Prime Boiler Services Supports CASASC

Prime Boiler Services raises funds to support the Central Alberta Sexual Assault Support Centre (CASASC).

This past Wednesday, February 22, Prime Boiler Services raised funds as Part of Pink Shirt Day, a day to support bullying awareness and prevention initiatives, and choose to share those funds with CASASC.

CASASCs school aged prevention education programs, iRespect US 1 and iRespect US 2 provide middle school students with the knowledge and skills to have healthy peer relationships, positively impact their schools and contribute to safe spaces without bullying behaviour. As part of Pink Shirt Day, CASASC had a booth at the Red Deer Rebels community corner during their home game February 24 against the Winnipeg Ice.

The donation accepted on February 24 by Carlia Schwab, CASASC Education and Community Relations Manager, was presented by Eric Madsen, President of Prime Boiler Services at the Red Deer Rebels game.

Thank you so much for your support.

Now Hiring – Police and Court Support Worker

The Central Alberta Sexual Assault Support Centre (CASASC) is seeking to fill the position of Police and Court Support Worker

 

The job details are as below:

Position: Police and Court Support Worker

No. of Positions: 1

Position Type: Permanent- Full Time

Hours per week: 40

Hourly rate: Commensurate with Experience and Credentials

Anticipated Start Date: INACTIVE – POSITION NOT CURRENTLY OPEN

Location: CASASC 203 4820 50 Avenue Red Deer, AB

 

About Us:

The Central Alberta Sexual Assault Support Centre (CASASC) is a voluntary, non-profit organization serving the Central Alberta region under the direction of a community-based Board of Directors.

We specialize in healing sexual trauma so you can talk freely about the hard stuff with no judgement. We provide a range of support services for individuals who are affected by sexual violence including counselling, play therapy, police and court support, crisis support and education.

 

JOB SUMMARY

Reporting to the Clinical Manager, the Police and Court Support Worker is primarily responsible for helping individuals navigate the criminal justice process including police investigations, preliminary hearings and trials and other supports as well as building relationships with local law enforcement, VA, Crown and health stakeholders.

The Police and Court Support Worker advocates for victims/survivors of sexual assault, their families and significant others through the court system and follow up as well as debrief and counselling referrals.

 

QUALIFICATIONS & SKILLS

  • Diploma in Social Work, Psychology, Justice Studies and/or a related degree.
  • 2 years minimum working experience in Human Services sector. Experience in the areas of sexual violence and/or justice system is preferred.
  • Working knowledge of sexual violence and the criminal justice system.
  • Knowledge of community supports and resources to better support clients.
  • Work experience with Indigenous communities, including protocol, to be able to develop and implement worksite initiatives.
  • Ability to work collaboratively with professionals from other legal disciplines.
  • Crisis Intervention Training and working proficiency of other languages will be considered an asset.
  • Must produce an approved Police Record Check including Vulnerable sector and screening.
  • Must have a valid Driver’s License, a Driver’s Abstract completed results of which must be satisfactory, access to a reliable vehicle with full cover insurance.
  • Ability to travel to outlying communities within Central Alberta.

 

RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Provide information regarding victim’s/survivor’s rights and options regarding legal and medical issues.
  • Provide supports to victims/survivors of sexual assault such as court preparation, court support including accompaniment.
  • Preparation of reports for legal or therapeutic purposes.
  • Provide advocacy services to victims/survivors of sexual assault.
  • Provide follow up and debrief meetings with clients.
  • Provide referrals to other services if necessary.
  • Provide crisis care services for recent victims/survivors.
  • Provide community based presentations regarding the program.
  • Participate in case conferences with the Clinical Team.
  • Participate in program evaluation as required.

 

TEAM RESPONSIBILITIES/ STAFF DEVELOPMENT:

  • Adheres to the values and guiding principles, policies, and procedures of CASASC and supports the strategic direction of the organization.
  • Participates in staff meetings and offered trainings.
  • Acts as a responsible team member by demonstrating initiative, completing work duties, and by maintaining clear, direct, and respectful communication with everyone in the work environment.
  • Proactively stays current with best and emerging practices in the field. Participates regularly in the staff development activities according to a learning and development plan identified through supervision and the on-going performance review process.
  • Provides back-up coverage to CASASC as required in response to the needs and priorities of the organization which includes other duties as and when assigned.

 

ORGANIZATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES: 

  • Maintains agency confidence and protects operations by keeping information confidential.
  • Represents CASASC in a professional manner.
  • Maintains on-going positive public relations with external agencies, groups, and individuals (if required).
  • Uses appropriate mechanisms for resolving internal agency problems.

