Indigenous Registered Social Worker - Xexe Pahlatsis’lelum (Sacred Cradle House)
Are you an experienced Registered Social Worker who is passionate about supporting Indigenous mothers, infants, and families through culturally grounded, trauma-informed care? The Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness Society (ACEH) is seeking an Indigenous Registered Social Worker to join the team at Xexe Pahlatsis’lelum (Sacred Cradle House), an Indigenous-led perinatal recovery home dedicated to keeping Indigenous families together and supporting healing through culture, community, and compassion.
As the Registered Social Worker, you will serve as the clinical case management lead for Sacred Cradle House, working alongside Family Members, Elders, healthcare providers, and child welfare partners to provide comprehensive assessments, individualized service planning, advocacy, and ongoing support. As the primary clinical resource for staff navigating complex family, safety, and child welfare situations, you will help ensure Indigenous women and their children receive culturally safe, family-centred services while navigating housing, wellness, parenting, and child welfare systems.
Working from a strengths-based, rights-based, and family-preservation approach, you will advocate to keep mothers and children together wherever it is safe to do so while supporting long-term healing, stability, and self-determination.
Who We Are: We are a non-profit, registered charity and culturally supportive housing provider dedicated to supporting First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Our work is Indigenous-led and governed and centers the voices of our Indigenous Street Community, whom we refer to as our Family Members.
Through building partnerships locally and across Vancouver Island, we identify and address systemic barriers, share knowledge and resources, and provide Indigenized harm reduction, cultural support services, housing, and community-based wellness programming.
Our Vision: Our way is to care for all our people, from the youngest to the oldest. We are all one. Some of our people living away from home are suffering, isolated and homeless. We stand together to end homelessness.
Application Submission: You are required to submit a resume and cover letter that highlights First Nations, Inuit, and Metis ancestry, community/organization involvements, education, certification, demonstrated contract experience, and how your knowledge, skills, and abilities will support and contribute to the ACEH and our community through a cultural lens.
Applications missing this will be automatically screened out of the selection process.
ACEH exists to serve Indigenous women and families. Preference will be given to qualified Indigenous applicants and to women, consistent with ACEH’s mandate and the special program provisions of the BC Human Rights Code (s. 42).
Applications will be received until positions are filled. Only qualified candidates will be shortlisted and interviewed.
Job Details
Position Type: Full-Time (36 hours per week)
Location: Victoria, BC. Travel to other ACEH locations may be required.
Hours of Work:
- 36 hours per week over a nine-day fortnight
- Every second Friday off
- Thursday shift from 12:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
- Evening and occasional weekend phone consultation for case-related matters as required.
Compensation and Benefits:
- $41.00 – $45.56 per hour ($76,752 – $85,288 annually)
- Employer-matched RRSP (up to 5%)
- Extended health and dental benefits
- 3 weeks (15 days) paid vacation annually (6% accrual, pro-rated for part-time)
- 5 paid sick days per year
- Additional sick leave accrued at 1 day per month
- Every second Friday off
Key Responsibilities
Clinical Case Management
- Complete comprehensive biopsychosocial, parenting, safety, and housing assessments with Family Members.
- Develop, implement, and regularly review individualized service plans using strengths-based, trauma-informed, and culturally grounded approaches.
- Hold and manage the active clinical caseload for Sacred Cradle House.
- Provide ongoing advocacy, follow-up, and coordinated support throughout each Family Member's stay.
- Lead discharge and transition planning, including long-term housing stabilization goals, in collaboration with the Transitions Coordinator.
Child Welfare Advocacy
- Serve as the primary liaison with MCFD, Indigenous Child and Family Service Agencies, and Delegated Aboriginal Agencies.
- Advocate for family preservation, reunification, and culturally safe child welfare practices.
- Attend case conferences, mediation sessions, family meetings, and court proceedings as required.
- Support Family Members in understanding and exercising their legal rights throughout child welfare processes.
- Develop and monitor family reunification and prevention plans in collaboration with Family Members.
- Represent and advocate for Family Members throughout child welfare planning, including permanency planning where applicable.
Collaboration and Clinical Leadership
- Coordinate interdisciplinary case planning with healthcare providers and community partners.
- Provide clinical leadership and consultation to Perinatal Wellness Workers and other staff regarding complex family situations, child welfare matters, and crisis response.
- Meet regularly with the House Manager to coordinate service delivery and case planning.
- Provide evening and weekend phone consultation when urgent case issues arise.
Documentation and Reporting
- Maintain timely, accurate, and objective case documentation within CAMS.
- Prepare assessments, service plans, correspondence, and progress notes suitable for legal and child welfare proceedings.
- Maintain documentation that is factual, objective, culturally safe, strengths-based, and reflective of Family Members' voices while ensuring compliance with privacy legislation and professional standards.
- Prepare monthly statistical and narrative reports.
- Maintain confidentiality and comply with privacy legislation, professional standards, and organizational policies.
Qualifications, Education, and Experience
- Bachelor of Social Work (Master’s preferred)
- Current registration with the BC College of Social Workers.
- Minimum three (3) years’ direct practice experience with Indigenous families, child welfare, or perinatal and maternal health.
- Strong knowledge of the Child, Family and Community Service Act (CFCSA), MCFD processes, and Indigenous child welfare frameworks
- Experience working with Indigenous mothers and newborns, particularly those experiencing housing instability, substance use, and/or struggles with mental wellness.
- Valid First Aid Certification and Criminal Record Check (Vulnerable Adults and Children).
- Preferred: Non-Violent Crisis Intervention Certification, Naloxone Overdose Training, and experience in perinatal support or doula training.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Compassionate, patient, and non-judgmental approach to supporting Indigenous women and their families.
- Strong judgment, communication, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage crises in a culturally supportive manner.
- Excellent communication, advocacy, and relationship-building skills.
- Ability to adapt to unexpected events, manage competing demands, and work independently in a fast-paced environment.
- A progressive understanding of mental wellness, problematic substance use, and intergenerational trauma.
- Experience working with a diverse range of Indigenous cultures, lived experiences, and personalities.
- Ability to build trusting relationships with Family Members while supporting them through complex child welfare, healthcare, and housing systems.
- Ability to collaborate effectively with healthcare providers, MCFD, Indigenous Child and Family Service Agencies, and community partners.
- Ability to hold clinical authority and credibility with external systems while working within a culturally grounded, Indigenous-led program model.
Working Conditions
- Primarily office-based with regular time on the floor with Family Members; occasional travel to other ACEH sites, court, or partner offices.
- Evening and weekend phone availability for staff consultation; this is a consultation expectation, not a standing on-call shift.
- Ability to lift 30 pounds and use stairs regularly.
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