It Takes A Special Person To Work With Us – Maybe That Special Person Is You!

It takes a special person to work with us. Fortunately, at Quinte Children’s Homes (QCH) and Applewood Academy For Progressive Learning (AAPL) we’ve put together a whole team of special people. We are united in our commitment to fostering dignity, self-respect and independence in the children and youth we serve.

If you have a passion for improving the lives of children, you might just find a place with us.

Currently our support team looks like this:

  • 24 contract Child and Youth Workers
  • 5 part-time Child and Youth Workers
  • 2 part-time educational consultants
  • 14 parent therapists
  • 4 salaried supervisors

“Our skilled staff members bring their expertise and resilience to all aspects of our programs,” says Program Coordinator Cara Pinchuk. “They are self-initiating and work to expose other staff and clients to new experiences and ways of thinking. It has been our experience that, if a staff has a particular interest, they are eager to work to expose these interests to others on the team through volunteering time and information sharing. Our team is made up of enthusiastic individuals who thrive on sharing their individual qualities to enhance the company as a whole.”

What Does A Child and Youth Worker Do At QCH?

Our Child and Youth Workers provide support to clients and parent therapists in all aspects of their programs, including providing:

  • crisis management during unexpected events
  • safety and security
  • respite
  • recreational experiences

Child and Youth Workers also help to address specific treatment issues and meet the changing needs of children according to their treatment plans.

What Is The Role of A Parent Therapist?

As a key member of the treatment team, the parent therapist provides all of the basic needs of the child related to food, clothing and shelter. In addition, he or she provides available, predictable and compassionate care each and every day.

This includes providing guidance, discipline and instruction in daily behavioural expectations. The parent therapist also:

  • supports the client in developing positive peer relationships and beneficial connections with other supportive adults in the community
  • facilitates educational, recreational and occupational opportunities
  • advocates for necessary or beneficial services
  • helps the client understand the context of their life situation and experiences
  • models healthy family roles and adult patterns of behaviour
  • helps the child or youth feel like a valued member of a family unit through the teaching and sharing of household chores and responsibilities
  • respects and honours the client’s relationships with their biological family

The parent therapist provides essential information to members of the treatment team in order to enhance the client’s experiences.

Educational Consultant

The role of educational consultant is integral to AAPL. The educational consultant:

  • provides lesson plans, educational planning, daily scheduling and academic adaptation
  • liaises with community-based educators and facilitates evaluation and reporting of students’ academic performance
  • is a board-certified professional educator specializing in adapted programming and individualized learning strategies
  • is responsible for mediating all academic-based material within the program, as it pertains to the youth’s overall treatment needs

Educational consultants work closely with the clinical team to provide insight and observation into student functioning and assist with the development and implementation of the student’s Academic Care Plan.

 Supervisor

The supervisor provides support and training, including supervision of clients, staff and parent therapists. The supervisor:

  • orients and trains parent therapists
  • reviews the intake/admission process, documentation, child management issues and strategies
  • upholds policies and procedures, Ministry standards, data management, behaviour management techniques and treatment plans
  • provides on-call support and schedules staffing, respite and holidays
  • performs home inspections/reviews
  • provides ongoing support and training
  • ensures documentation is submitted on time and properly
  • assists parent therapists in establishing the child’s Foster Plan of Care and reviewing the child’s development

Who is a good fit?

In upholding our Vision, Mission and Values, our services and support must exceed expectations. As we strive to consistently deliver the best service possible and to treat others as we would like to be treated, we look for individuals with the following qualities:

  • a comfortable, approachable style
  • the ability to demonstrate cultural proficiency, gender sensitivity, diversity and respect for individuals’ needs and strengths and promote these values within our professional networks and collaborations
  • the ability to provide services to our clients and their placing agencies in a timely, efficient and professional manner
  • the ability to focus on individual, family and community strengths in all program and client service planning and promote resilience as a primary treatment objective
  • the ability to maintain a vital and active presence in the communities we serve
  • the ability to make full and appropriate use of technology so that our customers receive the best service

Our staff members offer services based on careful evaluation of available research and professional practices. We look for a strong commitment to being accessible to clients even outside of regular business hours.

Sound like a fit for you? See which positions we are currently filling. Feel free to contact us for more information.

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