7 Relief/On-Call Child & Youth Counsellor/Advocate  

Embrave: Agency to End Violence (formerly known as Interim Place) is hiring! We embrace brave, inspire bravery, create systemic change to end gender-based violence in our community. We are a non-profit organization that provides shelter, counselling, and advocacy supports for women, two-spirit, genderqueer, trans and non-binary folks and their children impacted by gender-based violence. We amplify the voices of survivors, educate the community, and inspire systemic change to create a society free of violence. Embrave works within a feminist, anti-oppressive, anti-racist, disability justice, gender inclusion, sex workers, decolonizing and harm reduction framework.

We are looking for a seven (7) Relief/On-Call Child & Youth Counsellor/Advocates to join the in supporting survivors and their children living in the shelter. Supports provided are based on client needs and can include risk assessment, safety planning, counselling and emotional support, legal support, housing support, information & referrals, accompaniments, and advocacy. 

 What to Expect in the Child & Youth Role :

• Work from a critical, non-judgemental, and intersectional framework with the principles of the agency. 
• Provide timely services and thorough case management to all clients from a trauma-informed lens. 
• Provide respite supports. 
• Provide 1:1 counselling supports for children and youth. 
• Develop and facilitate child and youth programming to support social development, social justice awareness and enhance healing and coping skills. 
• Develop individualized supports and strategies that are appropriate for children/youth developmental stages and individual needs. 
• Support in-shelter parents and their children to strengthen family relationship through communication, conflict mediation, and supportive counselling. 
• Confident in crisis support, conflict resolution and de-escalation. 
• Keep accurate, detailed, and up-to-date case notes using the internal database system, and maintain confidentiality. 
• Conduct intakes, risk assessment, and safety planning. 
• Act as a source of information on issues, processes, systems, services, resources, and make referrals to appropriate and supportive services. 
• Co-facilitate support/educational/supportive programs and groups for children and their parent/guardian living in the shelter. 
• Provide accompaniments to legal, housing, Ontario Works, and other appointments as required to support clients and their children. 
• Liaise with schools, daycares, children’s services, and other community supports. 
• Adhere to all Health and Safety Policies and Procedures as outlined by the organization to minimize risks. 
• Perform other duties as assigned for the effective operation of the agency including supports with intake and crisis lines. 

About You:

• Understand the unique needs of children and families who have experienced violence. 
• Flexible, organized, and can manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment. 
• Comfortable working with children and youth. 
• Critical and intersectional knowledge of systems, issues, challenges, and barriers and understanding of anti-oppression, human rights, and social justice. 
• Strong advocacy skills. 
• Community and survivor centered. 
• Demonstrates empathy, self-awareness, values teamwork, and open communication. 

Qualifications

• Child and Youth Bachelors or equivalent with experience. 
• Two years relevant working experience 
• Demonstrated commitment to clients’ and their children’s issues and working within a Critical Race Feminist, Anti-Black Racism and Anti-Colonialism framework. 
• Experience working with clients in areas such as poverty, violence, and homelessness. 
• Knowledge and understanding of the systemic barriers experienced by clients and their intersectionality of oppressions i.e., Social Housing Reform Act; Mental Health Act; Landlord Tenant Act; O.W. Act, ODSP Act, etc. 
• Understanding Gender Based Violence (GBV) as a complex social problem and the intersectionality of sexism, racism, classism, colonialism, homophobia, transphobia, islamophobia, antisemitism, sanism, etc. on clients’ and their children’s lived experiences of violence. 
• Strong understanding of Anti-Oppression, Human Rights, and social justice. 
• Strong knowledge and experience with Harm Reduction Strategies. 
• Strong organizational and time management skills. 
• Professional communication skills; dedicated to team building and strong organizational and time management skills. 
• Ability to maintain confidentiality. 
• Current First Aid and CPR level C training is required. 
• 2nd language is an asset. 
• ASL is an asset. 
• Must meet clients at appointments and accompaniments and hold a G driver license and reliable car. 

Hours of Work:

On a relief, on-call basis

Salary: Hourly rate $21.48

Embrave: Agency to End Violence is committed to the development of an organization that reflects the\ communities it serves. We actively encourage applications from members of groups with historical and/or current barriers to equity, including:

We will provide employment accommodation (i.e., an accessible location, technical aids, accommodation during the interview, rescheduling of interviews that fall on religious holidays, etc.) if we are advised of an applicant’s needs in advance of any part of the selection process.

• First Nations, Métis or Inuit peoples, and all other Indigenous peoples. 
• Members of groups that commonly experience discrimination due to race, ancestry, colour, religion, spiritual beliefs or place of origin. 
• Persons of marginalized sexual orientations. 
• Persons with visible or invisible disabilities. 
• Survivors of the psychiatric system/consumer survivors. 
• Two-Spirit, genderqueer, trans and non-binary people. 

To Apply:

Please apply by sending a cover letter and current resume to Dawn Da Graca’s email: humanresources@embrave.ca by, March 31, 2024. Please include position applied for in your cover letter. 

We will provide employment accommodation if we are advised of an applicant’s needs in advance of any part of the selection process. 

Date of Posting: February 22, 2024 

Deadline: March 31, 2024 

Embrave: Agency to End Violence is a unionized workplace with OPSEU. This position is within the bargaining unit and as such the terms and conditions of employment are in accordance with the Collective Agreement.

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