Welcome Home Assistant Trainee

Organizational Overview:

Aboriginal Legal Services was established February 21, 1990. ALS was formed following a needs assessment by the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto. With approximately 75 dedicated employees, Aboriginal Legal Services is headquartered in Toronto and operates nearly a dozen satellite offices across Ontario. Over the years ALS has becomes a nationally recognized leader in the development of Indigenous-led justice programming and in test-case litigation. Indigenous People require equitable treatment in the justice system, access to the legal and related resources within the justice system, as well as understanding of the system and their options. The support required includes advocacy in all areas of the law as well as alternatives which can break the cycles of recidivism and dependency which is all too prevalent. These alternatives are more effective when they are community controlled and are based on the traditional cultural norms and values of the Indigenous community.

 Position Summary:

The role of the Welcome Home Assistant Trainee is to assist individuals in reconnection with community and tradition through ceremony, circles, counselling, education and referrals. The Welcome Home Assistant Trainee should have basic knowledge of Aboriginal Justice and traditional healing approaches. The suitable candidate will have excellent written and verbal skills and will ideally have some experience facilitating circles, as well as providing counselling and assessment. This position is unionized.

 Duties and responsibilities

• Liaise between ALS and various community agencies/groups such as Probation and Parole, Bail Program, and Correctional Institutions;
• Liaise with Elders, traditional knowledge keepers and other organizations providing cultural safety through their service;
• Work in conjunction with various programs and departments within ALS;
• Develop and deliver groups with cultural and therapeutic components;
• May assist in Traditional Counselling with individuals, couples, families, children and youth;
• Assist in conducting ceremonies;
• Outreach to educate and inform service providers and community about programs and services available;
• Complete all statistical information required by funders;
• Develop evaluation tools to assist in assessing needs and gaps in service;
• Writing support letters for courts and maintain case notes;

 Qualifications

• Must be registered with Miziwe Biik and working with an Employment Counsellor;
• Must reside within the GTA;
• Experience in combining contemporary and traditional counselling approaches to individuals facing multiple barriers, including: poverty, homelessness, addictions, mental health imbalance, trauma survivors, criminal justice involvement;

• Ability to develop and facilitate therapeutic groups;

 To Apply:

To apply to this job posting, please submit your cover letter and resume with “Welcome Home Assistant Trainee” in the subject line to hrgeneral@aboriginallegal.ca or fax it to (416) 408-1568.

Potential candidates must be First Nations, Inuit or Metis and reside within the GTA. Candidates must be registered or eligible to register with Miziwe Biik Aboriginal Employment and Training.

Aboriginal Legal Services is an equal opportunity organization committed to diversity and inclusion. Our goal is to attract, develop and retain highly talented employees from diverse backgrounds, allowing us to benefit from a wide variety of experiences and perspectives. We welcome and encourage applications from all qualified applicants. Accommodations for persons with disabilities required during the recruitment process are available upon request. To request accommodation, please email Nazaninn@aboriginallegal.ca.We would like to thank all applicants for their interest but only those selected for an interview will be contacted.