Child and Youth Care Worker (CYCW) Mentorship
Aurelia services the Indigenous communities to build internal capacity for the delivery of Child and Youth Care services. Blue sky Family Care (a sister Company) also specializes in care services that support children and families. Together they are invested in the development and growth CYCWs with this exciting rotational opportunity in Labrador.
For the past 8 years, Aurelia has been working with the Labrador Innu on an initiative to establish placement resources within the Innu communities of Sheshatshiu and Natuashish; placements that are Innu-led, Innu-run, meet CSSD standards for operating provincially licensed placements, and deliver care utilizing the Innu Care Approach to Child and Youth Care.
Sheshatshiu has successfully opened two Emergency Placement Homes and one Group Home, with a team of over 30 CYCWs working for their overseeing organization, Shushepeshipan Ishpitentamun Mitshuap Inc (SIM). These Innu CYCWs have completed extensive training, but as every experienced CYCW knows, training can show you the right path, but practical experience – especially that gained in the early stages of your career – goes a long way towards shaping the kind of CYCW you will become. For this reason, SIM, with the support of Aurelia and Blue Sky Family Care, is offering their team the opportunity to work closely with CYCW mentors for a period of 6 months.
We are very happy to invite you to join this initiative and to lend your CYCW skills and expertise in a coaching and mentoring capacity. Each mentor will be required to travel to Sheshatshiu to work in the community on a 21-day rotation (3 weeks in-community and 1 week at home) for a period of approximately 6 months. Premium pay, per diems and accommodations will be provided. Access to a vehicle will also be available.
This unforgettable experience will give you the opportunity to see first-hand the amazing people and breathtaking landscapes that make up the community of Sheshatshiu, and to experience the food, language, customs, and traditions unique to the Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation.
At the end of this six-month adventure, you will have an opportunity to further your career as a CYCW with Blue sky.
Personal Characteristics of the CYCW Mentor
The ideal CYCW for this partnership project is an experienced CYCW. They should be happy to act as a mentor and provide professional, and sometimes emotional, support to SIM’s Innu CYCWs. Experience working with Indigenous groups would be ideal, but not necessary. What is totally necessary is a willingness to participate in and self-reflect upon cross-culturalexchange, an open and non-judgmental curiosity about cultural differences, and an eagerness to participate in the project.
Responsibilities of the CYCW Mentor
The CYCW will be expected to work in the community of Sheshatshiu for a minimum of 21 consecutive days, and will be required to support the Innu CYCWs in adhering to all CSSD and SIM Inc. standards governing the operation of the homes and the provision of direct care. CYCW mentors will NOT provide direct care to children and youth living in the homes. Mentors will work a total of 120hrs in a coaching and mentoring capacity in the SIM Inc. Group Home. They will be expected to take a lead role while in the homes to guide the Innu CYC team through the more challenging aspects of service delivery, including (but not limited to):
- Modeling and coaching processes relating to intakes;
Modeling and coaching around connecting and engaging with youth, relationship-building skills, and use of teachable-moments;- Modeling and coaching relating to reporting and documentation standards;
- Assisting the Innu CYCW team in the practical application of policies and procedures;
- Modeling and coaching best-practice shift-change and debriefing processes;
- Engaging teams and individuals in program planning, troubleshooting, and execution;
- Engaging the Innu CYCWs in risk-management assessments;
- Engaging the Innu CYCWs in intervention planning and execution;
- Providing crisis management modeling and coaching, including the strategic use of active listening, de-escalation strategies, and the Life Space Interview (LSI).
Required qualifications and experience (equivalencies will be considered)
- Experience working with as a Child and Youth Care Worker with children and youth from trauma or with various complex needs;
- A Child and Youth Care certification, or degree or diploma is preferred;
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, Power Point, Teams, Planner) and the ability and motivation to learn new software/applications;
- Fluent in English, including very strong English writing skills;
- Successful completion of Therapeutic Crisis Intervention, ASIST, and First Aid;
- Possession of a valid Driver’s License;
- Possession of a satisfactory Code of Conduct and clear Vulnerable Sector Check/Child Protection Check or willingness to obtain.
It is considered an asset if you have any of the following additional qualifications and/or experience:
