Family Court Counsellor

Role Responsibilities

Are you a dedicated, hardworking, and caring individual looking to make a difference in the lives of Alberta families? Alberta Justice has an opportunity waiting for you!

As a Family Court Counsellor, you will have the opportunity to work both independently and collaboratively with colleagues in the same location and across the province, ensuring seamless service delivery to Albertans. Your strong working relationships with Court Operations, Judiciary, and the legal community will be crucial in delivering exceptional services to clients and supporting the operations of the Alberta Court of Justice and/or King’s Bench Family Court.

At the direction of Management and the Assessment Services Supervisor, you will complete data collection and participate in program development initiatives to ensure services are provided in a user-friendly, cost-effective manner.

Operating within a team structure, you will be responsible for, but not limited to, the following:

Screening, Assessment, and Referral

• Provide triage and intake services including safety screening, needs assessment, referrals as necessary, and limited assistance completing and filing Family Law Act court documents.
• Demonstrate dispute resolution skills to assist clients in resolving their disputes.
• Identify and outline options available for the client to decide on a course of action.
• Deliver ongoing assessments, information, support, guidance, and assistance to clients prior to, during and following court.
  
  

Case Management

• Negotiate and facilitate terms of consent with parties in attendance at court, for the courts review and endorsements.
  
  

In-Court Support

• Facilitate court appearances on legislated and specified Family Law Act applications, assisting parties towards resolution, educational resources, interventions and /or transferring parties to alternate court services.
• Assist families with their various concerns in the fast-paced environment of the Resolution Services office and the Provincial Family docket court, Court of King’s Bench Family Docket Court, and Court of King’s Bench Regular Chambers.
• Respond to actions, directions and requests from the judiciary that fall within the scope of the role.

Role Continue

Consultation and Public Relations

• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with external stakeholders (i.e., Lawyers, Legal Aid, Community Legal centers, women’s shelters, native counselling services and police services) to ensure information sharing and optimal client services.
  
  

Administration

• Complete timely and accurate entries on the Resolutions Services provincial database relating to client services and court activity in accordance with policy/procedure.
  
  

As the ideal candidate, you will bring:

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong Assessment skills.
• Attention to detail relating to file and legal documentation.
• Exceptional interpersonal, interviewing, assessment, negotiation, dispute resolution and decision-making abilities.
• The ability to work independently, under pressure, and assist clients in highly emotional circumstances is essential.
• A strong ability to work independently and work well as a team member with internal and external stakeholders.
• Knowledge and awareness of changing processes, legislation, social trends, best practices and new research in family, law matters; utilizing this knowledge to maximize effectiveness of responsibilities to inform, educate and assess.

Please click on this link to view the job description for this position. 

APS Competencies

Competencies are behaviors that are essential to reach our goals in serving Albertans. We encourage you to have an in depth understanding of the competencies that are required for this opportunity and to be prepared to demonstrate them during the recruitment process.

This link will assist you with understanding competencies:
https://www.alberta.ca/system/files/custom_downloaded_images/psc-alberta-public-service-competency-model.pdf.

The successful candidate will possess the following competencies:

• Agility: You anticipate, assess, and readily adapt to changing priorities, maintain resilience in times of uncertainty and effectively work in a changing environment.
• System Thinking: You consistently take a holistic and long-term view of challenges and opportunities at multiple levels across related areas.
• Develop Networks: You proactively connect and build trust in relationships with different stakeholders.
• Build Collaborative Environments: You lead and contribute to the conditions and environments that allow people to work collaboratively and productively to achieve outcomes.
• Creative Problem Solving: You assess options and implications in new ways to achieve outcomes and solution.
• Drive for Results: You identify what outcomes are important and maximize the use of resources.

Qualifications

Required: A Bachelor of Social Work Degree with some related experience in areas such as conducting client interviews and assessments.

The following equivalencies will be considered:

• Master of Social Work (no experience required), OR
• Related University Degree (e.g., Dispute Resolution, Sociology, Psychology, Law, etc.) and 2 years related experience, OR
• Related Diploma and 3 years related experience, OR
• Related Certificate and 4 years related experience.

All applicants are required to submit a cover letter (approximately 300 – 400 words). In your letter, please describe how your qualifications, experience, and skills would be suitable for this position. It will be as a screening tool to assess writing and proofreading abilities. Applications without a cover letter will not be considered.

As per the Health Professions Act, successful applicants must be registered with the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW) if:

1. they have a degree in social work from any university in North America that is accredited by the Canadian Association for Social Work Education (CASWE) or the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), OR
2. they have graduated from an approved social work diploma program in Alberta, OR
3. They have, within the last five years, been a registered, certified, or licensed social worker in another province or with a member of the Association of Social Work Boards. 
   
   

Please be prepared to provide your registration details if/when they are requested. For more information, please visit: http://www.acsw.ab.ca/

Assets
Preference will be given to candidates with:

• Work experience in family violence dynamics.
• Work experience in demonstrating interview and assessment techniques and skills, including safety screening.
• Working knowledge of Family Law Act.
• Training and/or certification in Family Mediation. 

Minimum recruitment standards outline the minimum education and experience required for appointment to a job classification. 
Refer to https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-public-service-minimum-recruitment-standards.

Notes

Position Information:

• Positions Available: Two (2) full-time, permanent positions in Edmonton, and one (1) full-time, permanent position in Stony Plain.
• Work Location: Stony Plain Courthouse or John E. Brownlee Building in Edmonton, depending on the successful candidate’s preferred location.
• Hours of Work: Monday to Friday, 8:15AM-4:30PM, 36.25 hours a week.
  
  

Final candidates will be required to undergo a security screening.

Any costs associated with obtaining the required documents/checks as noted or interview travel expenses, will be the responsibility of the candidate. Out-of-province applicants can obtain the required documents/checks from the province they currently reside in. 

Links and information on what the GoA have to offer to prospective employees:

• Working for the Alberta Public Service - https://www.alberta.ca/advantages-working-for-alberta-public-service.aspx
• Public Service Pension Plan (PSPP) - https://www.pspp.ca
• Alberta Public Service Benefit Information - https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-public-service-benefits
• Professional learning and development - https://www.alberta.ca/professional-development-support-directive
• Research Alberta Public Service Careers tool – https://researchapscareers.alberta.ca
• Positive workplace culture and work-life balance
• Leadership and mentorship programs