PCAS24-070- Child Protection Worker- Flex- Assessment & Ongoing (Youth Success- Early Help & Prevention Team) – Regular Complement

At Peel CAS, our mission is to protect children and strengthen families & communities through partnership. We are currently seeking the following professional to join our team:

Job Title: Child Protection Worker - Flex - Assessment & Ongoing
Department:  Youth Success and Innovation 
Location: Peel CAS, 25 Capston Dr. Mississauga, Ontario
Application Deadline: November 1, 2024
Salary Grade: 9 Union ($73,483 - $94,657)

Summary of Duties & Responsibilities:

​Reporting to the Youth Success- Early Help & Prevention, Supervisor, the Child Protection Worker provides for the protection of children as defined by the Child, Youth & Family Services Act.  The primary focus is on parent and adolescent conflict situations, and community partnerships. The primary responsibilities include conducting protection assessments, safety planning, developing objectives, and implementing service plans for children and their families.

The flex role requires the worker to assess cases that meet eligibility for service, determine whether a child needs protection with a primary focus on parent and adolescent/child conflict situations, safety planning and collaboration with internal and community partnerships to provide early help & and prevention support.  The protection worker will determine the most effective ways to respond to situations by selecting the forensic investigation, Community Links or the early help, early intervention, and prevention approaches through Other Child Welfare cases (OCW).  The role would involve preparation of investigation plan where necessary; taking emergency action were indicated to protect a child; referring the child to either another branch within the agency or an outside agency, or closing the case, while ensuring that everything is completed within the Standard time frames.  The case management includes the completion of all necessary documentation and records, as per agency and Ministry standards/guidelines. This position will be assigned cases in line with the Advice & Assessment duty roster and the Youth Success case assignment process.

The Ongoing protection responsibilities include assessing risk, wellbeing, and planning for permanency through effective collaboration with families, internal agency, and community partners. It will also require the flexibility to undertake ongoing case management responsibilities to support the service level requirements of the Youth Success- Early Help & Prevention team. As such, the successful candidate is required to assess and develop Outcome Plans on cases that meet eligibility for Ongoing services, follow the legislation and Ministry Standards and use the agency’s Practice Framework, which imbeds the Signs of Safety and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion practices. Perform other duties as required to support, strengthen, and empower and facilitate capacity building with families, youth and children towards meaningful connections and permanency. Will work in collaboration with the supervisor, the other Youth Success and Children Looked After teams to help achieve the Youth Success Strategy.

This position supports and contributes to the agency’s vision, mission, and values. All practice approaches are imbedded in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, anti-racism and Truth and Reconciliation strategies. It involves working towards successful outcomes for children, youth and families and recognizing the history of over-representation and disparity of service. 

Key Aspects of the Positions 

• Assess and Investigate cases that meet eligibility for service.
• Where reports indicate that children are possibly in need of protection, immediately conduct further investigations both individually and/or jointly with other agencies. This entails developing investigation plans, assessing risk to children and safety of workers and assessing reliability of information through collaboration with parents, children, schools, police, family support networks. etc.
• Refer to the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, agency policies, and standards of service to determine eligibility for service and whether ongoing child protection or Ongoing Other Child Welfare services are required.
• Where CAS services are not required, (or are not appropriate) the worker may refer the family to other agencies/programs within the community.

• Carry out case plans with caregivers, including foster parents and kinship providers and the child(ren) and youth to meet their emotional, social, and developmental needs.
• Ensure that all necessary documentation and recordings are initiated and carried out accurately during all phases of a case and are completed within required timeframes.
• Where necessary, assess the eligibility for, consult on and process VYSA according to the Policy Directive and internal procedures.

Qualifications:

• BSW or MSW degree from a recognized university and at least one year of related experience in a child protection role. 

OR

• A Bachelor’s Degree from a recognized university in a related field, and at least one year of related experience in a child protection related role.

• A class "G" driver's license and daily access to a vehicle are required.

Required Knowledge & Experience:

• Solid understanding of the exploration of permanency options for children brought to a place of safety.
• Knowledge of ongoing and child in care issues with an emphasis on youth
• Knowledge of investigation, ongoing services, and child in care and kinship standards.
• Solid skills in child welfare case management
• Functional understanding of Early Help & Prevention approaches and practices in child protection
• Strong Signs of Safety practice lens regarding building the networks, case trajectories, and safety planning
• Knowledge & skills in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
• Superior skills and experience in clinical assessment, counseling, and crisis intervention
• Effective verbal and written communication skills, particularly with recordings and reports
• Operational computer skills

Hours of work:

• 9 am-5 pm, Monday to Friday
• Working hours may vary and applicants must be flexible to work outside of standard office hours.

What We Offer:

•  Competitive salary and a generous compensation and benefits package
• Health and dental package including a health care spending account.
•  Flexible options for hybrid remote work
•  Short and Long-term Disability Plan
•  Employee Assistance Plan
•  Life Insurance Plan
•  Interactive Employee Wellness Programs
•  4 weeks paid vacation annually alongside 5 personal days
•  Extensive Training & Development opportunities
•  Introductory Webinars (WHMIS, AODA, Health and Safety)
•  Generous Pension Plan through OMERS (part-time and full-time employees are entitled to enroll)
•  Onsite Gym
•  Staff Lounge 

Child welfare is a rewarding career option that enables caring individuals to support the community and make a positive difference in the lives of children, youth, and families. As one of the largest CAS’s in the province, we are proud of our ongoing innovation and leadership throughout the sector. Seeing well over 10,000 families a year, Peel CAS has the lowest number of children and youth in care per capita across Canada. 99% of the work we do is with children, youth, and families in their own homes. We are also home to the Child Welfare Immigration Centre of Excellence (CWICE) which is the centralized service in Ontario that supports child welfare organizations on cases involving unresolved immigration, settlement, or border-related issues. In addition, Peel CAS offers extensive programming dedicated to youth success through our Trailblazers Youth Centre, developed and led by youth to access exceptional services and supports to thrive, belong, build life-long connections and position themselves as leaders. 

As an equal opportunity employer, we value Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and Truth and Reconciliation. We are grateful that our workplace diversity is representative of the communities that we serve and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where all employees feel like they belong. Should you require accommodation during the recruitment and selection process please contact us at tkhaira@peelcas.org  

Peel Children's Aid Society is committed to diversity in the workplace and is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Should you require accommodation during the recruitment and selection process, please inform People & Culture so that we can ensure your equal participation in this process. We are aware of a scam claiming to offer employment on behalf of Peel CAS. Please note that we only contact individuals who have applied for positions posted on our website, and always conduct interviews with selected candidates. We do not contact prospective candidates via text message. Learn more about employment scams.