Family Law Worker

The Family Justice Services branch has a permanent position for a Family Law Worker located in Saskatoon. As a Family Law Worker, you will have a key role in determining the needs of children and their families, with a lens on the “child’s best interests”.

The Family Law Worker will gather and compile information from interviews and research to assess and determine the needs of children and families after a separation/divorce, and the best parenting arrangements for children going forward. You will write reports which encompass the child’s personal and family system dynamics and provide recommendations to assist the court in making decisions for the family. Your knowledge in the areas of separation/divorce, child development, family systems and interpersonal and child abuse dynamics will guide you when working through a parenting assessment. You will also work collaboratively with an interdisciplinary team of professionals to coordinate and monitor court-ordered supervised visits and exchanges. Within your role, you may provide public education seminars, workshops for children, and information to the legal profession, public and community agencies about separation and divorce-related issues.

As a Family Law Worker, you will:

• Conduct and prepare Parenting Assessments and Children’s Voices Reports with families experiencing separation/divorce;
• Gather information from parents, children, and family members to assess family dynamics and child development;
• Collaborate with other professionals such as teachers, counsellors, police, and social services to obtain case-specific information which will inform your assessments;
• Write reports to assist the court in determining parenting arrangements with a focus on the best interests of children;
• Coordinate, monitor and evaluate court-ordered supervised visits and exchanges, and provide reports to the court upon request;
• Provide education and training to community partners facilitating supervised visits and exchanges; and
• Facilitate public education seminars or children’s workshops, and deliver program information to various legal professionals, community agencies and the public.

The ideal candidate will be inquisitive, investigative, and non-judgmental with a child-focused approach. You will be someone who enjoys working with children and families. Your calm and neutral demeanour will be a complement to your knowledge and experience regarding social and family systems theory, family functioning and the court system. You will work collaboratively with other professionals, and be flexible, detail-orientated, respectful and accommodating to the multicultural beliefs and values of the individuals in your cases. You will consistently work to further children’s best interests.

Typically, the background and/or competencies for this position are demonstrated through a four-year degree in Social Work, however, a degree in another Human Services field such as Psychology, Sociology or Human Justice, along with relevant experience, may also be considered.

To be successful in this position you will have knowledge and experience in the following:

• The dynamics of separation and divorce and the effects on adults and children;
• Human growth and child development;
• Theoretical and practical approaches to personal and family issues;
• Social and family systems theory and factors contributing to family functioning;
• The ability to engage, interview and evaluate adults and children in the context of separation/divorce;
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, and proficiency in organization and report writing; and
• The ability to interpret and apply legislation.

Please note, this position requires travel within or outside city limits including rural areas throughout the province. At times it will involve working flexible hours such as evenings or weekends.

The salary for this position will be updated to $33.367-$41.812 once the Class Plan Renewal process is completed and the HR system has been updated.