Practice Specialist, Indigenous

Role Responsibilities

Children and Family Services in the North Region of Alberta is currently recruiting for two Indigenous Practice Specialist positions. These roles are designed to inspire wholistic practices and drive systemic change across the region. Practice Specialists provide a broad range of services and supports, with a strong emphasis on shifting worldviews to embrace cultural knowledge and traditions—how we think, learn, interact, connect, and understand the world around us.

A key focus of these positions is fostering an appreciation for the diversity of Indigenous and other cultures. This includes increasing awareness of personal biases and stereotypes and working to eliminate bias from programs and services. By doing so, Practice Specialists help honour the dignity of all Indigenous peoples and promote inclusive, culturally informed practices throughout the region

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
•    Strategy & Implementation: Develop strategies and lead the implementation and continuous improvement of practice, aligned with the provincial approach.
•    Mentoring & Training: Provide mentoring and training to regional staff through a wholistic practice framework. This role aims to enhance staff skills, knowledge, and cultural understanding, ultimately improving service delivery and outcomes.
•    Collaboration & Representation: Meet regularly with supervisors, managers, and other specialists focused on child intervention services. Represent the region on various committees and initiatives.
•    Case Support: Assist with complex cases through the application of practice knowledge and hands-on mentoring.
•    Knowledge Sharing: Act as a knowledge broker and conduit for transferring practice-related information across the region.
•    Practice Leadership: Lead regional initiatives and influence practice approaches such as Strength-Based Practice, Signs of Safety, and Intentional Search and Exploration. Use creativity to integrate tools and practices that best suit specific situations.
•    Consultation & Expertise: Serve as a regional program consultant, advising staff on legislation, policy, casework, and issues related to the Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act across all levels of intervention.
•    Quality Assurance Collaboration: Work closely with quality assurance teams to understand trends, identify gaps, and implement strategies to address issues and celebrate successes.
•    Service Delivery Support: Draw upon personal knowledge and experience to support a collaborative model of service delivery, emphasizing people, communication, and information sharing.

The role is connected to and assists in informing prvincial directions and knowledge in regulations, standards, policies, and casework practice in an effort to support the child and family through expert knowledge in life-long connections with Elders, culture, history, family and/or community of origin, thereby promoting the development of a positive identity and wholistic outcomes for children and families. For more information on this role, please reach out to walter.brertton@gov.ab.ca. 

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 following Child Intervention Framework competencies are essential for success in this role:

• CI Practitioner Competencies: Performing the Child Intervention Practitioner competencies with consistency at an advanced level of proficiency, according to the Child Intervention Practice Framework Principles, in order to provide practice supervision to CI staff.  
• Mindfulness and Self-reflection: Being intentionally aware, focused and present in the moment; continuously assessing, without reaction and judgment, one’s emotions and actions to guide one’s thinking and behavior.  
• Outcome Oriented: Maintaining a working knowledge of the CIPF Principles, CI outcomes and priorities. Demonstrates the ability to lead with a focus on CI outcomes and ensure the work of one’s team is in alignment with these outcomes. Demonstrates commitment to the CI outcomes and priorities by role modeling responsibility for decisions and accountability for results.  
• Engaging Others: Building a foundation of trust and respect to engage staff and inspire, empower, support, coach, and mentor. Building relationships individually and as a team to create a positive working environment and to achieve the best possible CI outcome.  
• Leading Continuous Improvement: Demonstrate ability to seek out opportunities for innovation and creatively problem solve. Support staff through implementing organizational initiatives. Operate with a high degree of flexibility and adaptability to implement learnings and achieving outcomes for children and families.  
• Enabling others Growth and Development: Guiding others to strengthen their professional ability and CI practice and fostering a climate of learning and self-reflection.  
• Communication: Engaging in and fost ering active listening, creating an atmosphere of respect and positive problem solving. Ensuring one’s verbal and non-verbal communication is congruent. Demonstrating an awareness of the impact of one’s communication in both oral and written form.

