to your own vehicle to attend meetings in the community.
• Must have valid driver’s license and minimum two million dollars in insurance coverage.
• Demonstrate superior presentation and written communication skills.
• Be able to work well independently and as part of a team.
• Cultural competency skills, knowledge, experience, and awareness.
• Must have and maintain a clear criminal reference check.

Note: At DYS, we know that research shows that women and members of racialized communities respond to job postings only if they have a minimum of 90% of the stated qualifications. While it is critical that we find the right person for this complex role, we encourage applications of candidates with the following competencies, even if they don’t have every qualification stated on our “wish list” above!

What Competencies Will Make You an Amazing Fit at DYS:

• Job Knowledge
• Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills
• Client-Centric
• Time Management/Prioritization/Organization Skills
• Driving Execution
• Commitment to Quality/Continuous Improvement/Takes Initiative
• Non-judgmental; committed to diversity, inclusion, and equity
• Communicates Effectively
• Collaboration, Teamwork and Partnering
• Acts with Integrity, empathy and care
• Resilience and Adaptability
• Accountability

How to Apply:

If you are a compassionate and resilient case manager with a talent for building trust and making meaningful connections, we want to hear from you! Apply today to be a part of a team dedicated to helping at-risk youth reconnect with their families and communities.

Terms of Position:

This position is currently grant funded for 2 Years.

This position is hybrid-remote, for 37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday, with flexibility for evenings and weekends and potential local travel, for $48,067 per year.

This position comes with health insurance benefits after the completion of a three-month probation period.

This position is a part of the bargaining unit under LiUNA Local 3000.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $48,067.00 per year

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday
• Weekends as needed

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Ajax, ON L1S 2M6