Autism Spectrum Disorder/fasd Support Worker

Reporting to the Clinical Manager the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)/Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Support Worker will deliver child, youth and family centred service to children and youth with ASD/FASD and/or suspected ASD/FASD and their families by leading the development of a strengths-based support plan for children and youth with ASD/FASD or suspected ASD/FASD.

The Support Worker will be knowledgeable about ASD and will complement the current efforts of service providers within their community to provide screening and pre- and post-diagnostic support. They will connect children and youth with ASD, their families and service providers to interventions and supports including the Ontario Autism Program (OAP). This support will be delivered in a hybrid model, which will include both in-person and virtual services.

The support worker will work with the family, service providers and educators to build capacity for supporting the child/youth and identify strategies to meet the specific needs of the child/youth and family based on the best available evidence of FASD supports. The FASD workers will be knowledgeable about FASD and will complement the current efforts of service providers within their community to provide direct intervention support, collaboration and system navigation across multiple sectors, such as health, education, youth justice, community and social services, post-secondary, and employment and training. The worker will connect children and youth with FASD, their families and service providers to interventions and supports including those developed through the other components of the FASD Strategy.

Key Job Functions:

• Assist families in completing screening questionnaires to determine if an autism diagnostic assessment is the next step in service provision.
• Working with partners to provide in-community screening days.
• Assist in making referrals to the Northwestern Ontario Autism Diagnostic Hub and provide information to families as post-diagnosis support.

• Work with children/youth with ASD/FASD, or suspected ASD/FASD, and their families to connect them to community-specific supports and develop a support plan based on individual strengths and needs informed by the child/youth and family's vision, goals and concerns.
• Assist families in registering with OAP, as well as other applicable funding sources that they may be eligible for.
• Helping families understand the Ontario Autism Program (OAP) and the Core Clinical Services that they might be eligible for.
• Support connections to diagnostic supports (as available), and provide information to families as post-diagnosis support.
• Support connections to other services and, with consent, share information and the service plan so the family doesn't have to repeat their story.
• Work with the family, service providers and educators supporting the child/youth to build capacity and identify strategies to meet the child's needs.
  • Explore flexible and innovative approaches for service delivery to meet the needs of children/youth and families and to bring forward innovative solutions.
  • Provide information to parents, caregivers and school personnel about behavioural symptoms associated with FASD and helpful approaches.
• If a child/youth has multiple and complex needs and their family requires the more intensive support of a Service Planning Coordinator and the Coordinated Service Planning Process, support the connection to a dedicated Service Planning Coordinator and remain involved as part of the Coordinated Service Planning team.
• Assist in the facilitation of Foundational Family Services workshops for families immediately following their diagnosis as requested.
• Work with youth, and their family and service providers across sectors to plan for a transition from child and youth services to adult services, if required.
• At a local system level, work to improve awareness of ASD/FASD and support local cross-sectoral planning tables (such as Special Needs Strategy Cross-Sectoral Committees) to identify gaps and opportunities for improving supports for ASD/FASD.
• Engage with different cultural groups (e.g. Indigenous, francophone to discuss how to best meet needs of children and youth with ASD/FASD in their communities.
• Facilitate parent-to-parent connections.
• Participate in provincially-offered training to increase their own and their organization's capacity to support children and youth with ASD/FASD and their families.
  
  

Education/Experience/Skills/Knowledge Required:

• Diploma or Bachelor's Degree in a relevant field and a minimum of three years of work experience OR equivalent experience with vulnerable or at-risk populations including special needs
• Experience working with children/youth with ASD/FASD and their families
• Knowledge of child and family development
• Know of the Ontario Autism Program an asset.
• Strong interpersonal skills and communication skills
• Commitment to strength-based principles of child, youth and family-centredness
• Experience working with the child and youth service system
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships with diverse stakeholders
• Ability to work independently and contribute to a team
• Ability to maintain strong professional boundaries
• Strong organizational and reporting skills
• Strong counselling skills
• Experience working with individuals experiencing trauma
• Experience with and knowledge of behavioural concept
• Experience working with children and families from diverse cultures
• Knowledge of the Anishinaabe culture and language is an asset
• Air and ground ravel within the service region is required.
• Evening and weekend work as required.

Conditions of Employment:

• The ability to manage a reasonable workload; effective priority-setting and follow-up
• Role model the vision and values of the Agency
• Value the concept of teamwork and ability to work independently
• Ability to deal with conflict, mediate and problem solve
• Quality of work to meet or exceed Agency specifications
• Current Criminal Reference check that is free of any offenses
• Must respect and actively promote health and safety policies of the Agency