ABOUT US

Strides Toronto is a multi-service agency providing a wide range of exceptional programs and services that improve the mental, social and physical health of infants, children and youth from the pre-natal stage to age 29, and their families. With a range of community, Live-In, and treatment services, we build strength and resilience through equitable, accessible, client-driven services, system leadership and advocacy. We provide individual, group and family interventions that include mental health counselling, autism services, education, outreach and referral, early intervention, day treatment and community support. In its Lead Agency role, Strides Toronto collaborates with 24 publicly funded infant, child and youth mental health (ICYMH) core service providers to design and implement system-level improvements that promote access, responsive service delivery and experience, and positive mental health outcomes for young people and families across Toronto’s diverse communities. To learn more about who we are and what we do, we invite you to visit our website at www.stridestoronto.ca

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Day Treatment Child and Youth Worker is a casual position that supports the classroom teacher in helping clients to engage in the academic and therapeutic components of the program.
Salary range: $31.87 to $37.11 per hour
This position is represented by OPSEU local 567.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Organize and schedule primary sessions with clients.
• Discuss the purpose of entering the program, goal-setting, and identify needs of the client.
• Facilitate daily treatment / life skills groups.
• Provide treatment based skills coaching from a DBT framework.
• Document daily expectations (i.e. Attendance taking (daily), Behaviour tracking sheets, Daily Logs, Diary cards, Attendance/ behaviour contracts).
• Create and document Safety plans (sometimes as part of a multi-disciplinary team) to help keep client safe in a crisis.
• Provide a wide range of therapeutic interventions from supporting clients to engage in academics (reminders, redirections), to managing defiance and mental health / emotional crises.
• Be a main point of contact for parents/families, treatment team and community partners.
• Occasionally organize community outings, support clients in the community/homes, and accompany to appointments/hospital.
• Collaborate with colleagues/community partners to access other services to meet client needs.
• Provide training and supervision to college students (usually 3rd year) in the Child and Youth care program, to allow them to attain field training in the classroom environment and gain hands on experience to allow them to enter the workforce.

The following education, professional memberships and knowledge are a requirement for this role:

• College diploma in Child and Youth work (CYW) or Child and Youth Care (CYC)
• Minimum 2 years relevant experience.
• Knowledge of behaviour management principles and crisis management skills.
• Knowledge and experience facilitating mental health groups.
• Experience and knowledge of connecting to youth and building strong therapeutic relationships
• Experience working in a school environment
• Awareness of the role of inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA) in the workplace and within the community being served by the position.
• An understanding of anti-black racism, anti-oppressive/anti-racism perspective in the context of the social determinants of health.
• Ability to recognize and identify situations where incidents of imbalance of power and privilege may occur and can result in possible negative impacts