Manager or Director of Youth Care Services

About The Link: Youth and Family Supports

For more than 90 years, The Link has helped youth and families on a journey to healing, hope, and better lives. The organization is dedicated to walking alongside children, youth, and families as an inclusive community, strengthening and empowering a sense of being, pride, and purpose. With over 15 diverse programs, The Link has a community of caring staff that work together to provide support through a 24-hour crisis line, youth resource centers, emergency shelters, mobile crisis teams, specialized foster care, healing homes, job readiness supports, and Skills4Life. With a strong foundation within the community and a focus on connection, unity, and compassion, the organization provides a vital link for youth and families in the province of Manitoba.

Position Summary

The Manager or Director of Youth Care Services delivers project management, strategic alignment and implementation support for key organizational projects and initiatives as prioritized and assigned by the CEO. The Manager or Director of Youth Care Services will work in collaboration with leadership to achieve quality, safety and ethics of services delivered for children, youth and families.

Primary Duties And Responsibilities

Duties and responsibilities of the Manager or Director of Youth Care Services include but are not limited to:

1. Facilitates with the Healing Homes Manager and Supervisors, and other engaged professionals, the development of individual Child and Youth Care focused Healing Plans for children, youth and families which are culturally appropriate, informed by evidence-based practice and trauma awareness.
2. Ensures that annual program development plans are consistent with the organization's annual development plan.
3. Supports recruitment, hiring, professional development, and hold people responsible for embracing and meeting agency policies and expectations in the Healing Homes, Skills4Life, and Training Programs, and Indigenous Initiatives in consultation with the Link's Human Resources and Leadership team.
4. Engages with the Leadership team to develop, coordinate, implement and assess Child and Youth Care residential and educational activities and services within an individualized and collective culturally responsive Child and Youth Care Healing framework.
5. Oversees, with the Leadership and Operational team, collaborative planning and implements quality improvement, learning and development activities to responsively address ongoing/emerging organizational needs within Child and Youth Care services.
6. Ensures compliance with the Link's policies, procedures and pertinent legislation.
7. Monitors financial expenditures to ensure compliance with budget guidelines and that all expenditures are accounted for via organization's financial management and accountability processes.
8. Ensures staff are engaged with young people in social/recreational/cultural and team building activities.
9. Represents the organization in community events and/or interagency activities (i. e. case coordination, meetings, conferences, information sessions and community committees).
10. Completes required internal and external monthly reports.
11. Develops, in collaboration with the Leadership team, an annual action plan identifying program activities and deadlines for deliverables within Child and Youth Care Services and ensures the implementation of same.
12. Participates in their own professional development which will include (annually) attending conferences and workshops that are relevant to position and operational goals, participating in networking opportunities that allow for professional and agency growth, readings and self-directed learning as identified in PDP.
13. Refines The Link's clinical service delivery and risk management practices in collaboration with the Clinical Manager through the regular review of client, program and clinical services outcome measurement.
14. Collaborates with indigenous Initiatives to effectively integrate cultural and clinical services.
15. Ensures implementation of recommendations from program reviews.
16. Other duties as assigned.

• Masters-level education background in a human services field

• Direct experience in the field of child welfare, family systems, youth justice, and child, youth and adult addictions and mental health
• Experience developing, implementing and evaluating social service programs and services

• Proven project management skills
• Demonstrated problem solving skills and techniques
• Completed training in culturally responsive, trauma and resilience-informed practices, child and adolescent development, behaviour change, and Ethics of Care
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously while meeting timelines
• Demonstrated ability to facilitate meetings and lead professional staff
• Skilled at building and maintaining collaborative networks
• Excellent written and communication skills
• Demonstrated proficiency working with Microsoft Office at an intermediate level
• Knowledge of Indigenous cultures, languages and values: respectful and collaborative working relationships within Indigenous communities and/or systems would be an asset.

• Empowering others at every opportunity
• Being supportive of all staff, participants, and the community
• Resilience and adaptability
• Organization and detail oriented
• Empathy for all in all situations
• Motivation to keep everyone engaged
• Open to the thoughts and opinions of others
• Being honest and showing humility in all our interactions
• Showing courage when faced with uncertainty
• An awareness of our strengths and weaknesses, the use of self-reflecting on a regular basis
• Able to give and receive constructive feedback.

• Working in a variety of environments: offices, homes and out in the community
• The ability to handle challenging situations with medium to high-risk individuals in some work environments
• First Aid and CPR Level C, or willingness to obtain;
• Satisfactory Criminal Record Check with Vulnerable Sector Search, a clear Child Abuse Registry check with acceptable Prior Contact checks, and a clear Adult Abuse Registry check, all done within the last 3 months
• Valid Manitoba Driver's License and satisfactory driving record

• ASIST Certificate (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) and/or any de-escalation training preferred;
• Mental Health First Aid & Safe Talk;
• The Link Commit 2 Kids Training;
• Certification in either DLE (The Purposeful Use of Daily Life Events) or TCS (Therapeutic Crisis Solutions).

Accommodations are available for applicants with disabilities upon request. If you are contacted by The Link regarding a job opportunity, pl.