Family, Kin, and Community Support Worker

Company: Nimkee Nupigawagan Healing Centre

Family, Kinship & Community Support Worker

Position Summary

The Family, Kinship & Community Support Worker works collaboratively with youth and young adults participating in Nimkee Nupigawagan Healing Centre’s residential healing programs to strengthen the relationships and support systems that surround them.

Recognizing that “family” may include parents, grandparents, siblings, aunties, uncles, extended family, customary caregivers, chosen family, Elders, mentors, and other trusted community supports, this position takes an inclusive and youth-centred approach to connection and healing.

The role supports young people in identifying who is important to them, strengthening healthy relationships, improving communication, rebuilding trust where appropriate, and preparing for successful transitions back to family and community. The Family, Kinship & Community Support Worker also helps families and support persons better understand the young person’s healing journey and how they can contribute to ongoing wellness and recovery.

This position works closely with Nimkee’s counselling, residential, cultural, education, clinical, and crisis-response teams, including the EAGLE Crisis Team, to provide coordinated, culturally grounded, trauma-informed support.

The goal is to help ensure that healing continues beyond a young person’s stay at Nimkee by strengthening the people, relationships, culture, and community supports that will remain part of their life.

Key Responsibilities

Youth, Family and Kinship Engagement

· Build respectful, trusting relationships with youth and young adults participating in Nimkee programming.

· Work with each young person to identify significant family members, extended kin, caregivers, Elders, mentors, and other natural supports.

· Support youth in determining who they would like involved in their treatment and healing journey, within appropriate consent and confidentiality requirements.

· Facilitate contact and relationship-building through telephone, virtual meetings, in-person visits, family sessions, and community outreach.

· Support reconciliation and relationship repair where appropriate and safe.

· Help youth and families establish healthy boundaries and realistic expectations.

Communication and Relationship Support

· Facilitate discussions between youth and their families, caregivers, or support persons.

· Teach and model healthy communication, active listening, conflict resolution, problem-solving, and emotional regulation.

· Help families navigate difficult conversations in a respectful and constructive manner.

· Support young people in expressing their needs, concerns, goals, and boundaries.

· Help family and support persons understand how communication patterns can influence healing and recovery.

Family and Support Planning

· Develop individualized family, kinship, and community support plans in collaboration with the young person and treatment team.

· Identify relationship strengths, barriers, risks, and areas requiring further support.

· Work with families and support persons to identify practical strategies they can use to support the young person during and following treatment.

· Assist with preparation for home visits, community visits, and discharge.

· Help establish a reliable circle of support that can remain involved after formal treatment ends.

Family Education

· Provide education and resources related to:

- substance use and recovery;

- mental health and wellness;

- trauma and trauma-informed approaches;

- adolescent and young adult development;

- communication and healthy relationships;

- grief and loss;

- relapse prevention;

- healthy boundaries;

- caregiver wellness and burnout;

- crisis awareness and safety planning.

· Help families understand treatment goals and the importance of supporting change after the youth returns home.

Cultural and Community Reconnection

· Work collaboratively with Cultural Staff, Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and community partners to support cultural connection.

· Encourage opportunities for youth to reconnect with language, land, ceremony, traditional teachings, extended kinship networks, and community.

· Help youth identify culturally meaningful supports that can continue after discharge.

· Support families in incorporating culture and identity into everyday healing and wellness.

· Recognize and respect the diversity of First Nations families, communities, traditions, and ways of knowing.

Community Liaison and Systems Navigation

· Establish and maintain relationships with home communities and relevant service providers.

· Assist youth and families in accessing appropriate community supports, including:

- mental health and addictions services;

- schools and educational supports;

- primary health care;

- child and family services;

- housing and income supports;

- recreation and youth programming;

- cultural programs;

- Jordan’s Principle services;

- justice and probation supports where applicable;

- other community-based resources.

· Advocate for youth and families where appropriate.

· Help ensure referrals and supports are in place prior to discharge whenever possible.

Transition and Aftercare Support

· Participate in discharge and transition planning from the beginning of treatment.

· Work with the youth, family, treatment team, and community to identify potential challenges before the youth returns home.

· Support the development of realistic aftercare, safety, and wellness plans.

· Facilitate warm connections with community-based supports.

· Provide follow-up support as outlined within Nimkee’s aftercare model.

· Assist youth and families in re-engaging with services if challenges emerge following discharge.

