Family Support Worker; Community Based

About Us

Connections for Families Society supports people with cognitive disabilities to make choices and decisions for their lives, including being successful parents. With the support of Connections, parents with cognitive disabilities work to maintain safe and nurturing homes. As a leader in parents' rights advocacy, Connections provides life-long in-home support and parenting skills education, financial coaching, group programs, counselling, and community resourcing to families in the greater Calgary area.

Connections is proud to offer a supportive, team-oriented work environment. We offer a competitive compensation package which also includes the following benefits:

• 100% employer paid, group health, dental, AD&D, & Life insurance coverage
• A health and lifestyle spending account
• Long-term disability coverage for permanent employees (employee paid to ensure benefits are non-taxable)
• 3 weeks' vacation to start, plus quarterly wellness days and Christmas holidays break
• A professional development day and reimbursement allowance
• A volunteer day to support an organization whose mission resonates with you
• Employee & Family Assistance Program, including enhanced mental well-being and stress management benefits

Reporting to the Team Lead, the Family Support Worker provides strengths-based support to families headed by a parent who has a cognitive disability (e.g., developmental disability, brain injury, or FASD), helping them to establish and maintain safe and nurturing homes for themselves and their families. Connections is committed to work/life balance by offering a flexible schedule that staff co-create in collaboration with their Team Lead.

• Maintain a caseload of clients/families with varying complexity in needs
• Build and manage trusting relationships with client families to provide parenting skills education and support in the clients' homes
• Support parents with self-advocacy, access to available supports, and access to benefits, in collaboration with our Financial Coaching program stream
• Help clients define goals and collaboratively develop a plan to reach those goals while building on their strengths and self-reliance to be successful parents

• Assess and monitor the safety of clients and their family members, facilitating access to appropriate community resources when needed
• Work with other agencies and government offices to help support what is in the best interest of the client and their family members
• Prepare reports and complete administrative tasks and related duties as required
• Collaborate with the Team Lead to develop a flexible work schedule, plan client visits, meetings and activities that meet the needs of clients and their families

• Professionally represent the agency in the community
• Actively participate in agency meetings and activities
• Participate in client events and programming, including occasional evening and weekend work
• Actively engage with team members in exchanging expertise, experiences, and best practices
• Communicate with clients, team members, agency, and other professionals in a timely and effective manner

• Post-secondary degree or diploma in social work, disability studies or a related field
• Experience working with individuals with cognitive disabilities
• Experience working with vulnerable populations
• Demonstrated alignment with a strengths-based practice, supporting the philosophy that all individuals have the right to learn how to parent while understanding that not everyone can be successful in a parenting role
• Experience and demonstrated comfort using technology and software, including MS 365, client management software, and cell phone applications, among others
• Demonstrated ability to treat client families in a manner that is respectful, welcoming and professional
• Demonstrated ability to conduct research, learn and adapt to respond to client needs
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively and independently within a flexible work arrangement

• This is a community-based position that involves meeting clients in their homes and at other locations in the greater Calgary area.
• Successful applicants may be asked to provide proof of qualifications
• A current Criminal Record check (including vulnerable sector screening) and Child Welfare Intervention Record check (checks conducted within the last 90 days of employment may be accepted at the agency's discretion)
• Current First Aid and CPR, or willingness to obtain certification within 30 days…