Settlement Worker in Schools (SWIS)

Located in London, Ontario, the Cross Cultural Learner Centre (CCLC) provides settlement services and support to newcomers while promoting intercultural awareness and understanding. We are currently looking for a temporary Settlement Worker in Schools.

This is a full-time contract opportunity ending March 31, 2022.

The Settlement Workers in Schools (SWIS) Program is designed to provide consistent service delivery for newcomer families through local schools. The main objective of the program is to assist newcomer families to integrate into their school and community by providing information, settlement services, and referral to community agencies from their local school.

Reporting to the Manager of Community Connections and SWIS, the SWIS worker provides information and referrals through intake assessment and providing individual and group support to newcomer families, and youth accessing the school system to ensure their integration in the school and community. The SWIS worker bridges the gap between the newcomers, school, library and the community.

Roles Responsibilities

Direct Services to Clients (60%):

· Adopts a coordinated case management approach in providing direct services for newcomer students and their families

· Conduct needs assessments to identify immediate and long-term settlement needs

· Provides services to school personnel and to clients in a supportive and culturally sensitive and linguistically appropriate manner

· Participates in the school reception and orientation process for newcomer youth and their families

· Conduct information and orientation sessions for newcomers about life in Canada, culture, laws, etc.

· Informs and orients families and youth about settlement related issues

· Facilitates access to school activities, committees, councils and associations

· Facilitates and or assists in workshops to increase newcomers’ understanding of the educational system and parenting issues in a Canadian context

· Provides orientation sessions on programs and services available in the school, CCLC, and the community

· Facilitates referrals and access to available resources in the community, social services, professional services and government programs

· Enables families to advocate on their own behalf, including for the educational needs of their children

· Advocates on client’s behalf when appropriate

· Proactively provides outreach services to new families and youth to provide settlement services in schools

· Organizes and provide other support groups as needed

School and Community Partnership Development (15%):

· Meets regularly with school stakeholders to strengthen partnership

· Facilitates constructive and culturally sensitive communication between the school staff and the newcomer students and their families

· Informs and orients staff about settlement related issues

· Conducts research and identifies community resources

Other Duties (25%):

· Participates actively in all mandated training, staff meetings and workshops

· Maintains and submits accurate tracking documents and monthly reporting updates to the manager

· Maintains appropriate database records and files pertaining to settlement services provided to clients

· Ensures appropriate and confidential handling of all client information and files

· Operates in accordance with the policies, guidelines, and protocols of the program and partner organizations

· Operates in accordance with policies and protocols of the Thames Valley District School Board, the London Catholic District School Board and Citizenship

· Accepts responsibility for the safety and storage of all CCLC equipment

· Accepts other duties as assigned

Qualifications

· Minimum of one year of experience working with newcomer families providing outreach to clients and community organizations and working in partnerships with other community agencies/programs.

· Minimum Community College level education in Social Services or related field

· Ability to communicate effectively both in individual and in group settings

· Ability to develop partnerships and collaborative relationships across different stakeholders

· Proficiency in MS Office (Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint)

· Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing

· Ability to stay organized and prioritize work in a high volume, deadline-oriented environment

· Ability to work with individuals and groups from diverse cultural backgrounds and commitment to inclusion

· Ability to work independently with minimum supervision

· Ability to travel and work remotely at off-site locations that may not be on a bus route

· Ability to complete a satisfactory Vulnerable Persons Police Check

· Flexibility and adaptability in meeting client needs

· Ability and means to visit multiple schools in a day

· Second language is an asset

CCLC acknowledges the history of the Indigenous territory and lands of the Attawandaran (Neutral) where our Centre stands. The Attawandaran peoples once settled in this region alongside the Algonquin and Haudenosaunee peoples, and used the land as traditional beaver hunting grounds.

CCLC celebrates diversity and is committed to inclusivity and employment equity. We welcome applications from all qualified individuals including women, visible minorities, Aboriginal persons, persons with disabilities and LGBTQ persons.

Application Deadline: 2021-05-24

Job Types: Temporary, Contract

Salary: $24.54 per hour

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Experience:

• social services: 1 year (preferred)

Language:

• Arabic or Kurdish (preferred)

Work remotely:

• Temporarily due to COVID-19