Range: $31.95-$46.32 per hour
Reports To: Supervisor, Cultural Services
Position Type: Full-Time, Contract 1-year
Location: Toronto, with regular travel throughout the Greater Toronto Area
Position Purpose
The Knowledge Carrier: Women, Children & Families provides culturally grounded, relationship-based support to children, youth, women and families receiving services from Native Child and Family Services of Toronto.
Working closely with Cultural Services and Child & Family Well-Being teams, the Knowledge Carrier will provide cultural guidance, traditional counselling, teachings, ceremony, home and community visits, and individual and family support. Particular attention will be given to children and youth in care, including helping them strengthen and maintain connections to Indigenous identity, culture, family, community and ceremony.
The role will also provide culturally safe support to women and female-identifying community members who request or feel safest receiving cultural and traditional support from a woman Knowledge Carrier.
The Knowledge Carrier will work from an Indigenous, culturally grounded and trauma-informed approach that recognizes the importance of relationship, kinship, identity, community, ceremony and connection to the land.
Key Responsibilities
Children in Care & Family Support
- Provide regular cultural support to children and youth in care throughout Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area.
- Conduct home and community visits, independently or alongside Child & Family Well-Being staff, as appropriate.
- Build consistent, trusting relationships with children and youth and help strengthen their connection to Indigenous identity, culture and community.
- Provide age-appropriate cultural teachings, traditional knowledge and opportunities for cultural participation.
- Support children and youth in accessing ceremony, medicines, cultural programming, Elders, Healers and other Knowledge Carriers where appropriate.
- Support children and families during significant transitions, including placement changes, reunification, family meetings and other important life events.
- Work collaboratively with Child & Family Well-Being teams while maintaining the distinct cultural role and responsibilities of the Knowledge Carrier.
- Advocate for culturally meaningful approaches to supporting Indigenous children, youth and families.
Women-Centred Cultural Support
- Provide one-to-one traditional and cultural counselling to women and female-identifying community members seeking culturally grounded support.
- Create culturally safe opportunities for community members who feel more comfortable receiving cultural support from a woman Knowledge Carrier.
- Provide teachings and support related to women’s roles, life stages, family, parenting, relationships, identity, healing and wellness, according to the Knowledge Carrier’s own cultural knowledge and teachings.
- Support women in accessing ceremony, medicines, Elders, Healers and other appropriate cultural resources.
- Facilitate or support women’s cultural programming, circles, ceremonies and gatherings as appropriate.
Cultural & Ceremonial Responsibilities
- Share Indigenous cultural knowledge, teachings and practices in accordance with the Knowledge Carrier’s own community teachings, protocols and responsibilities.
- Provide or support ceremony within the individual’s demonstrated knowledge, training and cultural authority.
- Support community members with traditional medicines and cultural practices where appropriate.
- Participate in seasonal ceremonies, community gatherings, cultural programming and agency events.
- Work respectfully alongside Elders, Healers, Knowledge Carriers and cultural practitioners from diverse Indigenous Nations and traditions.
- Recognize the diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis cultures and avoid presenting any one Nation’s teachings or practices as representative of all Indigenous peoples.
- Maintain appropriate cultural protocols, boundaries and confidentiality.
Collaboration & Agency Support
- Work closely with the Supervisor of Cultural Services and other members of the Cultural Services team.
- Collaborate with Child & Family Well-Being staff and other agency programs to identify cultural needs and appropriate supports for children and families.
- Participate in case consultations, planning meetings, circles or OTCs where cultural support or perspective is requested.
- Help staff understand cultural considerations affecting the children, youth and families they support.
- Maintain appropriate documentation related to cultural services provided, while respecting the confidentiality and sacred nature of cultural and ceremonial information.
- Participate in team meetings, professional development and relevant agency training.
Qualifications & Experience
The successful candidate should have:
- Demonstrated Indigenous cultural knowledge grounded in community, family, Elders, teachers and/or lived experience.
- Knowledge of cultural teachings, traditional practices and ceremony appropriate to their Nation, community and experience.
- Experience providing culturally grounded support, guidance, mentorship or traditional counselling.
- Experience working with Indigenous children, youth, women and/or families.
- An understanding of the impacts of colonization, residential schools, the Sixties Scoop, child welfare involvement, displacement and intergenerational trauma on Indigenous families and communities.
- Strong relationship-building, communication and conflict-resolution skills.
- The ability to work compassionately with people experiencing difficult or complex circumstances.
- Ability to maintain healthy professional, cultural and ceremonial boundaries.
- Ability to work both independently and collaboratively as part of a multidisciplinary team.
Experience working within child welfare, family well-being or a related field is considered an asset but is not required. Training and orientation related to child welfare legislation, agency policies, documentation and practice can be provided.
Travel Requirements
This is a community-based position requiring regular travel.
The successful candidate must:
- Be willing and able to travel throughout Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area to visit children, youth and families.
- Have access to a reliable vehicle.
- Hold a valid driver’s licence and appropriate insurance.
- Be comfortable travelling to foster homes, family homes, community locations, ceremonies and agency sites.
- Be available for occasional evening or weekend cultural programming, ceremonies or family support when required.
Additional Assets
The following would be considered assets:
- Experience supporting children or youth in care.
- Experience working alongside Indigenous child and family well-being organizations.
- Knowledge of Indigenous approaches to child-rearing, kinship and family systems.
- Experience facilitating women’s circles, cultural groups or family programming.
- Knowledge of traditional medicines and land-based practices.
- Indigenous language knowledge or fluency.
- Existing relationships with Indigenous communities, Elders, Knowledge Carriers and cultural practitioners within Toronto and surrounding communities.
Our Commitment:
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to diversity and inclusion and does not discriminate on the basis of any legally protected ground.
In accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 and the Ontario Human Rights Code, Native Child will provide accommodations throughout the recruitment and selection process to applicants with disabilities as required. If you require accommodation during the interview process, please contact Human Resources at hrncfst@nativechild.org.
We thank all applicants for showing an interest in this position. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
Come join our team - and help create a difference in the community
Use of AI:
NCFST may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist with certain aspects of the hiring process, such as screening and assessments. These tools support our team but do not replace human judgment. We are committed to using AI responsibly, fairly, and in compliance with applicable employment and anti-discrimination laws. We regularly review these tools to help prevent bias or discrimination.