 

HOW TO APPLY:

CASASC is an equal opportunity employer, and we value the importance of diversity, dignity, and worth of every individual in the workplace.

Please send your resume and cover letter to: Kristine Bugayong, Human Resources Coordinator at hr@casasc.ca. Mention the position in the subject line. Review of resumes will begin by the end of February. Position will remain open until filled.

We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interview.

Now Hiring – Child Counsellor

The Central Alberta Sexual Assault Support Centre (CASASC) is seeking to fill the position of Child Counsellor.

 

The job details are as below: 

Position: Child Counsellor

No. of Positions: 1

Position Type: Permanent- Full Time

Hours per week: 40

Hourly rate: Commensurate with Experience and Credentials

Anticipated Start Date: – INACTIVE – POSITION NOT CURRENTLY OPEN

Location: CASASC, 203 4820 50 Avenue Red Deer, AB

 

About Us:

The Central Alberta Sexual Assault Support Centre (CASASC) is a voluntary, non-profit organization serving the Central Alberta region under the direction of a community-based Board of Directors.

We specialize in healing sexual trauma so you can talk freely about the hard stuff with no judgement. We provide a range of support services for individuals who are affected by sexual violence including counselling, play therapy, police and court support, crisis support and education.

 

JOB SUMMARY

Reporting to the Clinical Manager, the Child Counsellor will provide crisis, short-term and long-term counselling services to those affected by sexual violence, regardless of the length of time since the trauma incident.

The role of the child counsellor is to provide individual or group sessions to support personal coping skills and accelerate recovery in those who are experiencing the effects of trauma.

 

QUALIFICATIONS & SKILLS

  • Degree in Psychology, Social Work, and Sociology; or related diploma required. Preference given to those with professional registration, clinical experience and/or currently enrolled in a Master’s degree or Post-Graduate program in Counselling.
  • Superior organizational & computer skills.
  • Comprehensive knowledge and understanding of counselling skills and clinical practice as it relates to children and youth.
  • Minimum 1 year experience in related field.
  • Experience with Case Management and Caseload Planning.
  • Experience working with survivors of sexual abuse, sexual violence, domestic violence, and/or mental health will be considered an asset.

 

RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Provide play therapy and other modalities of therapy to children aged 3 to 18 years old dealing with a variety of issues including sexual trauma and sexualized behaviour concerns.
  • Work with parents and families providing support, counselling, and education to best meet the needs of the children.
  • Provide goal directive supportive counselling in the client’s preferred format (face-to-face, by telephone, or by video chat).
  • Ensure safety planning is provided to according to agency standards
  • Provide community information, referrals, and services by accompaniment, in accordance with agency and professional standards.
  • Adhere to the code of ethics and standards of practice of both the agency and the applicable professional regulatory body.
  • Maintain digital records of topics covered and results of individual and/or group counselling activities in accordance with agency standards.
  • Maintain up-to-date records in computer-based system.
  • Assist with crisis calls/webchats/texts, intakes, walk-ins, and/or visitor inquiries.

 

TEAM RESPONSIBILITIES/ STAFF DEVELOPMENT:

  • Adheres to the values and guiding principles, policies, and procedures of CASASC and supports the strategic direction of the organization.
  • Participates in staff meetings and offered trainings.
  • Acts as a responsible team member by demonstrating initiative, completing work duties, and by maintaining clear, direct, and respectful communication with everyone in the work environment.
  • Proactively stays current with best and emerging practices in the field. Participates regularly in the staff development activities according to a learning and development plan identified through supervision and the on-going performance review process.
  • Provides back-up coverage to CASASC as required in response to the needs and priorities of the organization which includes other duties as and when assigned.

 

ORGANIZATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES: 

  • Maintains agency confidence and protects operations by keeping information confidential.
  • Represents CASASC in a professional manner
  • Maintains on-going positive public relations with external agencies, groups, and individuals (if required).
  • Uses appropriate mechanisms for resolving internal agency problems.
  • Maintain professional relationship with internal and external stakeholders.

 

HOW TO APPLY

CASASC is an equal opportunity employer, and we value the importance of diversity, dignity, and worth of every individual in the workplace.

Please send your resume and cover letter to: Kristine Bugayong, Human Resources Coordinator at hr@casasc.ca. Mention the position in the subject line. Review of resumes will begin by the end of February. Position will remain open until filled.

We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interview.

Why is bullying a topic we are still talking about?

By Carlia Schwab

Why is bullying a topic we are still talking about?

On February 22 many communities across Alberta will celebrate Pink Shirt Day, a day to create awareness and show your support for anti-bullying.

