August 28, 2026 Posting #1573
YouthLink believes in the potential of every youth. We are dedicated to providing them with the support, guidance and opportunities they need to make positive life choices. We provide youth with brief and ongoing counselling, in-home wraparound support, shelter, housing, educational support, and safe drop-in spaces. YouthLink works towards equitable outcomes for youth in our community and, as such, is committed to equity-based hiring practices.
We welcome applications from candidates who reflect the communities we serve, particularly candidates from Black communities, Indigenous communities, and racialized people, persons with disabilities, members of diverse gender identities and people with lived experiences. We are seeking candidates who demonstrably operate and practice from an equity and trauma-informed lens. We encourage applications from passionate professionals who will help us dismantle systemic barriers and will embrace working outside of Euro-centric practices.
- Competitive pay
- Health & dental coverage for you and your family with 100% premium cost paid by employer.
- Annual vacation with pay at 1.66 working days for each calendar month to a maximum of20 working days per year.
- *5 ‘authorized absence’ days for family illness or emergency circumstances that prohibit employees from reporting to work.
- *3 paid agency days every calendar year after 3 calendar months’ service.
- Maternity / parental /adoption leave top-up payments (to top-up Canadian government unemployment benefit payments)
- 100% premium cost for long-term disability coverage paid by employee.
- Eligibility to participate in pension plan after 2 years of continuous service with generous matching contribution from employer
- (pro-rated for part-time employees according to the employee’s full-time equivalency (FTE))
The Live-In Treatment (LIT) Night Youth Worker (Awake) delivers front-line, trauma-informed support during the overnight period (11:00 pm – 8:00 am) in YouthLink’s nine-bed Live-In Treatment home. This awake Night Youth Worker role is distinct from the Sleep Night Youth Worker (who remains on site but sleeps unless required). The LIT Night Youth Worker is responsible for house monitoring, crisis response, overnight safety protocols, and ensuring accurate handover to morning staff. This role supports female-identified youth (ages 14–18) and welcomes gender-fluid, non-binary, and youth who are transitioning, many of whom present with complex mental health and trauma histories. The Night Youth Worker collaborates with Case Managers, the Youth & Family Therapist, and external partners to maintain safety, continuity of care, and program quality.
Therapeutic Engagement & Goal Support
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Maintain therapeutic rapport overnight through focused check-ins, grounding interventions, and crisis stabilization.
- Perform scheduled hourly welfare checks and increased observational monitoring during high-risk periods.
- Conduct brief, intentional check-ins to support emotional regulation and safety overnight.
- Support transition planning or emergency contacts as required until daytime Case Managers assume care.
- Reinforce Plan of Care (PoC) goals and ensure continuity of interventions overnight.
Programming & Activity Facilitation
- Deliver and supervise low-intensity, therapeutic activities appropriate to overnight (quiet group debriefs, relaxation/soothing grounding exercises, sleep hygiene support).
- Prepare materials and brief outlines for morning programming or therapeutic groups (e.g., DBT worksheets, craft prep) during quieter periods.
Household Management
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Oversee bedtime and wake-up routines for youth present overnight, including hygiene tasks.
- Conduct building and bed checks per licensing and program rules; complete bathroom supervision as required.
- Maintain cleanliness of shared overnight areas and prepare breakfast/morning set-up as needed.
- Manage medication tracking sheets (MARs) and record any overnight medication administration or issues, medical reordering, medication dispensing and documenting, completing medication audits.
- Perform routine safety audits and report maintenance/service requests.
- Ensure compliance with Occupational Health & Safety Act, agency health and safety policies, and MCCSS licensing requirements.
- Liaise with the team and Manager regarding maintenance issues and service requests.
- Support relief staff and placement students on household routines and emergency protocols, in collaboration with the Case Managers.
Crisis Intervention, Safety & Risk Management
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Primary overnight crisis responder: respond to medical emergencies, ingestions, self-harm, or acute behavioural incidents; initiate emergency services when required.
- Missing person protocol: proactively investigate late curfew incidents and absent youth; complete Missing Person Reports (MPRs) and liaise with police, hospital, and placing agencies as per policy. Document timelines, witnesses, and actions taken, and escalate immediately to Manager/on-call.
- Participate in Serious Occurrence (SOR-RL) reporting and debriefs; complete incident reports contemporaneously. Respond promptly to crisis situations, utilizing approved safety protocols, de-escalation techniques and individualized safety plans. Collaborate with clinical staff and team to refine risk mitigation strategies.
- Assist in risk assessments and implement individualized safety plans as required.
