Income Assistance Mentor

About Us

The Ministry of Social Services invests in positive outcomes for people in areas of income support, child and family services, supports for persons with disabilities and affordable housing. We work with citizens as they build better lives for themselves through economic independence, strong families, and strong community organizations.

The Opportunity

The Service Delivery Branch, Income Assistance Programs is responsible for supporting the most vulnerable people of Saskatchewan to meet their basic needs as they work toward becoming self-sufficient to the best of their abilities. We are looking for 1 citizen-centered, collaborative, and empathetic individuals who is devoted to supporting citizens in our community to join our team as an Income Assistance Mentor. In this role you will work with diverse and multi-cultural individuals/families who may face multiple barriers and challenges such as addictions, mental illness, disability, and unemployment. In conjunction you will utilize your Motivational Interviewing skills to mentor your peers, facilitate learning circles and demonstrate how this effective tool can help move clients forward on their goals. This role provides the opportunity to do work that is deeply meaningful and impactful in the lives of individuals, families in need and our overall work culture.

In this role, you will:

Meet, and engage with clients in person, virtually and in writing to determine their needs, barriers and goals towards change;

Determine initial and ongoing eligibility for income assistance benefits and/or lead, develop, monitor and evaluate a client’s progress within their plan and others involved;

In a team environment, work collaboratively with colleagues, community, and clients to mobilize client’s personal resources toward self-sufficiency, using appropriate supporting interventions;

Develop and maintain positive relationship with service providers, community organizations, and other government ministries and agencies;

Using tools, such as motivational interviewing, partner with clients as they set and work toward achieving their goals, applying a strength-based and solution-focused approach;

Collaborate with your mentor peers to determine learning plans, challenges and successes;

Plan, facilitate and evaluate learning circles delivered throughout the province to Income Assistance workers and supervisors;

Track, listen and provide feedback to Income Assistance workers on their recorded conversations with clients for the purposes of training and support. While also providing your own recordings for feedback;

Participate in various training and learning opportunities to increase your proficiency in Motivational Interviewing; and

Champion Motivational Interviewing throughout the organization.

The Ideal Candidate

As our successful candidate, you will:

Have knowledge and demonstrate respect and understanding of multi-cultural beliefs, values, and perspectives with a particular emphasis on First Nations and Métis;

Have knowledge of social issues such as diversity, poverty, systemic and socio-economic issues and how they impact of people;

Have significant experience and expertise in motivational interviewing and supportive interaction techniques to work with members of the public, who may display a range of emotions and behaviours, as well as mentor Income Assistance Workers to grow their skill set in motivational interviewing when working with clients;

Have deep expertise of human service programs and services offered through government and community-based programs;

Have the ability to explain basic budget principles to clients and work within computer programs and databases;

Have the ability to remain calm in conflict or stressful situations and be able to work with clients in a respectful manner;

Have a strong understanding of and be able to interpret, apply, and adhere to procedures, policy and legislation such as the Saskatchewan Assistance Act, Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability/Saskatchewan Income Support program policy, as well as general knowledge of the Child Care Subsidy, Saskatchewan Employment Supplement, Saskatchewan Rental Housing Supplement, and others;

Be able to work in fast-paced, crisis-driven, challenging environment with frequent, ongoing change, multiple priorities and organize, present, and record information in a clear, concise, accurate, and timely manner which allows others to understand the reasons for a decision/recommendation or the need for further action; and

Have experience and ability to provide guidance, support and advice to Income Assistant Worker mentees in order to help them grow.

The knowledge required for this position may be obtained through both education and/or Human Services and significant related work experience. Typically, education such as an undergraduate degree in Social Work, Indigenous Social Work, Sociology, Human Justice, Psychology, Education or a related course of study will be valuable.

Demonstrated significant experience and expertise in analysis, problem solving, case planning and motivational interviewing in order to mentor Income Assistance Workers to ensure positive outcomes for clients, will be critical to the success of the position.

The work environment will be varied depending on the needs of the client group and the employer. The environment may include working at your computer for extended periods of time, interacting with clients and partner organizations in-person on-site or in a government office, virtually or by phone. Demonstrated experience in communicating and working with individuals and/or families in-person, in a professional and compassionate manner is critical to the success of the position. You must be able to work efficiently and effectively in a workplace environment where time pressures and caseload demands need to be balanced. This position may be required to travel within or between communities as required.

What we offer:

Dynamic, challenging work;

A competitive salary with increments;

Comprehensive benefits package including pension;

A focus on psychological and physical safety;

Vacation, earned days off (EDO’s) and other types of leave;

Inclusive work environments;

Advancement opportunities; and

Flexible Work Arrangements.