Here at the Central Alberta Sexual Assault Support Centre (CASASC) we like to talk about bullying prevention all month long. We seek to help change the narrative surrounding bullying – where bullying is about what you do (the behaviour), not about who you are, a bully. Bullying behaviour is intentional, meaning it often involves one person repeatedly misusing their power/privilege to negatively impact the actions and feelings of another person or influence peers to join in.

Changing the narrative involves understanding bullying behaviour and talking about respectful relationships and positive use of power. This is something you can do at any age.

 

Children

Bullying behaviour for children can be seen in a breakdown of respectful interactions with siblings and peers. Examples include pushing and shoving, throwing toys at others, not allowing others to join in a game or activity, hurting others due to strong emotional reactions (ex. hurting others who won’t share), and prioritizing their wants no matter the impact on others (ex. laughing at others for attention or pushing someone out of line because they want to be first).

Children are at an ideal age for adults to reinforce healthy relationship skills. We can teach children about the impacts of our words and actions and how to understand emotions. Use teachable moments to empower children to make more respectful decisions when interacting with others. Adults can role model healthy behaviours, show how to use respectful language to communicate with others, and reinforce strategies for calming down and re-directing our emotions so we don’t make choices to harm others.

Youth

Bullying behaviour for youth can be seen in a school or team context, by peers, friends or teammates. It is a misuse of power directed at others for personal or social gain and can be verbal or physical, involve our peers and emotions (social), and can occur using technology (cyber). Exclusion, fights, degrading comments, gossiping and rumor spreading, are all common examples of bullying behaviour that youth experience.

We can have an impact on youth bullying behaviour by reinforcing peer-to-peer relationship skills. Empowering youth to develop and use positive life skills like assertive communication, conflict resolution, empathy, understanding diversity, and challenging harmful labels and stereotypes.

We can keep digital literacy and bystander intervention top of mind when supporting youth. Encourage youth to take their digital realities seriously, understand both the positive and negative aspects of living within a technology focused world and be able to problem solve helpful solutions when technology is used to harm others. Encourage respectful bystander interventions, practice helping others, ensure youth understand the impacts of harmful behaviours and brainstorm intervention solutions and responses.

Adults

Bullying behaviour for adults often occurs within family groups or in the workplace. It can consist of gossiping and rumor spreading, exclusion and targeted cruel and hurtful comments.

We can challenge adult bullying behaviour by practicing conflict resolution or assertive statements that can be used to interrupt the harmful behaviours we encounter or are a part of. We can be aware of workplace policies and processes, connect in with Human Resources about reporting and resolution steps. From a prevention lens, we can build rapport with others, get to know the similarities and difference we have with others, intervene when we see harmful behaviours, find ways to treat everyone with respect and don’t participate in gossip.

 

We can see bullying is a relationship problem that requires relationship solutions at all stages. When we don’t encourage relationship solutions as a prevention tool or a response measure, our ability to build resiliency and respond to the impacts of bullying behaviour are less developed.

The impacts of bullying behaviour are wide and don’t just hurt in the moment, it can hurt for a very long time. Impacts can be felt by everyone involved – the person targeted, the person doing the bullying behaviour, the people who witnesses it, family, friends, our school, workplace and community.

 

Short-term impacts of bullying behaviour can include:

Feeling anxious, feeling depressed, low self-esteem, trouble concentrating, trouble sleeping, poor body image, headaches, body pains, missing school/work, isolation, loneliness, few social relationships, withdrawal from family/friends, lying.

Long-term impacts of bullying behaviour can include:

Anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, mental health issues/poor mental health, poor physical health, increased used of drugs and/or alcohol, harmful coping mechanisms, self-harm, lack of social relationships, dropping out of school, lower level of employment.

 

Having empathy and understanding how others feel and how they are impacted by bullying behaviour can motivate us to step in and help others. We all have the power to help or hurt others.

Bullying behaviour doesn’t go away and hasn’t become less prevalent just because we have exhausted the conversation. Bullying behaviour requires real and healthy relationship solutions and until we can make relationship solutions and education consistent, we will always need a platform to talk about the issue. Be part of a relationship solution, not a contributor to a bullying reality.

If you or someone you know would like support in working through a bullying situation and its’ impacts, please reach out to trusted adults, human resources, school counsellors, online resources, or help lines.

Don’t excuse the behaviour as normal or “something everyone goes though.” Instead validate the feelings and impacts caused by harmful bullying experiences and seek to change the narrative. It doesn’t just have to be physically harmful, violent or a mental health issue to warrant support.

We are all worthy and deserving of having relationships, living, and interacting in spaces free from bullying behaviour.

Carlia Schwab is the Education and Community Awareness Manager at the Central Alberta Sexual Assault Support Centre.