Advocate

Government of Alberta; Edmonton; On-site; CAD 102,000 - 137,000; Full time

Job summary

The Office of the Child and Youth Advocate (OCYA) in Edmonton is seeking a full‑time Advocate for an 18‑month temporary opportunity. The role focuses on promoting the rights and viewpoints of young people in the child intervention and youth justice systems.

Reporting to the Director, North Advocacy Services, the Advocate will meet with youth, families and stakeholders to advance rights, gather perspectives, and support systemic advocacy. Travel across central and northern Alberta is required.

Qualifications

• University degree in social work, social sciences, or law.
• Four years’ related experience with young people in child intervention, justice, mental health, or education systems.
• Valid class 5 driver's license required.
• Preference given to Indigenous applicants.

Responsibilities

• Help young people understand and exercise their rights in decisions affecting them.
• Meet with young people, families, and stakeholders to promote rights and perspectives.
• Identify trends and assist teams in recognizing systemic issues affecting youth.

Education

University degree in social work, social sciences, or law

Job description

Select how often (in days) to receive an alert:

Ministry: Office of the Child & Youth Advocate (OCYA)

Location: Edmonton

Employment Type: 18-month temporary opportunity

Full or Part-time: Full-time

Hours of Work: 36.25 hours per week

Salary: $3,920.66 to $5,276.07 biweekly

About the OCYA

The Office of the Child and Youth Advocate (OCYA) is an Office of the Legislature that promotes awareness of young people’s rights, interests, and viewpoints through stakeholder engagement and public education; advocates for children and youth receiving or seeking services under the Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act (CYFEA), the Protection of Sexually Exploited Children Act (PSECA), and the youth justice system; and provides legal representation to young people for CYFEA and PSECA matters. The OCYA conducts investigations and publicly reports on serious injuries or deaths involving young people.

The impact of colonialization continues to adversely affect Indigenous young people, their families, and their communities. Intergenerational trauma, systemic racism, and the legacy of residential schools are experienced by many Indigenous young people, who continue to be overrepresented in the child intervention system. The OCYA is deeply committed to reconciliation and a diverse and inclusive public service that reflects the population we serve to best meet the needs of Albertans. We are committed to a workplace that welcomes, respects and values the diversity of our employees. We also support them to be actively engaged in the workplace and the work we do to meet the needs of Alberta's young people.

To learn more about the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate go to our website at: www.ocya.alberta.ca

Role

Our Advocates help young people involved with the child intervention and youth justice systems to understand and exercise their rights, so their viewpoints and interests are considered in decisions that affect them.

Reporting to the Director, North Advocacy Services, the Advocate, will:

• Work diligently to ascertain a young person’s viewpoint and empower the young person to speak for themselves and to decide on the activities of the advocate.
• Meet with young people and others (families, caregivers, community members and other stakeholders) in communities mainly located in central and northern Alberta to promote the rights, interests and viewpoints of young people in decisions made about them
• Support teams across the office in identifying trends seen through the lens of young people that may be systemic in nature.

You will also be part of a team and collaborate with others on matters related to the OCYA’s strategic priorities; provide education about the rights of young people, the OCYA, and the advocate role; engage in systemic advocacy about issues affecting many young people.

Qualificiations

A university degree in social work, social sciences, law is required, plus four years’ related experience working directly with young people involved in child intervention, justice, mental health, or education systems. Experience in a supervisory or management role is desirable. Equivalencies may be considered on a one-to-one basis (i.e. 2 year diploma and 6 years’ experience). A valid class 5 driver's license is required.

Just as we recognize the uniqueness of young people, we recognize this in others as well. If you think your knowledge, skills and experience has prepared you for this role, please consider applying for this position.

Given the overrepresentation of Indigenous young people in the child intervention and youth justice systems, preference will be given to individuals who self-identify and are known to others as Indigenous or who have had extensive experience working with Indigenous peoples and communities.

Competencies are behaviours 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. The link below will assist you with understanding competencies: http://psc.alberta.ca/APSCompetencies

The critical competencies for success in this role are:

Agility:

Able to adjust how you communicate based on the young person or others’ preferences; able to work outside of normal business hours, and overnight travel on a regular basis.

Build Collaborative Environments:

Able to work well with young people and others who have differing perspectives and strong views on what is best for young people, including when these views are different to your own.

Able to build and maintain good relationships with young people and others, while working towards successful outcomes.

Creative Problem Solving:

Young people’s lives are unique and so are the challenges they face. You must be able to balance thinking ‘outside of the box’ when you work with young people and others to resolve these challenges, while also following the principles and expectations of the OCYA.

Notes

To move forward in our recruitment process, you must submit your resume along with a cover letter that tells us who you are, why you are interested in the position, why you think you are a good fit for this role and demonstrates your ability to meet the above noted competencies. Only applicants that include a cover letter will be considered.

This competition may be used to fill future vacancies at the same or lower classification.

Candidates may be asked to participate in a written assessment.

Final candidates will be required to undergo security screening. This position is in Edmonton; however, travel, including overnight stays, is a requirement.

It is recommended that applicants who have obtained educational credentials from outside of Canada and have not had them previously assessed, obtain an evaluation of their credentials from the International Qualifications Assessment Service (IQAS)https://www.alberta.ca/iqas-overview.aspx . Applicants should include the assessment certificate from IQAS or any other educational assessment service as part of their application.

Recruitment Process

We will use a staged recruitment process in which a shortlist of candidates will have the opportunity to learn more about our organization and staff, and we will get to know them. Candidates who are interested and invited to further conversations with us can expect a respectful process.

Closing Statement

We thank all applicants for their interest. All applications will be reviewed to determine which candidate’s education and experience best meets the needs of the position. Only individuals identified to move forward in our process will be contacted to participate in an interview.