Company:
Cedar Child & Family Services
Details:
Located on the traditional territories of the Lkwungen people, Surrounded by Cedar Child & Family Services (SCCFS) strives to provide child and family services strongly rooted in Indigenous cultural values and world views while ensuring urban Indigenous children and youth grow up connected to family, community and culture. As an urban Delegated Agency, SCCFS supports the empowerment of the urban Indigenous community to continue the reclamation of traditional systems of caring for and protecting children so no child or youth will be placed into care.
Surrounded by Cedar receives its delegation through the Provincial Director of Child Welfare, who gives the agency the authority to undertake administration of parts of the Child, Family and Community Service Act (CFCSA). Under its current delegation agreement, Surrounded by Cedar can administer C4 services (Guardianship).
SCCFS strives to be a culturally safe employer, with a keen focus on Indigenous recruitment and retention. While working at the agency, employees will be involved in various cultural knowledge sharing opportunities, activities and ceremonies, while being actively engaged in urban Indigenous community events.
Purpose:
Surrounded by Cedar Child & Family Services (SCCFS) believes in healthy children and youth growing up connected to their families, communities and culture. SCCFS believes that all Indigenous children and youth have the right to step foot on the traditional territories of their ancestors, to understand their ancestors’ connection to those lands, and to connect to their ancestors’ stories of those lands.
The Cultural Continuity Worker will work alongside the Guardianship & Permanency Planning Team and the Lifelong Connections Worker to identify children and youth to visit their traditional territories, connect directly with the child/youth’s Nations, plan for travel to the community, and then accompany those children/youth, along with caregivers, to those territories. The Cultural Continuity Worker will assist in gathering relevant and culturally appropriate information for the child/youth’s Care Plan and will gather language resources that can be shared in the child/youth’s foster home.
Outside of travel, the Cultural Continuity Worker will provide one-to-one support in the child/youth’s foster home to ensure that meaningful cultural connection is taking place within the home and that the caregiver is appropriately connected to the child’s Nation.
Connection and travel duties include:
• Determine the Nation(s) that urban Indigenous children and youth in the care of SCCFS are connected to through discussions with the child’s Guardianship & Permanency Planning Social Worker, birth family members, Nations, caregivers, and through file reviews;
• Connect with the child/youth’s Nation(s) to involve them in planning for the child/youth and to make arrangements for a visit to the child/youth’s traditional territories;
• In coordination with the agency’s administrative team, arrange for travel with the child/youth, his/her caregiver(s), and others to the child’s traditional territories;
• Accompany the child/youth, his/her caregiver(s), and others to the child/youth’s traditional territories and provide direct supervision to the child/youth for the duration of the travel;
• Obtain cultural resources that support the development of a positive self-identity, including language resources, specific to the child’s Nation(s), that can be utilized/accessed within the child/youth’s foster home;
• Involve the child/youth’s foster parent in all arrangements to travel to the child/youth’s Nation and encourage the foster parent to attend this travel;
• Participate in Care Plan meetings to contribute to meaningful cultural planning for the child/youth;
• Facilitate the completion of Cultural Safety Agreements between Nation(s) and caregivers;
• Identify local resources that can be accessed by the child/youth and his/her caregiver to support positive cultural identity development.
In-home support duties include:
• Provide one to one cultural support within the child/youth’s foster home to assist with positive cultural identity development;
• Identify cultural resources that can be accessed by the child/youth and his/her caregiver within the foster home;
•Identify support people within the child/youth’s Nation(s) who can be accessed by the child/youth and his/her caregiver to maintain an ongoing and meaningful connection to the child/youth’s traditional territories and introduce these support people to the child/youth and his/her caregiver;
• Identify local cultural knowledge keepers who may act as cultural mentors for the child/youth and his/her caregiver and facilitate a connection between the child/youth, his/her caregiver and the mentors;
• Notify the child/youth’s Guardianship & Permanency Planning Social Worker of issues that may arise which would prevent or interfere with positive cultural identity development.
Financial duties include:
• Obtain approvals and required signatures for all spending;
• Track receipts for all spending on company credit cards;
Other duties include:
• Prepare written reports for the child/youth’s file that document connections made with the child/youth’s Nation(s), appropriate contact people, and all cultural resources provided to the child/youth;
• Prepare case notes for all in-home support provided within the foster home;
• Maintain and submit quarterly statistics to the Team Leader on work completed;
• Prepare closing summaries to be filed on the child/youth’s child service file;
• Participate in staff and/or department meetings as required;
• Additional duties as required.
Qualifications & Experience:
QUALIFICATIONS:
Education, Training and Experience:
Diploma in Health and Human Services, Sociology, or related field.
2-3 years’ experience working with or within an Indigenous community.
Experience working with children, youth and families experiencing multiple barriers (multiple placements, homelessness, poverty, addiction, mental health, trauma etc.).
Training and experience in culturally based healing and wellness models for Indigenous peoples.
Current B.C. Class 5 Driver’s license, satisfactory driver’s abstract, adequate vehicle insurance including business coverage and access to a safe reliable vehicle.
Clear criminal records check.
Ability and willingness to travel extensively
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
Deep understanding of the history of Indigenous people in Canada and the impact of historical trauma.
Experience working in an Indigenous not-for-profit organization while demonstrating a strong knowledge regarding the impact of colonialism within Indigenous communities.
Ability to build and maintain trusting relationships with children/youth, caregivers and families.
Demonstrates respect, care and compassion free of judgement.
Ability to work collaboratively with co-workers, knowledge keepers, children/youth and their families, and various Indigenous Nations and Communities.
Models and/or mentors positive cultural influence, knowledge and ways of being.
Knowledge of child welfare systems.
Ability to research cultural information and develop tools to support the building of a child/youth’s cultural identity.
Well-developed written and verbal communication skills.
Skilled at mediation with the ability to de-escalate challenging situations using traditional and mainstream approaches.
Strong planning skills.
Intermediate computer skills including MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint).
Well organized and proactive with strong time management skills. Ability to adapt to changing priorities.
Ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality.
Ability to work independently as well as working within a collaborative team framework.
Willingness to continue learning Indigenous culture and teachings.
Respect for Indigenous people and culture.