Qualifications

Requirements:
Bachelor of Social Work or Social Work Diploma and 2 years related experience.

Equivalencies :
⦁    Master of Social Work and 1 year related experience;
⦁    OR related university degree and 4 years related experience;
⦁    OR related diploma and 5 years related experience;
⦁    OR related certificate and 6 years related experience.

Related university degree can include Bachelor of Child Studies/Child & Youth Care, BA Education, Bachelor of Health Sciences, Bachelor of Human Services, BA/BSc Psychology, BA Sociology, Bachelor of Community Rehab, BSc. Family Studies/Human Ecology, BA Early Child Development, Law Degree.

Related diploma can include Addictions/Counseling Diploma, Child and Youth Care Diploma, Human Services Diploma and Criminal Justice Diploma.

Required Experience: 
⦁    Minimum 2 years of front-line child intervention case management experience (or equivalent).
⦁    Strong knowledge of the Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act, Signs of Safety philosophy and practice, and legislated requirements related to Indigenous peoples.
⦁    Experience working with Indigenous communities and a strong understanding of local and regional community resources.
⦁    Advanced computer proficiency, particularly with Microsoft Office.
⦁    Understanding of child intervention issues and trends for the purpose of analysis.

Assets:

⦁    Preference will be given to those candidates who are Delegated.
⦁    Project management experience.
⦁    Facilitation and negotiation experience.
⦁    Experience with Intake Workflow and Safety Assessment Workflow.
⦁    Current or previous supervisory experience (cover off experience is accepted).  
⦁    Experience in training, coaching, and mentoring adults.
⦁    Understanding and Application of the Two-Eyed Seeing Approach.

Preference will be given to those candidates who have completed the Foundations, and Relationship and Culture pathways in the Ministry’s ICUF.  Recognizing that there will be exceptional situations, managers and supervisors who have not completed the training, will be given 12 months from their respective effective dates or from their hiring date thereafter to initiate/complete training. Application for equivalencies based on previous training will be assessed individually.

The ideal candidate is passionate about advancing child intervention practices with children, families, and communities. They bring a strong focus on coaching and mentoring, and their practice is grounded in the Child Intervention Practice Framework, Casework Practice Model, Signs of Safety, and trauma-informed approaches. They also have meaningful relationships with Indigenous communities and are skilled in delivering both formal and informal training to support staff, and possess excellent verbal and written communication skills to effectively collaborate and share knowledge.

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

Currently recruiting for 2 permanent Practice Specialist – Indigenous Practice Supports positions.

Hours of Work
Monday to Friday, 36.25 hours per week (full-time). (Working after-hours or outside of regular business hours may be required).

Role Requirements
⦁    As per the Health Professions Act, successful applicants must be registered with the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW) to be eligible for this position if they possess a Bachelor,  Diploma or Masters in Social Work. For more information, visit http://www.acsw.ab.ca/.
⦁    Travel will be required in this role; therefore, final candidates for this position will be asked to provide a current 5-year commercial driver’s abstract. Candidates may also be required to use their own vehicle when government fleet vehicles are not available. Appropriate insurance is required.
⦁    Successful candidate will require a clear Intervention Record Check (IRC) + Criminal Record and Vulnerable Sector Check (CRC VS) to be considered for the role.
⦁    An academic check will be completed.
⦁    Please be advised that your current supervisor and manager will be contacted as references.
⦁    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.

Application Requirements:
⦁    In your resume, please include dates (including months and years) associated with all education and work experience. As well, please indicate whether your work experience is casual, part-time or full-time. For example, January 2006 – June 2009: Assistant (Part-Time)
⦁    Complete all pre-screening questions.

Other Information:
⦁    Relocation expenses will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

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.
⦁    Management Employees Pension Plan (MEPP) - https://www.mepp.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.
⦁    Opportunity to participate in flexible work arrangements such as working from home up to two days per week and modified work schedule agreement.
⦁    Leadership and mentorship programs.