- Document and escalate high risk incidents according to ministry, accreditation, and agency policies.
- Maintain awareness of environmental and relational risks in the home.
Documentation, Communication, Reporting & Data Integrity
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Complete detailed overnight shift logs, overnight observations, incident reports, EMHware progress notes, medication logs, and MPRs by shift end.
- Prepare clear handover briefings for morning staff and Case Managers, highlighting safety issues, MPRs, medication events, and any pending referrals.
- Prepare brief reports for team meetings, highlighting trends, challenges
Professional Growth, Supervision & Team Collaboration
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Attend scheduled reflective supervision, training, team meetings; participate in committees and mandatory training (as scheduled).
- Mentor relief staff or placement students during overnight orientation as required.
- Attend agency and program-specific initiatives aligned with YouthLink’s strategic plan.
- Assist with onboarding and mentoring relief staff and placement students as needed.
- Engage in equity, diversity, and inclusion workshops, anti-Black Racism initiatives, and trauma informed care education.
- Collaborate with case managers, therapists, crisis consultants, and external providers to maintain a cohesive treatment environment.
Other duties as assigned.
Education:
- Diploma in Child and Youth Work, Social Service Worker, Social Work or Psychology or relevant field, and/or a combination of equivalent education and experience.
- Bachelor’s degree in Child and Youth Care, Social Work, Psychology, or related field is an asset.
- Post-diploma certification in DBT, CBT, or other evidence-based therapeutic modalities is an asset
Experience:
- Minimum 1 year in residential, shelter, or live-in treatment environment.
- Demonstrated ability to deliver trauma informed, culturally responsive care.
- 1+ years working with youth with complex mental health needs in live-in treatment, shelter, or intensive youth programming setting is an asset
- Demonstrated group facilitation experience (e.g., DBT skills groups, psychoeducational workshops) is an asset.
- Experience working within a unionized environment and collaborating with agency staff is an asset.
- Prior involvement in anti-oppressive and anti-Black Racism initiatives or EDI program development is an asset.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- In-depth understanding of adolescent development, trauma responses, attachment theory, and evidence‑based interventions.
- Demonstrated ability to implement therapeutic routines in a live-in treatment setting.
- Ability to support therapeutic groups.
- Strong interpersonal, conflict resolution, and organizational skills.
- Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion principles, including anti-Black Racism.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office and use of electronic health records.
- Ability to document accurately and use EMHware.
- Understanding of CYFSA legislation.
- Proficiency in measurement-based care tools (e.g., interRAI, EMHware analytics) is an asset.
- Familiarity with Afrocentric healing practices or culturally specific interventions (e.g., drumming, dance) is an asset.
- Bilingual or multilingual abilities, particularly in languages prevalent within Scarborough community is an asset.
- Familiarity with substance use/harm reduction approaches is an asset.
- Certification or coursework in suicide prevention/intervention (e.g., ASIST, SafeTALK) is an asset.
- Thorough understanding of MCCSS licensing requirements is an asset.
- Valid G driver’s license and safe driving record preferred is an asset.
Salary: Starting $57,263 (Pro-rated based on the hours worked)
Hours of work:
- 45 hours bi-weekly (9hrs per day, including 1 hr of paid meal break)
- Overtime occurs if there is a crisis that needs to be addressed or managed
Other Requirements:
- Broad Record Police Check is required.
- Medical clearances including up to date immunization record and 2 step tuberculosis testing is required.
Full job description available here: https://youthlink.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/JD-LIT-Night-Youth-Worker-part-time.pdf
YouthLink is strongly committed to a workforce that reflects the diversity of the populations we serve. We believe lived experience is an aspect of what makes an individual qualified for a role. As such, we encourage applications from all qualified individuals including applicants from all cultures, racialized communities, abilities, diverse sexual and gender identities, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas. We are committed to a selection process and work environment that is inclusive and barrier free.. If youhave a disability and require accessibility accommodations with the application process, please contact [email protected].
- Our Hiring Process & Use of Technology:
- At our organization, people are at the heart of everything we do—including how we hire. We utilize an HRIS platform with integrated AI capabilities to support elements of our recruitment process, including application screening and candidate evaluation. These tools are used to enhance efficiency and consistency but do not replace human decision-making. We are committed to fair, inclusive, and equitable hiring practices, and we regularly reflect on our processes to reduce bias and ensure all candidates are treated with care and respect. If you require accommodations during the recruitment process or have any questions about how your application is reviewed, please feel free to reach out—we’re happy to support you.
Please visit https://youthlink.ca/ for more information