EAGLE Crisis Team Collaboration

· Work collaboratively with Nimkee’s EAGLE Crisis Team when youth, families, or communities are experiencing crisis.

· Assist with family and collateral communication during crisis situations.

· Support information gathering and identification of natural supports.

· Participate in safety and crisis planning within the scope of the position.

· Help families understand crisis-response plans and available supports.

· Provide follow-up and relationship support following a crisis.

· Participate in coordinated responses with internal and external service providers as required.

Interdisciplinary Team Responsibilities

· Participate in case conferences, treatment planning meetings, discharge planning, and other interdisciplinary discussions.

· Maintain regular communication with counsellors, residential staff, Cultural Staff, education staff, clinical staff, and leadership.

· Bring family, kinship, and community perspectives into treatment planning.

· Share relevant information appropriately and in accordance with confidentiality and consent requirements.

· Contribute to a coordinated, team-based approach to youth care

Documentation and Administration

· Maintain accurate and timely case notes, family contact records, referrals, support plans, and other required documentation.

· Document virtual, telephone, community, and in-person contacts appropriately.

· Prepare reports, summaries, and updates as required.

· Maintain confidentiality and follow organizational privacy, documentation, and information-sharing policies.

· Track referrals, family involvement, community contacts, and follow-up activities.

· Demonstrate strong organizational, administrative, and time-management skills.

Qualifications

The successful candidate will have:

· A diploma or degree in Social Work, Child and Youth Care, Social Service Work, Indigenous Studies, Community Development, Addictions and Mental Health, or a related human-services field.

· Relevant experience working with youth, young adults, families, and First Nations communities.

· Demonstrated understanding of family systems, kinship networks, community supports, and relationship-based practice.

· Knowledge of substance use, mental health, trauma, youth development, and recovery.

· Experience facilitating difficult conversations and supporting conflict resolution.

· Strong interpersonal, communication, facilitation, and relationship-building skills.

· Ability to work effectively with individuals from diverse family structures and backgrounds.

· Strong administrative, documentation, charting, and report-writing skills.

· Ability to work both independently and as part of an interdisciplinary team.

· Demonstrated cultural competency and commitment to culturally safe practice.

· Valid driver's licence and ability to travel as required.

· Ability to participate in community, cultural, recreational, and land-based activities.

Preferred Qualifications and Assets

The following would be considered assets:

· First Nations ancestry and/or strong knowledge of First Nations communities, culture, histories, and contemporary realities.

· Experience working in residential treatment, addictions, mental health, child welfare, crisis response, or community-based services.

· Experience working with Elders, Knowledge Keepers, Cultural Staff, and First Nations leadership.

· Training in trauma-informed practice, motivational interviewing, family systems, crisis intervention, suicide prevention, or restorative approaches.

· Knowledge of an Indigenous language.

· Experience with family programming, group facilitation, aftercare, or community outreach.

Key Competencies

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

· Compassion and empathy

· Cultural humility

· Strong professional boundaries

· Excellent communication skills

· Conflict-resolution ability

· Sound judgment

· Emotional maturity

· Reliability and professionalism

· Strong documentation practices

· Flexibility and adaptability

· Ability to build trust with youth and families

· Ability to work calmly in complex or emotionally charged situations

· Respect for confidentiality, consent, and youth voice

Cultural Expectations

Culture is a core part of Nimkee’s healing environment and is expected to be reflected throughout this role.

The Family, Kinship & Community Support Worker will actively support culturally grounded approaches to healing and will work respectfully with Elders, Knowledge Keepers, Cultural Staff, youth, families, and communities.

The successful candidate must understand that family and kinship within First Nations communities may extend well beyond a Western nuclear-family model and may include broad relational, cultural, and community responsibilities.

The worker will be expected to approach this work with respect, humility, curiosity, and a willingness to continue learning.

Guiding Principle

At Nimkee, we recognize that a young person’s healing does not occur in isolation.

The Family, Kinship & Community Support Worker helps strengthen the relationships, cultural connections, natural supports, and community networks that can continue to surround the young person long after their residential treatment experience has ended.

The role is ultimately about helping young people reconnect with self, family, kinship, culture, community, and a circle of support that can sustain healing over time.

Employment Equity

Nimkee Nupigawagan Healing Centre is committed to providing culturally relevant services to First Nations youth, families, and communities.

First Nations candidates will be given preference, consistent with the organization’s mandate and applicable employment and human rights requirements.